You can bring the most unusual exotic fruits to market but, if people aren't familiar with them, they won't sell. After all, unknown means unloved. "That's why, every day, we work on introducing consumers to our exotic fruit range. We do so through recipes, information, and other forms of inspiration," says Jeroen Groenewegen of Yex, a produce wholesaler in the Netherlands.
"We help our clients to get their shoppers excited about and actually to buy these products. We explain to both consumers and store employees how to use these exotics. The moment of truth is on the shop floor. Then, it's vital to know how to present these products. For our Discovered brand, we refer people to our inspiration platform. It's full of recipes and other great information."
"Christmas will, undoubtedly, be different from other years," says Jeroen. All the anti-corona measures mean people will spend more of these holidays at home, with their loved ones. We think [traditional Dutch] indoor barbecues will be even more popular than usual this year. So, this year, Yex will offer a lot of inspiration. This will introduce consumers to the exotic variations that are possible with this meal."
"We've developed recipes with the help of [the Dutch] TV chef Mathijs Vrieze. These are for a fully vegetarian meal as well as a side dish for meat lovers. In these recipes, Chef Vrieze shows you how to jazz up your meal. He uses avocado, sugar snaps, pumpkin, sweet potato, and asparagus tips. It's not only a feast for the eye, but delicious and healthy too," explains Groenewegen.
"We have, of course, not forgotten dessert. There are tasty recipes containing pitahaya, mango, passion fruit, and Cape gooseberries. Our website and social medial pages are now all about Christmas. Figures from previous years show that people [in the Netherlands] start planning Christmas meals soon after Sinterklaas. That gives them enough time to get the products they need from their supermarket or greengrocer."
"There's also a solution for those who can't readily find all these products. People can order these exotics from the Yex website. We've developed a gourmet box. It contains all the exotic fruit and vegetables people need, together with recipes. We're sure that, along with our clients, we can give everyone in Europe a delicious Christmas meal. We're standing at the ready," Jeroen concludes.
Jeroen Groenewegen
Yex
ABC Westland 120
2685 DB Poeldijk
Tel: 0174 214 550
J.Groenewegen@yex.nl
www.yex.nl
www.yexdrive.nl