Spring has arrived, and that means plenty of fresh, high-quality fruit and vegetables from our own soils! For Coöperatie Hoogstraten it’s a good reason to shine a light on its product range and present some novelties. Moreover, the festive opening of the season traditionally goes hand in hand with the auction of a crate of strawberries for charity.
These first strawberries were sold to buyer Delidis for the price of €500 per 500 grammes. Hoogstraten doubled the price in name of the growers, so that Maaike Cafmeyer, ambassador of Ups & Downs, received a wonderful cheque of €8,000. Ups & Downs is an association for people who are bipolar or chronically depressed and their friends and family. What will they do with the money? Erika Danckaers of Ups & Downs: “We’re very thankful for this generous donation. Our organisation is solely run by volunteers. We mostly want to use the money to organise gatherings for sufferers. Besides, we want to bring attention to psychological vulnerability and break the stigma. For example, we organise a number of lectures in schools and institutions, and we want to add companies to that list this year. After all, the taboo should also be broken in the workplace. The money will definitely be put to good use.”
Left to right: Ghesellen van de Aardbei, Jef Van Echelpoel (responsible for purchases Delidis), Gaston Opdekamp (Manager Coöperatie Hoogstraten), Erika Danckaers (Ups & Downs), Maaike Cafmeyer (ambassador Ups & Downs).
Wim Peeters (owner) of Delidis is pleased with the purchase of these strawberries. “We definitely wanted to buy a symbolic crate of strawberries this year. We’ve worked with Hoogstraten for years, and this is our way of mostly thanking the growers for their quality product. We’re dedicated to partnerships with local producers, and Hoogstraten is a privileged partner in this. It’s naturally fantastic that our purchase allows us to contribute to a charity. Annually, Delidis supports various charities, and because we’re close to Hoogstraten, this event couldn’t be missed. Psychological vulnerability is still a much ignored problem nowadays. Ups & Downs is a wonderful organisation that is trying to lift this theme from anonymity, and we definitely want to lend them a hand!”
Left to right: Wim Peeters (Delidis), Roger van Damme, Jef Van Echelpoel (Delidis), Max Verheijen (Delidis).
Experience is emotion and emotion leads to purchases
After the benefit auction, those present could enjoy delicious waffles with strawberries prepared by Roger van Damme, star chef of restaurant Het Gebaar, the best pastry chef in the world and proud ambassador of Hoogstraten Strawberries for years. With delicious, flavourful strawberries available throughout the year, Hoogstraten is the pre-eminent strawberry specialist. Strawberries are very versatile, and they suit us very well. They don’t just look nice on plates, they also perfume the dish with their fine, sweet flavour. With an ambassador like Roger van Damme, Hoogstraten wants to inspire consumers with ever-surprising combinations. In his book Heerlijke Aarbeirecepten (Delicious Strawberry Recipes), Roger provides tips to enjoy delicious and flavourful Hoogstraten strawberries every day. Providing inspiration for now or for the future, that’s the goal.
Ambassador Roger van Damme.
But Hoostraten is so much more than just strawberries. For instance, they also trade tomatoes in all shapes, sizes and colours throughout the year, bell peppers and cucumbers are available from March, and in summer months, consumers can enjoy Hoogstraten berries and cherries. Last year, the cooperative realised a product turnover of 222 million euro and a turnover of 275 million euro.
We’ll publish more background articles on the season’s opening later this week.