The season for French potato specialties, a key product for Rola Fresh, is already coming to an end. "Fortunately, this is a completely different segment from Dutch consumption of potatoes, although there is always some overlap. French potatoes remain a more exclusive product, so sales continue," says Paul-Wouter den Ouden.
© Rola Fresh B.V.
Rola Fresh mainly sells French potatoes to market traders, who in turn often resell these specialties to specialty shops and caterers. "In markets such as Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and overseas, these potato specialties are far more common on menus. There, potatoes are not typically used for mashing as they are here, although you can see these specialties gradually gaining popularity locally as well," says Paul-Wouter.
"Meanwhile, we are also receiving increasing volumes of imported potatoes from Egypt, Morocco, and Israel through our French supplier. These are slightly more expensive, but there is a segment of customers who prefer to work with new potatoes," says the trader. Whether the current situation in the potato market will affect French acreage is difficult for him to predict. "As mentioned, it is a very different segment, but ultimately everything is connected."
© Rola Fresh B.V.
When it comes to sweet potatoes, Rola Fresh has increasingly focused on Egyptian supply in recent years, at the expense of North American origins. "The supply from Egypt is very diverse, and not everyone has mastered storage and sizing, but we now work with suppliers we are very satisfied with. We expect the Egyptian season to continue for another six to eight weeks."
"The availability of sweet potatoes is now decreasing and, as a result, prices are rising again, as they do every year. This is unlikely to change until the new crop from Egypt arrives in August. In the interim, there will be a period when U.S. supply takes the lead," Paul-Wouter says.
He looks back on a season of good-quality Egyptian produce, although supply was somewhat irregular. "At one point, all Egyptian suppliers wanted to empty their storage facilities due to the sugar festival, and then there were no vessels available due to new shipping schedules. Overall, the flow was less gradual than we are used to. Fortunately, by maintaining some stock and supplementing with imports from North America, we were able to continue supplying our customers effectively."
For more information:
Paul-Wouter den Ouden
Rola Fresh
Tel: +31 174 72 55 20
[email protected]
www.rolafresh.nl
