The new kiwi season is just around the corner. Not in New Zealand, or closer to home in Italy or France, but right in the Dutch town of Bunnik. At Djûke Smith, Van der Maat's Nieuw Slagmaat farm, a family business where her parents and partner also work, the first organic yellow kiwis are already being picked. "We'll have to wait a little longer for the green ones, but they too will soon follow," Djûke and her father Huub tell us.
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The story of this unique crop began with a trip Djûke made to New Zealand years ago. "She received a Nuffield Farming Scholarship, an international grant to gain knowledge and experience abroad," Huub explains. "Through that network, she went to New Zealand. The apple growers she visited there also grew kiwis, and so they started talking about that. Since the climate initially seemed similar in terms of frost and temperature, for example, the family decided to take the gamble and try growing kiwis in the Netherlands, too. They now know there are indeed differences, but the milder winters these days certainly help."
Frost-prone
And so, the family became the first in the Netherlands to start growing kiwis organically. Following Huub and Djûke's lead, kiwis are now also being cultivated in the greenhouses in Kwintsheul, which GroentenNieuws previously discussed with René and Gerda Arkesteijn. "For us, that's when the real work began," Djûke laughs. "The first winter didn't go quite as planned. Half the plants froze, and we had to buy new ones. We then wrapped them better with protective material and compost. And wouldn't you know it, no frost that year, but at least they were protected. After the first few years, the trees become much more resilient. The plants are very vulnerable in the beginning, but by now they're as thick as a fist and can even survive a few degrees of frost. The trees can, that is, the fruits themselves, remain very sensitive to frost. When frost is forecast, we call all our acquaintances to help get the kiwis off the trees as quickly as possible."
© Nieuw Slagmaat
Cultivation itself has truly been a voyage of discovery for the family. "Kiwi plants grow incredibly fast and are very labour-intensive. That also makes it extremely difficult to set up large-scale cultivation. Moreover, we had to acquire most of the knowledge ourselves. It hadn't been done in the Netherlands, so hardly anything was known about it. Much of the information came through exchanges with experts in New Zealand or from our own experience."
"The research is still ongoing. We now have a good grasp of the cultivation, but every season is different. Animals also pose a challenge, such as mice that love the fruit, but we're getting smarter about how to handle that. For the new season, the green kiwis still have too little sugar and will stay on the plants a bit longer, while the yellow kiwis are already deliciously ripe."
Local marketing channels
The kiwis are sold locally through their own farm shop, other local outlets, and food cooperatives. "However, the fruit also fits perfectly in meal and fruit boxes," Djûke explains. "Those are the marketing channels that suit us best. For the 'regular' supermarket channel, the organically grown fruit is expensive. The cultivation is so labour-intensive, which makes the prices higher."
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"Despite the challenges, it's a project that brings a lot of joy and satisfaction," says a proud Huub. "It combines innovation, international knowledge, and practical farming. For us, it remains a beautiful journey of discovery: from the first plants to where we are now, continually learning more about cultivation, ripeness, and marketing. It's a journey in which we move forward step by step, constantly seeking new solutions."
That this is a unique project was also recognised by chef Leo Mazairac of BinnensteBuiten, who visited the farm in Bunnik in early 2023.
For more information:
Nieuw Slagmaat
Marsdijk 5
3981 HE Bunnik
+31 (0) 30 63 71 539
[email protected]
www.nieuwslagmaat.nl
