“This is the fourth year that we have sold the round Milanezo tomato and the cluster Merlice tomato in bulk under our own Caprice brand,” explains Tristan Nault, customer portfolio manager at Hoogsteder, a branch of the group The Greenery. “We created a partnership with our producers and selected varieties exclusively and specifically for the French market. Visually, they respond perfectly to what a French consumer looks for in a tomato: they are very red and firm. The round tomato is slightly ribbed on the top, which French consumers love. As for the cluster tomato, the green parts have a nice color and preserve well, which gives them a very nice appearance,” adds Tristan. And the cherry tomato on the cake? This beautiful red fruit also smells lovely.
Cluster Merlice tomato in bulk of the Caprice brand
Round Milanezo tomato in bulk of the Caprice brand
“As soon as we introduced the brand on the French market, the demand followed. The products are really well liked, so much so that there are no stocks left by the end of the season, which lasts from April to October.” The tomatoes of the Caprice brand are produced in the Netherlands, where quality is closely monitored. “Picking and sorting are done exclusively by hand, which increases the tomatoes’ shelf life by 7 days. Moreover, the use of chemical inputs is very reasonable, as the tomato plants grow in a controlled environment. It should also be noted that the Dutch were among the first to introduce alternative methods such as integrated pest management in their greenhouse growing itinerary.”
Created specifically for the French market
Hoogsteder is a brand of the group The Greenery, one of the key international players in the sale of fresh fruits and vegetables in Europe. It was created about 60 years ago to meet the needs of the French market. “We are ten in the French team, working daily in collaboration with more than 500 Dutch producers. Our logistics tools are very efficient and we have our own fleet of trucks. This allows us to respond quickly and efficiently to the specific demands of our French clients and to try to ship the goods directly from the producer to the client - without going through our warehouse - in order to guarantee maximum freshness.”
The French team at Hoogsteder
For more information:
Hoogsteder
Klappolder 118 2665 LP Bleiswijk, Pays-Bas
www.thegreenery.com/fr
Guilhem Flammen (Sales manager France)
Phone: +31 (0) 6 20 60 39 47
GFlammen@hoogstederbv.nl
Tristan Nault (Account manager France)
Phone: +31 (0) 6 50 21 46 78
TNault@hoogstederbv.nl