Jan Timmermans holding the Conference organic and the Elstar organic
Quality
Timmermans' company imports the bulk of their trade from abroad. Or as Jan likes to say: "We're a European wholesaler." Timmermans' European clients now often have appointments with suppliers from countries like Argentina and Australia. But Jan wants to sell fruit from Dutch organic growers in Europe: "We've found a number of growers who can supply the quality we're used to from normal growers. At the moment I can see professionalisation among the organic fruit growers."Size
According to Jan it doesn't stop at picking the fruit for growers: "You used to see organically grown apples being sorted by hand into good and not good, without paying attention to the size or a more detailed quality range. This is changing. More sorting machines are being used in the organic cultivation and the fruit is being sorted better by size and quality. An organic apple or pear can be grown in a standard size and look good."Ready for sales
C.G.Timmermans & Zn has now found a number of growers who can supply the quality that is expected from their customers. Jan emphasizes that the trade in organic fruit is still in the planning phase: "We've now found the growers we'd like to work with. Now we have to wait for the sales. As soon as we've found them, we're ready."Letting the customer choose
Jan thinks it should be logical that organic fruit can compete with normal fruit on the shelves: "It used to be said in the organic sector that you have to educate the customers. They had to learn that a spot or a different size isn't bad, where organic fruit is concerned. I think that's wrong. We have stop educating the customers and let them choose. If we supply organic fruit of high quality, they will want to pay more for it."For more information:
C.G. Timmermans & Zn
0031 416-691232
www.timfruit.nl
info@timfruit.nl