These past weeks have been warm and sunny in Belgium. The strawberry season is, therefore, peaking. "The volumes that usually arrive around the Whitsun weekend are currently plentiful," begins cooperative, BelOrta's Miguel Demaeght.
"Last year, covered strawberries were already done by around June 7-8. This year, that's all been pushed forward. The strawberry season got off to a somewhat slower start. Despite that, prices are good. Supply and demand have remained nicely balanced. That's kept the market healthy."
Blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries, too, are about ten days late. "However, this needn't cause any problems. Not if the volumes come to the market nicely spread out. The greenhouse raspberry season started in April and is slowly winding down. Outdoor cultivation will start around 20 June. But it remains to be seen whether the two crops can link up seamlessly. A supply gap's quite possible," continues Miguel.
Glenn Sebregts and Miguel Demaeght
Blackberries and redcurrants
“The new blackberry season's begun, but the large volumes are still lacking. We've been developing new blackberry varieties for years. They focus on flavor and an earlier picking time. The Sweet Royalla is a good example of this. The market received this variety very well."
"And this year we should be able to offer a higher volume. We have a new redcurrant variety, too - the Haronia. These are harvested before Rovada, so we can bring the season forward. These currants' bunches are well filled, and they have a higher Brix value," says Miguel.
BelOmelon
“Last year, we introduced the BelOmelon to the market. These are Belgian-grown Charantais melons. We learned a lot from that project and decided to increase the acreage this year. There are six participating growers. This year, we'll focus on a uniform fruit and the optimal harvesting time."
"We want to pick the melons ready to eat. But it's not so easy to determine that yet." The BelOmelon will have stickers rather than a band this year. That limits handling by growers. The melons will then reach shelves as quickly as possible," adds Demaeght.
Cherries
It's almost time for the cherry season to started again too. And BelOrta's designed new packaging for the large cherries. That was at the retail sector's request. "Since the outbreak of the pandemic, certain retailers no longer want to have loose cherries. That's for hygienic reasons."
"We've also seen this with tomatoes. The small cherries are often packaged. But now, we'll also offer top seal packaging for the premium cherries. We had to change gears quickly to meet this demand. We've, however, been able to develop a nice packaging for these tasty cherries," says Miguel.
Local
BelOrta's been promoting Belgian products for many years. Yet, the cooperative sees that the COVID-19 pandemic has boosted local products' popularity. "Consumers are much more concerned about their food's origin. We want to show them that good food doesn't have to come from afar. Growers are the best ambassadors and the perfect showcase for these local products. That's what we're focusing on this year."
Tray2Tray: circular punnets
After years of development, BelOrta recently brought a new strawberry punnet onto the market - the circular Tray2Tray. These are made of recycled PET and are, themselves, 100% recyclable. "This concept has been very well received. Thanks to new techniques, the punnet can be recycled," explains Miguel. "It can then be reused as raw material for producing new packaging. It's a great story. We don't want to innovate for innovation's sake. We want our ideas to genuinely contribute something, like this packaging."
BelOrta's new marketing campaign highlights soft fruit
“BelOrta soft fruit will be in the limelight this summer. That's in our brand new consumer campaign, launched in Spring 2021. Belgians can look forward to a summer full of surprisingly tasty recipe tips, advertising campaigns, and much more. Go ahead and enjoy," concludes Miguel.
For more information:
Miguel Demaeght
BelOrta
59 Kernielerweg
3840, Borgloon, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 126 70 210
email; Miguel.demaeght@belorta.be
Website: www.belorta.be