“September too warm for kale trade”

The sales of kale were not at all as they were expected to be in September. “Normally, that is when our busiest period of the year starts, but it was not as expected in September. September was especially bad for the sales of kale. It was, and still is, much too warm. I think we had about 60 per cent of September 2015’s volume,” says Mike Glas of Glas-Groenten in Broek op Langedijk, the Netherlands.

The company specialises in regional winter vegetables and the showpiece of the family company is kale. The company cultivates this winter vegetable on 22 hectares, and, additionally, buys in from local cultivators. Most of the kale is sliced before it is supplied to supermarkets. “Fortunately, I planted my kale a week later, which was a good thing, because demand from our customers started much later than last year.”

“Quality of the kale is good. We had some cabbage moth damage in a small plot, but consequences for sprouts are much bigger,” Glas explains. “This year, we hope we can once again benefit from the kale hype that started in the US. In any case, we are noticing more interest from distant destinations, such as Dubai and Japan, through our exporters.”

Glas tries to work with fixed prices as much as possible. When asked if he is hoping for a great frost, the trader answers: “Well, a frost might be a bit much, but slightly colder weather would certainly be better for our trade. Right now, the weather is just a bit too good. It was slightly colder here last weekend, which immediately resulted in additional demand.”

For more information:
Glas Groenten VOF
Dulleweg 36
1721 PM Broek op Langedijk

The Netherlands
T: +31 (0)226 313 981
F: +31 (0)226 320 245
E: info@glas-groenten.nl
W: www.glas-groenten.nl