Tomabel babyleaf range wide, supply stable

The quality brand Tomabel has been around for almost 20 years now. In recent years this brand has gained notoriety in Belgium and other European countries. Their range has remained fairly stable this year. Strawberry volumes are growing the most, with more than half of REO Veiling's supply of strawberries come from Tomabel. "There are 23 growers affiliated with Tomabel and 4 guest growers. They help when we have big contracts," says Ann Beyne, sales manager for Tomabel. 

"The baby-leaf range is quite wide and demand and supply has been slowly increasing over the years," she continues. "Two growers produce baby-leaf under the Tomabel brand in Belgium on a total area of twelve acres. In particular, mesclun is very popular among our customers. Mesclun is a mix of young harvested leafy vegetables, including various types of lettuce, endive, beet leaves, and mustard- and cabbage leaves. Other products that fall under the baby-leaf range include: arugula, spinach, micro-leaf, red beet lettuce, purslane and many other specialties." They do not expect many growers for this product, "There are not many baby-leaf growers in Belgium. If the range does expand, it will most likely be with the Tomabel growers. Demand is growing slightly. Our buyers are mostly companies that deliver to the hospitality sector." Ann does not expect the Tomabel baby-leaf range to rapidly expand any time soon, "But we are of course open to new customers."