Fruit grower Jacco Merkens from Werkhoven has a company with an acreage of 33 hectares, and grows various top fruit varieties. This year he's coming with something new: the Red Love. He is the only grower in the Netherlands who's allowed to produce this unique product. "I happened upon it five years ago. The flavour wasn't much then, but meanwhile the quality has increased enormously. When the rights were released, I decided to start cultivating Red Love." It's an apple with red flesh, full of antioxidants. "For me, the Red Love is a new challenge," he says enthusiastically.
Surviving
Jacco looks at the year with optimism. "I am always looking for new challenges. The past years were pretty difficult in fruit cultivation. To survive, you have to come up with new products. With this new variety, I try to make some more progress, and hopefully I can get some positive energy out of it. It's an honour to be allowed to grow this beautiful product." He is a small player, but hopes to score with Red Love. "I decided to sell this apple myself, so I'm still looking for new buyers. I am open to new ideas."
He expects to harvest 20 tonnes in October. "It's not that much yet, but this year is the first real picking. There are 5,000 young fruit trees of this new variety now, so the production will increase in the coming years."
For more information:
Jacco Merkens
Molenspoor 3
3985 SH Werkhoven
Tel: +31(0)6-12390854
jcmerkens@hetnet.nl