Spanish cauliflower season marked by extremes

It’s an unusual season for the brassicas, with huge ups and downs. This summer there was little cauliflower and broccoli available because of the early spring weather. This led to extremely high prices. In October, the supply from France started. The large volumes of cauliflower and broccoli made for difficult sales with low prices.

Spain is a major producer of cauliflowers in Europe, the biggest for broccoli. A large part of production is destined for export. At Vogel AGF, there is plenty supply of cauliflower and broccoli from Spain. The specialist in field vegetables imports the cauliflower from two shipping agents. "One is in the north near Tarragona and the other in the south near Chipiona. They allow us to provide our customers with a steady supply of Spanish cauliflower, and also to spread the risks.”

Good reputation
The Spanish cauliflower has a good reputation and is considered by many to equal the Dutch in quality. The production of the cauliflower was considered good, overall this season. The import of broccoli is jointly organized within the Best Fresh Group, to which wholesaler Vogel AGF is connected. The products are marketed under Aroma, the label for the daily range from the Best Fresh Group. Customers are mostly vegetable cutting companies, supermarkets and wholesalers. A large part of Spanish cauliflower and broccoli stays at home, but the company does re-export as well. "Our products find their way to Europe. How the Russian Boycott will play out, we cannot yet predict. For now it looks like we're in for a normal season."

Consumption down
Despite cauliflower being the most grown cabbage in Europe, both acreage and consumption is down. It seems that consumers are increasingly opting for sweeter vegetables such as carrots. In Belgium, produce is promoted under the slogan "Cabbage is Cool”, a campaign set up to dust off the image of the brassica. Veiling Reo caters to the campaign by highlighting the many culinary variations of cabbage.

This year the Big Bang Broccoli campaign was launched in the Netherlands to make broccoli the most sought-after vegetable in the country. It is noticeable that consumers take less time preparing their meals, but want them to be healthy and fresh. The Best Fresh Group offers EasyTo products that respond to the desire in combining healthy and convenience. EasyToSteam is now available in three versions: broccoli, cauliflower and chicory.

More information:
Vogel AGF
Robert Vogel
T: +31 228 565 060
W: www.vogelagf.nl
E: robert@vogelagf.nl