"What's most important is that we listen carefully to customers," begins Miguel Demaeght, Fruit Sales Manager at the BelOrta cooperative in Belgium. "Based on that, we must find products that are interesting and profitable for clients as well as growers. That can sometimes be a challenging search."
A search that, in the case of Belgian melons, succeeded. Miguel explains that they set up the BelOmelon melon project five years ago at the request of two customers. "Instead of producing first and then looking for a market, we did it the other way around. Before the first seed was sown, we already had a partner with whom to roll the product out," he says. The project expanded from seven hectares to a full-fledged operation. You can get Belgian Charentais melons from late May to late August and Belgian-grown watermelons and mini watermelons in August.
Addition
BelOrta aims to capture five to ten percent of the local melon market with these Belgian melons, which feature a distinctive band that clearly displays the product's country of origin. "Belgian Charentais and watermelons are now available at four retailers, and are meant to be an addition for the target group that likes buying local. It remains a niche market. We must control the supply to guarantee our growers a fair return in a finite market. For some of them, this provides some income, and for some of our customers, it's an attractive concept."
© BelOrta
Belgian-grown BelOplum® plums came about in the same way. "Plums have a very short window and have little shelf space made available for them. Belgian-grown plums, therefore, died a quiet death. Along with a client, we selected several varieties: an early, mid-early, and late variety. All have the same flavor, color, and size characteristics," says Miguel.
"Now, instead of a one-week sales window, we can nicely fill a six-week season. That means it's more attractive for retailers to return Belgian plums, which are offered in top-seal packs, to their shelves. But here too, we first had to arrange sales. Such a foundation, though, ensures projects like this are far more likely to succeed."
Ready-to-eat
According to Miguel, both the Belgian melons and plums are brought to market ready to eat. "We harvest at exactly the right moment. They harvest imported melons and plums two to three days before they're ready because they must still be transported. That means they must ripen further. That's not the case for locally produced melons and plums," he explains.
© BelOrta
BelOrta is working on growing Belgian apricots, too. That, though, is harder than it seems, says Demaeght. "Of all summer fruits, apricots are the first to bloom: in late February or early March. However, there's still plenty of frost at that time of year, so apricots in poor conditions often suffer greatly. As a result, yields vary from minimal to good, which makes building something up tricky. This year's spring was nice, and the crop should be reasonable. And though we remain dependent on Mother Nature, we hope to supply Belgian apricots to a specific market segment."
Blackberries have potential
Blackberries offer plenty of market potential. Miguel points out that only 15% of Belgian households buy blackberries once a year. "So there's still plenty of room for growth; we've not yet hit the ceiling regarding blackberry consumption and sales," he reckons. Miguel sees opportunities for the new Bestum® variety. "With it, we've again focused on flavor, following on from Loch Ness and Sweet Royalla. Every new variety must, of course, prove itself to growers as well as consumers, but our preliminary work and testing make me optimistic about that."
© BelOrta
Flavor is a vital focus for BelOrta, but notes Miguel, the economic climate still sometimes forces retailers to prioritize different things. "In Belgium, there's a supermarket for every 3,000 inhabitants. In the Netherlands, that's one per 4,000 people. That density creates competition for customers, so retailers play with things like opening hours and product range. There's a tense atmosphere where aspects such as price and shelf life have become important factors alongside flavor and origin," he points out.
DNA
"That, while flavor and focus on origin are in our DNA. We'll therefore continue incorporating these aspects as a cooperative. There's an audience that's open to this and who'll pay a little more for it." The sales manager, thus, still sees future opportunities, despite the high costs for growers and retail economic dynamics. "One thing we know for sure is that people will always have to eat," he says.
© BelOrta
And BelOrta keeps focusing specifically on the eating experience and healthy food. "For example, we have a great Belgian blueberry campaign featuring the Smurfs, which we hope will appeal to children, and consequently, their parents. That works with unhealthy snacks, too, but our main focus is on healthy products," Miguel concludes.
For more information:
Miguel Demaeght
BelOrta
Mechelsesteenweg 120
2860 Sint-Katelijne-Waver, België
Tel.: +32(0)12 670 260
[email protected]
www.belorta.be
