Cor Hurkx, Evers Specials:
"Bean sprouts are a many-sided product"
Cor Hurkx with the Taughetti-cart
Evers Specials grow bean sprouts only and have a wholesale division in sprouts. In the Netherlands Evers Specials is part of a select small group of specialized bean sprout growers. The most important selling areas of Evers Specials are the Benelux countries and Germany and to a lesser extent Southern Europe. "Finally we hope to increase our sales to other areas, such as Northern Italy, the United Kingdom, Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria. But it is quite a challenge, definitely logistically, to build these lines," Cor, who is together with Jelle Kuijper, owner of Evers Specials, says.
Business associate Jelle Kuijper celebrated his 50th birthday
Growth in fresh channel
The company supplies bean sprouts to various channels, varying from the foodstuff industry to the fresh trade and vegetable cutting companies. "It is clear that the growth is in the fresh channel. On the other side the number of Asiatic restaurants decreases substantially. It is therefore of importance to anticipate all these quickly changing market circumstances" Cor says. "We supply bean sprouts mainly in 10kg packing. But small packs are also possible. We do not want to overburden our clients with this. Many of them are actually specialized in the marketing of products in small packs. The market for bean sprouts is relatively small and as a consequence reasonably well organized. As bean sprout growers we respect each other, but we are firm competitors wherever that will produce results."
Cor is satisfied about the presentation of bean sprouts in the supermarkets. From the bami packet an increase in the assortment took place. Supermarkets did well with this. The product is extremely suited for convenience and can be mixed very well with other vegetables. During the Nijmeegse Vierdaagse (a four day walking event) we attended with two carts in order to supply the visitors with Taughetti. Our aim with this is to make bean sprouts a fully fledged vegetable or cool-fresh component instead of a small ingredient. The plan we already had for a few years, but was put on hold for a while because of the EHEC-crisis. The reactions were overwhelming, so we will definitely continue. Often catering at events remains limited to chips, a hamburger and a meatball. Many women and girls and more and more men want something different. With Taughetti with - but especially without - meat and a sauce of choice one can vary without end. In the meantime many recipes on this basis of Taughetti already circulate on the internet."
Bean sprouts cheap and firm of price
Cor, however, is not dissatisfied with the consumption of bean sprouts. "From research of a few years ago it is clear that 80% of the Dutch consumers know what bean sprouts are and 70% can name applications as well. In the United Kingdom the figures are even higher. Other countries are behind, although Germany is doing well be it with somewhat more associations towards the Asian channel." The trader does not think that the price of bean sprouts is too high. "Of course the client already quickly thinks that the price is too high, but we offer all year round a product with fluctuations in the suppliers' price of less than 5% and already for many years. It cannot be more ideal."
Evers Specials is continually engaged in the development of the quality of the bean sprouts. "That is a lengthy process. First of all it needs an extended stocktaking of the raw material market to establish what is available. Finally we aim at marketing a bean sprout which will keep for longer and has a better taste and which is possibly coloured even whiter. But that is a search without end" Cor says.
Completely automated harvest
Another development is that Evers Specials started a few years ago to look for cooperation in the area of logistics with companies, which are active in the same sector, but are not in competition with the company. "Bean sprouts have a limited lifespan of about 6/7 days. Then you have to supply your clients three times a week. The result is small quantities of bean sprouts each delivery. We now offer the possibility of cross docking here. By taking along products from colleagues one has the opportunity to stop at a lot more places and to make the stop profitable. Clients can now also order with us from other companies and with various German and Belgian customers we have been successful with this" Cor says.
Strict admission requirements
"Because of the strict EU-rules which are in place, the complete raw material supply chain of the mung beans and of all kinds of seeds of the small vegetable industry, is strictly protected. We are after the meat sector the second sector in the European Union, who are only on the basis of explicit permission by the food safety authorities allowed to implement the cultivation process. Actually we had already started for ourselves an improvement trajectory after the EHEC-crisis and are happy with this now. For the time being all Dutch germ vegetable companies require the approval. With this we can show that the entire sector complies to the set requirements, because it stops incompetents and bunglers. As far as that is concerned I expect a cleaning-up effect in various EU-countries."
Mung beans
"All in all the decrease in turnover and the addition of new guidelines during the last two years have caused less income and higher expenses and then the general economic recession came on top of these. Nevertheless I am not negative about the future. There is no reason to fear that the product will disappear from the market. The consumption of bean sprouts can quite easily accept a stimulus. If we then also can lengthen the durability then that will offer important sales possibilities" Cor concludes.
For more information:
Cor Hurkx
Evers Specials B.V.
33, Stationsstraat ,
6515 AA Nijmegen
Tel: +31(0)24 348 1422
Fax: +31(0)24 348 2140
www.taughetti.com
