As an importer of exotic fruit, vegetables and specialties from all over the world, BUD Holland is also hit hard by the Corona crisis. "A large part of our clientele is in the so-called high-end markets. Now that the hotel and catering industry, in the broadest sense of the word, completely at a loss internationally, sales to those channels have fallen to a minimum," says general director Peter Hobert.
"Of course, we will continue to sell, although exports are now mainly concentrated outside of Europe," continues Peter. "The retail has a number of commodities such as ginger, sweet potatoes, mangoes, avocados and butternut squashes in the range as standard and the range is usually scaled up towards the holidays. You hardly saw the more exclusive exotics on the shelves, and even now. The specialist shops continue to buy the more exclusive products through the various wholesalers."
Enough reason for BUD Holland to organise an exotic drive-in in front of the building on Thursday and Friday afternoons. "We have already made several donations to food banks and hope that these actions will give the situation a positive swing. It is not a financial solution, because it creates a lot of work and you do not earn anything, but you make people happy and you do not have to throw the products away. We are also very surprised by the enthusiasm for this private sale. The reactions are really heartwarming. The promotion has been postponed because of its success, otherwise we will not get all the exotic packages packed," says Peter, enthusiastically.
The exotic package is filled with 450 grams of asparagus, one Readylicious mango, two Readylicious avocados, four pieces of passion fruit, four black figs, one pomegranate, 250g legume, 150g bimi broccoli, one papaya, one pitahaya, baby corn, 200g physalis, 125g Mesclun or arugula lettuce, 1 carambola, 75g Lemongrass and four pieces of boiled corn. The price for one package is 12.50 euros, for 3 packages or more: € 10 per package. Only card payments are possible.
"I hope for us, but also for all fellow entrepreneurs, that we will endure these difficult times. I have already experienced a number of crises in my career, but for example, the 2008 banking crisis cannot be compared to this. The economic impact is significant and the recovery will therefore take months, with fatal consequences for a number of companies. I am pleased that we are a healthy company, but I also sincerely hope that our colleagues will reach the other side intact," concluded Peter. "Such a crisis makes you think about how vulnerable we all are. Then I also expect the world to look different after this crisis. Certain professions that we now fully rely on will receive more attention."
For more information:
Bud Holland
Transportweg 67
2676 LM Maasdijk
The Netherlands
T: +31 (0)174 53 53 53
F: +31 (0)174 51 39 12
www.bud.nl