Dark green and snow white, a contrasting combination that appeals to consumers. Combination packs with broccoli and cauliflower are therefore on the shelves of Dutch retailers Albert Heijn, Jumbo and Plus. Combination packs with fresh rosettes exist, but the punnets with miniature cauliflower and broccoli are particularly noticeable. Albert Heijn added a very colourful combination last month, a mini-mix of bright green romanesco, dark green broccoli, snow white cauliflower and purple broccoli.
Mini-mix of four small cabbages are this month’s vegetables at Albert Heijn.
Not a trend
The mini-mix turns out to be a temporary product. “It is not the case that more and more cabbage combinations are on Albert Heijn’s shelves. The cauliflower-broccoli combination has been in our assortment for a while already. We offer customers a new and surprising product each month, a lettuce mix, for example, this month. Last month, we had the four-pack (miniature cabbage mix) on the shelves as ‘vegetable of the month’ product,” according to the press service of AH. Jumbo also indicates that it is not so much a new trend, but that they are anticipating the need of customers who want to combine two vegetables in recipes. “The products are definitely catching on, and they are therefore available in most of the Jumbo supermarkets. The Greenery, one of our permanent suppliers, supplies these combination packs. The cabbages are cultivated and selected especially, because sizes should fit the packaging quantity,” according to a spokesperson from Jumbo.
Niche market growing
A few years ago, Tolpoort started with the combination of miniature cauliflower and broccoli, they supplied the packs to The Greenery. “It is still a niche product, but it is growing, almost 100 per cent per year, and by now it has grown into a substantial volume,” says Gerard Korse from Tolpoort. “In any case, there is more demand for small cabbages. It makes sense, because there are 2.5 million single person households in the Netherlands.”
The combination pack packaged by Tolpoort.
Broccoli appeared to be the more popular of the two for a while. “For a long time, broccoli was very much a growing product on the market, but that has stabilised by now. Both vegetables are still popular,” Gerard says. Through Tolpoort, of which the ultivator’s associations Quality Growers Holland and West Fresh are members, they can supply both vegetables year-round. Cultivation mostly takes place in the Netherlands, but in order to have year-round supply one cultivator also started in Spain. Combined, about 1,200 hectares are used for the vegetables, including chicory. Romanesco, the ‘tower’ cauliflower, is also being cultivated, but is not yet a main product, not even in a miniature size. Gerard: “But we are considering it because of the trend.”
The combination packs are ready for transport.
Gerard is satisfied with the prices for broccoli and cauliflower. “If this keeps up throughout the year, we will have nothing to complain about. That was less so the case with chicory, but that is fortunately also starting to improve.”
Tolpoort also packages chicory, a product which is doing better now according to Gerard.
DC Tolpoort B.V.
Gerard Korse
Tolweg 7
1616 AT Hoogkarspel, the Netherlands