"Constant new challenges in chicory"

"The price formation in chicory for this year is behind last year. Last year chicory profited from the weather conditions in Southern Europe, where a lot of products were lost due to extreme weather conditions. This wasn't so much the case this year. Although you notice that there are more extreme weather conditions due to the changing climate. We are in the sowing period at the moment, which is always exciting. You need enough moisture to let the seeds sprout. If it's too dry they won't break through. And if they do and are then hit by heavy rain or hail, you will still lose them and have to re-sow the entire plot. This has happened regularly this year," says Sjan van Gorsel of Reijnpack.

Reijnpack sells their own chicory under the brand Masterclass and is putting Red chicory on the market for the second year. Sjan: "This allows you to offer more to customers. You have to be careful with red chicory, a small oversupply can take down the price. The positive flip side is that in a small shortage the price can rise considerably. Because we were new in the market with red chicory we opted to offer the product packaged as much as possible, as we do with our chicory. This meant we were able to find new markets so we weren't in the way of other red chicory growers in the Netherlands. They usually sell red chicory loose in a box. It is also possible to package a mix of red chicory and white chicory with us. This can be fun in a salad."

Packaging is a bit of a hot topic at the moment. "Our packagings are made from plastic, which ensures the product has a longer and better shelf life. We are looking at whether we can use compostable packaging materials for this instead. We certainly want to help the environment. If everyone were to separate their rubbish, there wouldn't be a problem, but evidently not everyone or every country does this. But if there are compostable packagings, the consumer will end up having to put them in with food and garden waste."

"As far as the cultivation is concerned, our production is quite consistent this year. Although the yield per square metre is lower than last year as a result of coarser roots. At the end of the growing season on the field there has been a kind of growth spurt which causes the roots to be too coarse. Because we can't grow more than 175 grams of chicory on a root due to the packaging, this means your yield per tray is lower. Every year is different, with new challenges," concludes Sjan.

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