On Thursday March 24 The Greenery looked back at the last sales season together with Sweet Sensation growers. Despite the complex season good prices could be presented.
Last year was characterised by the extreme weather conditions. Ton van Wiggen, sales leader for pears: "Both during growth and picking the temperatures were high. During the harvest season we were seeing temperatures of 32 - 35 degrees. Due to the heat combined with moisture in the last phase of the cultivation the pear experienced a growth spurt which meant that the size sorting this year was coarser than in previous years. Due to the heat the colour of the fruits was also reduced, which meant that more Sweet Dored was harvested. This meant the median price was fractionally lower than last year."
By continuing to support the promotion of Sweet Sensation with tastings on the shop floor and promotions in the retail magazines, the consumer's interest has grown strongly. Last season the first collective European consumer action was carried out in the sales countries France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The winners of the offer won a weekend of shopping in Paris, Amsterdam or London.
During the meeting the Sweet Sensation cup was awarded, according to tradition. This year the cup was awarded to Michiel Appelhof of Fruitbedrijf de Appelhof from Zeewolde. No less than 90% of his pears that were harvested met the strict quality demands of Sweet Sensation and his company realised a median price of € 1.06 per kg over all kilos.
Finally, Bert Wilschut, product manager of Sweet Sensation, looked at the coming growing season. The cultivation of Sweet Sensation will be further optimised over the coming season. 17 cultivation companies will be intensively led by employees of Fruit Consult and Delphy. "The expectations for the future remain good. Over the coming years the market for Sweet Sensation will continue to grow globally," indicates Wilschut. The demand for year round availability is also increasing. "This increasing demand means we are seeing increasing motivation among growers to plant more trees. We are also speaking to new growers to further expand the area of Sweet Sensation."