"Despite foreign supply in winter, there is still demand for quality radish"

Daily Fresh Radish is one of the largest radish producers in The Netherlands and is responsible for about 15% of the market. Brothers, John and Dennis Grootscholten select quality daily and supply year round.

John Grootscholten from Daily Fresh Radish

An endless sea of soft green plants line the greenhouse of Daily Fresh Radish. The green house is peaceful and that is exactly what attracted grower John Grootscholten to cultivation. In 1985 he worked on a radish farm and in 1992 he decided to open his own. Not long after he was joined in the business by his brother Dennis. "You begin with a garden of radish, but now it has become a speciality," says John as he looks back on 20 years of working with radish. Daily Fresh Radish expressly opts for quality and therefore the greenhouse is equipped with modern cultivation techniques to fully optimise growth. "To be able to deliver day in, day out quality, it is really needed," explains Grootscholten.

Endless sea of radish plants

Daily Fresh Radish delivers radish daily, in the summer from a greenhouse of 9 hectares, and in the winter from 16 hectares. Demand for radish is high until the end of August, however, production runs well until the end of September. Daily Fresh Radish are then busy steaming the ground to disinfect it (since there is less production). The cocopeat is also tossed to improve the structure. "The benefits are higher," says Grootscholten. "You have to invest in the ground, not only to be able to delivery quality, but also to keep them growing strong and working without needing additional crop protection." Cultivation of radish is intensive: the day after harvest, the ground is sown again - and that is year round. Therefore Grootscholten definitely needs to keep his ground in top condition so no problems surface in the following crops. "If that was to happen in April then we would be too late. We don't want to take any risks."

Ground steaming - ready for the new season

Packaging
Daily Fresh Radish can be directly packed on the farm. The possibilities appear endless, but according to Grootscholten there is still something to be still gained at the high end. "Radish is a nice product and with its foliage looks very fresh and healthy. Sometimes you want to put this in luxury packaging but then it can quickly become more expensive than the actual product, which you don't want to do." Radish is presently packed into 30 different types for sending: in wooden boxes to Russia, flow packed and boxed to Scandinavia, in 10kg bales to Japan and in sealed pointed bags on airplane pallets to Qatar or Saudi Arabia, etc. In the coming weeks, production in Naaldwijk will fall and Grootscholten will start on an extra 6 hectares. There is cheaper product from abroad on the market, however in the winter there is still more demand for Daily Fresh Radish than is available. Here logistic and qualitative considerations have to be made by Grootscholten. "There is lots of radish, but our Dutch radish is known for its quality. We deliver an honest, reliable and fresh bunch."

For more information:
Daily Fresh Radish
Fa. J. & D. Grootscholten
Hoge Geest 25
2671 LK Naaldwijk
Nederland
E-mail: info@dailyfreshradish.nl
Website: www.dailyfreshradish.nl

For sales information:
Growers cooperation Best of Four u.a.
Ziedewij 5
2991 LA Barendrecht
Email: info@bestoffour.nl
Telephone: +31180 622 499
Fax: +31180 820 222
www.bestoffour.nl