Supply of sweet potatoes is scarce at the moment. “Both the Spanish and North American new harvest has been delayed. In Spain, they couldn’t plant because temperatures were too low, and in the US they couldn’t because there was too much rain. Normally, the first Spanish sweet potatoes would already be on the market, but supply has been delayed by three to four weeks,” says Christiaan van der Goes of Greengoose.
For the next three weeks, the importer therefore expects a considerable scarcity on the market. “The Spanish sweet potatoes are now being harvested, but these have to harden before they’re ready to sell. In the US, they’ll only start harvesting at the beginning of September, so new harvest won’t arrive in Europe until late-October at the earliest. The market is at a turning point. Spain is keeping us waiting, and supply from the US arrives in dribs and drabs, resulting in a hot market with good prices.”
Right now, Greengoose receives product from Egypt and the US every week, and in a few weeks from Spain as well, both conventional and organic. “We’re hoping to receive fresh supply of American Covington for at least two more months. It will become tense to find out whether we’ll be able to bridge the gap before the new harvest,” Christiaan continues. He’s impressed with the quality of the Egyptian product. “They now also offer varieties such as Beauregard, and in recent years they’ve improved their quality considerably.”
Although suppliers are saying they’ll send fewer sweet potatoes because of the difficult year, it’s Christiaan’s experience that it might not be so bad in the end. “But that’s inherent in our trade.” Greengoose sells sweet potatoes throughout Europe, from Scandinavia to Eastern and Southern Europe. “Over the years, volume increased considerably. Sales in the Netherlands aren’t quite up there yet. Dutch consumers actually think the orange-fleshed potatoes are too sweet.”
For more information:
GreenGoose
Christiaan van der Goes
+31 (0)6 48 26 40 74