Michel van den Berg of De Best AGF is a Dutch wholesaler. He mainly supplies market vendors. This is a category that has undergone many changes in recent years. "There are hardly any businesses being passed from father to son anymore. Children see their fathers leave at 4 am, and not return until the evening. They often do not like that."
"There are a group of Dutch people who do this well. But, especially in the big cities, many stalls are sold to immigrant business people. That also offer ample opportunities, because you can sell a lot of produce to them. A Dutch vegetable farmer will take one box of figs, these guys take 20. You can also purchase products like peppers and leaf mandarins in bulk. Dutch people are certainly less familiar with these," continues Michel.
He is not displeased with his summer sales. The trader does, however, think it could have been even better if the weather was better. "We had a lot of rain; then people do not come to market. The soft products such as punnets of strawberries and cherries are often impulse buys. For that, you need nice weather."
Michel considers September to be a transition month. It is always a somewhat quieter time. "People do not have much money, the kids have gone back to school, and there is less trade available. For example, the stone fruit season is as good as over. We do have ample Dutch top fruit. We have Italian grapes and oranges from Uruguay and South Africa on offer too."
"The first Spanish mandarins have also started arriving. This time of year used to be the time to start with the Spanish trade. However, nowadays, we try to go through for as long as possible with overseas citrus. These are often simply better than the products from Spain. If you want to sell a good Afourer or Nadorcott, you must not offer a Spanish variety," concludes Michel.
For more information:
Michel van den Berg
De Best AGF
M: +31 (0) 623 728 028
michelvdberg1@live.nl