"We had an excellent harvest. The forecast was already looking good, but during harvesting, we were surprised to find that yields were higher than initially thought. That presented an additional challenge labor-wise, but with a good mix of permanent and temporary staff, 170 in total, we got the job done," says Mark Vernooij, owner of Yourfruit. This Dutch company grows and supplies the retail sector with top fruit in a short chain.
© YourfruitYourfruit team in the orchard
The larger volume affected prices but also offered opportunities, he says. "If the storage quality turns out to be good, too, this certainly doesn't have to be a bad season." Here, communication plays a vital role for Mark. "There's plenty of potential to sell top fruit if we all share what a beautiful, healthy product we grow. We must make consumers aware of how good it is to eat fruit," he explains.
Most of Yourfruit's apples and pears find their way to European retailers in what Mark increasingly sees in the form of programs. "The free market is definitely declining, although it's still relevant in Southern and Eastern Europe. We try to fix a healthy percentage and keep the rest open at weekly prices; we, thus, remain flexible."
© Yourfruit
Category partner
According to Mark, the shift toward more programs entails a different way of working. "We've become a category partner for retail and discuss with category managers how to use innovations on the shelf to keep people as interested in top fruit as possible. That means we also get feedback if sales or market shares are disappointing. And we, as growers, are asked to explain. It goes much further than just selling a crate of pears; it has become a mutual enterprise," he says.
© Yourfruit
Vernooij says that, despite the guaranteed sales of working in programs, price and volume can vary. "This year's large harvest volumes return the ball to our court, and there's slightly more pressure to keep prices low. We've acquired a packaging company, Yourfruit Total Pack, and will explore ways to reduce costs and labor requirements in the packaging process. We want to be less dependent on the limited labor supply. The same goes for harvesting."
© Yourfruit
Along with meeting labor needs, crop protection is another challenge. "We're running small-scale tests in our orchards to assess the consequences of phasing out various products," Mark concludes.
For more information:
Mark Vernooij
Urfruit/Youfruit
Tel: +31 (0)575 472 473
[email protected]
www.urfruit.nl
