Boumanfruit was established in 1940, and has evolved from a wholesaler into an importer of fruit and veg over the years. The company supplies to importers, exporters, wholesalers, supermarkets, and retailers at home and abroad, with a proportional ratio between fresh market and industry. Traditionally, the company has been strong in citrus and potatoes, but over the years, bananas and pineapple have also been added to that. "We take up what crosses our path, and what we think could be profitable for us," says Anton Bouman, who heads the company together with his father Peter.
Oranges and grapefruit
In 2008, Boumanfruit was the last wholesaler to leave Veldhoven, initially to focus more on the industry. "We import a lot of citrus from Egypt. In December, the season has already started. We get Class I Valencias in 15 kg boxes, and Class II in bins. A great deal of market traders and restaurant use these juice oranges, that's really a growing market. We also supply abroad, like in Poland, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic," Anton says. "At the moment, there's a big shortage of large sizes, and that demand is very good. We have produce in bins, close to Class I. Many fellow importers and exporters also come to us for this. In addition to oranges, we also import quite a lot of grapefruit. After the Egypt season, we switch to South Africa and Uruguay."
The Boumanfruit office is located in Wijk en Aalburg, and storage and handling is done in Barendrecht. The citrus is mainly imported by Boumanfruit from Egypt, bananas and pineapple from Panama and Costa Rica, and the fruit and veg company has traditionally also been strong in the potato trade. "But currently, the potato market isn't attractive for us, so we stay away from that at the moment," Anton says. He looks to the company's future with optimism. "In recent years, we have grown a lot. I always managed together with my father, but now we have also hired a salesperson for the fresh market."
For more information:
Boumanfruit
Grotekerkstraat 27
4261BB Wijk en Aalburg
Anton: +31(0)6-51303691
Peter: +31(0)6-53121326
boumanfruit@gmail.com
www.boumanfruit.com