Van Veen Asia has been producing Asian products for twenty years now. The product range comprises 20 to 25 Asian greenhouse vegetables. Jan van Veen: “We mainly supply our leafy vegetables and fruit to tokos. Supermarkets don’t really come into it, because our 6 to 8 kg packagings aren’t really suitable for consumers in supermarkets. Because of our wide range, it’s hard to single out a specific product as the most successful one.” The wholesaler also exports to other countries. Because the products spoil quickly, delivery has to be fast. According to Van Veen, that’s not a problem with delivery to tokos in the United Kingdom: “We deliver within a day there as well.”
Asian vegetables are consumed less, but there is a trend noticeable of more Europeans eating Asian vegetables. On the other hand, many Asians are starting to eat European food. Trade doesn’t really benefit from this. Van Veen: “By having our own sowing programme, we compensate for many of the seasonal differences. In winter, we expand the programme by 2 to 3 hectares, to a total of 6.5 hectares.”
Van Veen sees problems with a proliferation of products across the sector. “Newcomers mainly try their luck in pak choy cultivation. They grow it for a while, and then bring it all to the market. The fluctuating supply, however, causes a constantly uncertain market. You can’t do much about it. It’s a free market, and everyone can take up this cultivation.” This could be counteracted somewhat by seed suppliers, according to Van Veen: “Through specific supplies, they could stimulate less or more focused cultivation.”
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Van Veen Asia
Jan van Veen