The cabbage harvest is in full swing. It is the busiest time of the year for A.S. de Boer in 't Veld with the harvest of red, white and pointed cabbage. 2021 was a year of extreme weather. "We had to deal with a wet spring and a dry autumn, so first the young plants did not grow well due to the wet weather and later the growth stagnated due to the drought. It will not be a record yield," explains Joris de Boer.
"Despite the extreme weather this year, the quality is good. For pointed cabbage we still have more than a week's work ahead of us, for red and white cabbage it will be the end of November/beginning of December before everything is harvested. Three cleaning lines are running simultaneously with the harvesting. Whatever is ordered in the morning can be collected in the afternoon."
Fltr. Thom, Daan, Dieuwertje, Joris, Ad and John de Boer
In winter, de Boer scales up to 4 lines when necessary. "The expectations for the coming season are good. A disappointing harvest
production in the Netherlands, Poland and Germany and a growth in the supermarket scanning data, confirm this."
Specialisation and optimisation
A.S. de Boer in 't Veld grows about 180 ha of headed cabbages alongside tulips and potatoes. In 1991, Ad and John de Boer took over the company from their father. The next generation, Daan (31), Dieuwertje (30) and Joris de Boer (32), joined the company this year as owners.
"Our company specialises in growing, cleaning and packing cabbages. In recent years, we have invested a lot in sheds, cells, cooling and sustainability. We can store about 10,000 tonnes and process 150-500 tonnes weekly. Through continuous optimisation of our processing and logistics, we can optimally meet our customers' needs. We are PlanetProof certified and have invested in solar panels and a wind turbine. In addition, we ensure sustainable soil management by non-inversion tillage and sowing the right green manure crops."
Intensive cooperation
Alex van Klaveren of The Greenery Growers sells A.S. de Boer pointed cabbage. "The customer is central to them. They always do their utmost to keep them satisfied. Quality and flexibility, two core values you can always trust A.S. de Boer with."
De Boer has the facilities to sort/weigh, seal, label and ship the pointed cabbage towards end customers. "For our company, The Greenery's network is an added value", says Joris de Boer. A.S. de Boer grows white and red cabbage exclusively for J.H. Wagenaar (subsidiary of The Greenery). "We have been doing business for 35 years and there is 100% mutual trust", says Fer Smit (buyer and seller of staple products at J.H. Wagenaar). "It is also a very flexible company that responds to its customers' wishes. For example, De Boer supplies small cabbages and half cabbages that are sealed on request."
Trends in the kitchen: Dutch cabbages in world cuisine
Within IRI supermarket data, we see growth in sales and volume for all three cabbages, when we compare MAT week 36 2021 with MAT 37 2020. "Although red, white and pointed cabbages were traditionally used mainly in Dutch meals, we are now seeing them appear more and more frequently in world cuisines. They are a favourite (raw) addition to wraps or tacos", explains Katinka Bijl (Product Marketer The Greenery). "But they are also very popular ingredients in Vietnamese cuisine. In addition, the number of flexitarians and vegetarians continues to grow, and these cabbages increasingly steal the limelight in the evening meal. How about slices of red cabbage from the oven, or sliced pointed cabbage from the grill? There is also another trend, where we are becoming more aware of the ingredients we use and want to waste less and less. Cabbage leftovers can be processed extremely well by pickling or fermenting them. The current hit within fermentation is Kimchi! This Korean vegetable dish is extremely popular and has a deliciously spicy flavour. So plenty to choose from!"
For more information:
The Greenery Growers
Alex van Klaveren
+31 612 774 323
A.vanKlaveren@thegreenery.com
J.H. Wagenaar
Fer Smit
+31 650 214 685
F.Smit@jhwagenaar.nl
www.verseoogst.nl/telers/as-de-boer-bv