La Ferme Vermersch offers a large range of freshly cooked vegetables. The products mainly come from the north of France. For the company, the Covid-19 health crisis has had an impact on sales. “The situation is very atypical. We lost our clients from collective catering. Thanks to supermarkets, however, we were able to compensate for this shortfall. We had a lot of variation in sales during the lockdown. The first twenty days were very hectic. Then, the market calmed down,” explains Côme Vermersch, business developer for the company.
According to Côme, the demand from collective catering should slowly return to normal when schools start again in September. “Maybe even before the end of the school year, since students go back to school next week.”
Expansion of the range
This year, la Ferme Vermersch added green asparagus to its range of vegetables cooked at low temperature. The season has just ended. “Once cooked, the asparagus keeps for 35 days, so it will still be possible to find asparagus in the stores for another month.”
Globally, there is an increasing demand for cooked vegetables, but it remains a niche market. “The demand is higher in stores on the outskirts of the city, where people appreciate the convenience combined with the taste of the product.”
As for the new market trends, Côme notes a growing interest from restaurants. “Restaurants are interested in our potatoes. In the kitchen, more and more people prefer cooked products, especially if the product keeps its quality.”
New factory
With the arrival of fresh fruit and vegetables on the shelves in the summer, la Ferme Vermersch usually sees a drop in sales. This year, the company will take advantage of this dip to transfer its small workshop to a new small factory, still on the farm.
For more information:
La Ferme Vermersch
32 Rue Gambetta
Fontaine-lès-Croisilles
Phone: +33 (0)6 79 18 75 00
c.vermersch@fermevermersch.com