"Despite the drop out of the Russian market, Fruvo from Krabbendijke has grown considerably in recent years," says owner Martijn Vogelaar. Around 7.5 million kilos of fruit is harvested from a small 150 hectares on their own cultivation company Vogelaar Fruitcultures. Fruvo cools, sorts and packages its own fruit and that of other growers and markets it at home and abroad. This allows them to process almost more than 15 million kilos of fruit annually.
Own brand Pure Nature.
He continues: "With a set number of employees and the entire process in hand, Fruvo can guarantee a good constant quality. We define ourselves in the market with our own brand 'Pure Nature'. Besides this we have short lines with the customer. This gives the consumer a fresher product."
The pears are placed in the water with a crane.
Growth of Xenia
Vogelaar Fruitcultures harvested around 4 hectares in mid October. "The first Elstars were here and these are being replaced by the new Oksana Xenia tree. The Xenia growers in the Netherlands and Belgium are members of the growers' union Xenia." Martijn Vogelaar is the treasurer for the Xenia growers' union and has some experience with this relatively new pears. "Cultivation tips and knowledge are exchanged through this union. Xenia Europe coordinates the central sales of Xenia. In recent years Fruvo has taken care of the cooling and processing processes for Xenia growers' union. The volume has grown so strongly that this variety isn't just processed in Krabbendijke, but also at two new locations."
The pears are washed.
Organic Xenia too
Martijn already has multiple plots of the Xenia pears and also has a plot that is currently transitioning to organic Xenia. He says that his main products at the moment are the Conference and Xenia pears. "The Xenia is an easy pears and doesn't need much labour with a high production. The Xenia also stays green for longer than the Conference pear and has a longer shelf life. The Xenia pear is characterised by it's fresh, sweet flavour and firm flesh. These pears are also more resistant to diseases and plagues."
After being dried the pears end up on this conveyor belt and are sorted.
Automatisation
Before they start planting new trees at Vogelaar Fruitcultures, the entire plot is digitised first. "By doing this we can work more automatically in the future. It makes it possible to spray without human labour by controlling the machine through the orchard. This technology also allows us to see where the fruit is growing best and why. In this manner we can ensure all trees produce the maximum amount of fruit," concludes Martijn.
For more information:
Martijn Vogelaar
Fruvo B.V.
Oude Rijksweg 10A
4413NK
Krabbendijke - The Netherlands
www.fruvo.nl
T: +31 113503183