"SpecialTom growers get say in strategy"

After having worked with companies in the fresh produce trade for 27 years, grower's son Jean-Paul Nuijten has started his own company: SpecialTom. The focus is on tomato specialities. Apart from Dutch and Belgian tomatoes, he imports tomatoes from Morocco, Spain, Italy, and Tunisia. "I look out for tomato growers who are looking for a new partner. The strength of this company is that we're actively searching for cooperation. Growers who become part of SpecialTom, also get a say in the strategy."

Jean-Paul Nuijten

"On the sales side, I am also explicitly looking for partnerships. I can find my way in Europe, and I have plenty of contacts with both retail clients and on wholesale markets. For Eastern Europe and Russia, however, I keep in touch with Dutch exporters who know their way around, and who have sufficient experience with these markets to market our products," says Jean-Paul, who first introduced his company to the general public during Fruit Attraction. He has moved into the Van de Watering building in Breda, which is also his logistics partner.

Marexport
Besides SpecialTom, Jean-Paul has also entered into a joint venture with the Moroccan 'Cooperative Agricole Adrar', under the name Marexport. This cooperative has over 150 hectares at its disposal, in addition to six growers who have joined, with a total acreage exceeding 300 ha. The Moroccan tomatoes are sold through SpecialTom, both in Europe and the Eastern European market. "At the moment, the boycott is causing a lot of demand from Russia, and we're able to offer a wide range of Moroccan tomatoes from week 41 until week 20. Perhaps we will move toward year-round production of a number of varieties in the near future."

The response to SpecialTom and Marexport has been very positive, according to Jean-Paul. "We have already made good agreements with retailers. Now I am mainly working on offering a year-round supply of high-quality tomatoes. For growers in the Netherlands and Belgium who are looking for something new and still want to have a say in prices, markets and brands, for instance, SpecialTom is a good opportunity," Jean-Paul concludes.

For more information:
Jean-Paul Nuijten
SpecialTom
Mob: +31(0)6-51214082
jp@specialtom.com
www.specialtom.com