Although Jan Bakker is well into his 70s, the owner of Bovenkarspel-based Bakker AGF remains fully active in the fresh produce trade every day. The North Holland-based company offers a wide range of field vegetables and top fruit, and also sources peppers from local growers, delivering to customers, many of them German wholesalers, daily with its own trucks.
The wholesaler avoids big strategies and visions. "You try to buy trades that you see potential in and try to get a little extra out of it. Every day in the fresh produce business is different—sometimes it's like a casino. One day, the trade is sluggish and you have to push, the next day it's better, and then you have to make sure you're ready. But people keep eating, so trading remains necessary. You have to enjoy it, and of course, you have to keep an eye on what comes in and goes out. After all, it's not about how much you sell, but how much is left over in the end."
"Meanwhile, the old cabbage and pea season is nearly finished. Beets from the new harvest are already selling steadily. Prices for field vegetables are much lower than they were. The old harvest brought in good money, but those prices have dropped quite a bit now," says Jan. "The potato supply also turned out to be higher than expected. Besides, potatoes are being eaten less and less. These days, the missus doesn't want to get her hands dirty peeling them. She'd rather buy them ready-made."
"We're located right among the growers, and it's still a big advantage to be close to the source. With the expansion of greenhouse vegetable cultivation here in North Holland, we've also started selling more fruiting vegetables. Peppers have become a growing product group for us, even more so than tomatoes and cucumbers, which we can sell to a variety of customers. Now that the weather is good, you immediately see a spike in demand for barbecues, and sales are soaring. And they're not too expensive, right now, you can buy peppers for a euro or less."
"We sell a lot to German wholesale markets and the companies around them. A lot has changed in the German wholesale trade in recent years. The traditional wholesalers are now few and far between. Most of the market has been taken over by immigrant traders, but even they are managing to move a lot of Dutch produce. Of course, things get a bit quieter during the summer holidays, but that's always been the case in all the years I've been in this business," Jan concludes.
For more information:
Bakker AGF
De Tocht 7
1611 HT Bovenkarspel
Tel: +31 (0) 228 515739
[email protected]
