Fresh spinach is unusually popular among consumers this week, even spinach that doesn't meet normal standards. There was a lot of attention for the 900 kilos of rejected spinach belonging to organic farmer Krispijn van den Dries, which was collected by consumers within two hours (for free). But is the demand for spinach among consumers increasing structurally? Adrie van den Einden of Green Specialties sees the consumption of fresh spinach grow year by year compared to frozen spinach. "But in volume the food consumption is decreasing. As people are doing less physically demanding work, they need less food," he explains. This makes it hard to predict whether there will be more or less demand in the future.
Experience
Green Specialties works based on demand and invests in quality. Adrie: "It's about customers having a positive experience. We offer them a good product and hopefully this leads to repeat purchases." Fresh spinach has more possibilities than frozen spinach, for instance in salads or smoothies. "It is important that consumers are successful with new recipes, as they will go back to them."
Specifications
Spinach with leaves that were too large or stems that were too long was the reason farmer Krispijn's spinach was rejected. But it can still be of good quality. Adrie: "But if you make a deal, you have specifications. If it doesn't meet them, it's a reason to reject the part despite the quality being fine." Abnormalities are often a matter of bad communication according to Green Specialties. "I only have one interest, a satisfied customer base," says Adrie. As they control the entire supply chain, from cultivation to processing and distribution, they completely control customer satisfaction. "We have to do it right, and have a satisfied customer who wants to remain with us."
Destinations
The customer base is spread throughout Europe. "The ready to eat spinach mainly goes to the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Shelf life is very important for other destinations," says Adrie. Unprocessed products are transported, for instance to Italy. They can even be transported overseas. Last year Adrie went on a trade mission to Japan and disco-
vered a new sales market there. Export to Japan, however, is for the future. "They have high demands for their products in Japan. We can't just drop ours in. It is and remains a natural product. We also still have enough demand at home," concludes Adrie.
Adrie van den Einden, director Green Specialties
For more information:
Green Specialties
Adrie van den Einden
Achterbroek 26
5715 BM Lierop
T +31 (0)492 331999
info@greenspecialties.nl
www.greenspecialties.nl