Distinguish yourself with a large assortment of potatoes

Ron Vreeswijk runs the fourth generation of a potato wholesaler business in Rotterdam that has been around since 1924. In all these years he has experienced all sorts of market situations. "Right now there are enough apples. There is a reasonable amount being sold, but at low prices. But on the other hand, if potatoes are expensive and they're not being bought, that is also not ideal," explains the potato dealer.

Ron (right) runs the fourth generation of the potato wholesaler business in Rotterdam

Ron tries to set his business apart with a wide assortment of potatoes. "We have been working with the French luxury potato sector for years, and there is always a group of buyers for those potatoes. For example, better retailers, and even immigrants, are often searching for good potato breeds which usually cannot be found in the supermarket. Good suppliers are extremely important because some regions have less potatoes than others. Also, all French potatoes are not equal. One of the benefits of having a business on the Rotterdam wholesale market is that if the potatoes are of a lesser quality you will know this almost immediately because demand will drop or they will demand another sort of potato. This is something you can react upon quite quickly."

"With the mass potatoes you get a lot for a little, but the more expensive sorts are also being bought, like the truffle- and Ratte- potatoes. We have also added the salty potato from Texel to our assortment via Loogman. These do not come cheap, but they are still selling," continues Ron. "Only time will tell if the potato market will get hot again. In all, the fall in popularity is not shocking, but fortunately during this time of the year people still eat a lot of potatoes and stews."

For more information:
Ron Vreeswijk
Aardappelgroothandel Vreeswijk
Groothandelsmarkt 2-5
3044 HA Rotterdam
Tel.: (010) 415 44 30
Fax: (010) 462 66 50
www.aardappelgroothandel.nl