"Far fewer people know specific plum varieties"

Kees Hamelink's 'too small' plums from Wemeldinge in the Dutch province of Zeeland received a lot of attention in the press this summer. In North Holland, the dry weather was of far less consequence to the plums. This area is well-known for its Reine Victoria plums. "In the first place, it was not as hot here. We also have a good supply of water", says Erik Kieftenburg of Fruit Noordholland.

This wholesaler is from the North Holland town of Zwaagdijk. Over the last few weeks, they have been supplying Ontario and then Opal plums. These will be followed shortly by the Jubilee, Lazoet, and Reine Victoria. "The Opal plums were delicious thanks to the good weather. These and the Jubilee seasons went reasonably well. There were too many Reine Victoria's at auction last week. This oversupply caused a drop in prices. Once the holidays are over, sales should start picking up again", Erik expects.

He has noticed that there are slightly less Reine Victoria's being grown. "Farmers' average lifespans are very high, and not all of them have successors. This has caused a slight drop in acreage. These plums are quite large this year. We have very few medium-sized fruits available", says the trader. He is relatively optimistic about the future of plum sales. He has, however, made an observation. "People are quick to buy plums, but this group of people is ageing. The number of people who really know specific plum varieties is shrinking fast." 

The top fruit season has also started at Fruit Noordholland. They have the first Clapp's and Triomphe de Vienne pears and the first Delcorf apples. "There is a reasonable demand. In other places, Conference pears are small and a little discoloured. Here, however, they are of good size and the crop looks good. Delbare apples could be slightly better colour, but the nights were too hot for this", he explains.

Red currants are another best seller this summer. "A lot of people think these should be replaced. We, however, sold a lot of these berries this past summer. Red currants are certainly not on their way out", concludes Erik. Fruit Noordholland sells a lot of fruit on the German market via its parent company, M.J. Pronk. They sell the majority of their fruit to local wholesalers and greengrocers themselves.