Jonagold to be new success story

According to WAPA numbers, apple production in Belgium will fall by 21%. Marc believes this remains to be seen, "A lot will depend on the kilo's that will come out, meaning how much bigger the pears and apples will grow before they are harvested. It is possible that the average diameter of the fruit will be smaller than last year, but there will definitely be enough fruit. I think we will get a fairly normal harvest for both fruits." Marc continues: "The shell, sugar content and top fruit look good. The less natural catastrophes the better in terms of quality and balance." This year's season started earlier than last year, "Belgica will be harvested in the first week of September and Jonagold in mid-September. The Conference pears will also be harvested the first week of September."




Re-positioning Jonagold

In terms of the different varieties, little has changed at BFV since last year, "Two years ago we developed a new concept for Jonagold to re-position it in the market. Since then we have been heavily focusing on quality, hardness and sugar content. It comes down to putting the right variety on the market at the right time during the season. Consumers are taste conscious. We know that our JonaPlus and Truval Classic are definitely appreciated. Jonggold will be our new success story. We are also focusing on other varieties, like Joly Red, Belgica and Sweet Sensation. These are nice crowd pleasers."

Until the boycott, BFV was one of the largest players on the Russian market. BFV supplied both supermarkets and various importers all around the country, "This market is definitely missed. You come up against competitors in other markets. Last year there was a lot of opposition to fruit in Poland, which was not expected. Where does all that fruit go then? We also sell to several of Russia's neighbors. Whether they eat the apples themselves, I will not comment on that." BFV has been working on securing new destinations, like India and China, for years. "We continue to invest in this area. It is a process that does not stop and we see it evolving."

BFV is the largest top fruit cooperative in Belgium, and in Europe. Marc sees some possible new challenges along with the Russian boycott, "At every corner we encounter other issues. We obviously try to find answers to all these issues. Last year was a learning season for us: there were more possibilities than we'd thought."