Since yesterday, the new season of organic plums has started again at BelOrta. This project, launched a few years ago, is steadily gaining momentum, and a solid month of sales is expected this season. "Finally, a good plum from the north again," laughs Gunther De Vadder, organic manager at BelOrta. "It had become a bit of a forgotten product, as almost all plums were coming from the south, but now they're back. On Friday, I got to taste the early ones and they taste great."
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"The project started a few years ago when we were asked whether Belgian plums could be supplied again," he continues. "Tastes vary, and people were looking for something different from the southern varieties. We decided to give it a try, but in a thoughtful and structured way. When you embark on something like this, you have to ensure the consumer receives it well. You have to market just-ripe, ready-to-eat plums, with follow-up varieties that also deliver good quality in the same line. In short, you need to create a complete season. For example, in organic, we began with the Opal variety, followed seamlessly by Reeves. This approach has worked very well in recent years."
BelOplum to follow
The goal is to follow the same path as the cooperative's BelOplum brand. This umbrella brand brings together several conventional varieties that succeed one another, providing consistent Belgian plums throughout the season. "In organic, we're not yet at the same volume level, but I believe we can get there. We still have young trees, but it's also about encouraging growers to expand. We're particularly targeting strawberry and cherry growers, as they have the labour available to manage such a crop during this period. Hard fruit growers are just starting their new harvest, and plums require full attention to be harvested at the right ripeness."
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Ultimately, the aim is to supply organic Belgian plums until mid-September, though this year the season will run until mid-August. "We're supplying three regular customers in Belgium, to whom we can guarantee a consistent supply. There is definitely more demand, but as with organic strawberries, we want to enter the market carefully and gradually. At the end of the day, you want to maintain a market without oversupply. Keep control in your own hands so you're not dependent on high or low production."
Looking ahead to the new season, Gunther is optimistic. "The two varieties, Opal and Reeves, have proven themselves over the past three years. They are very tasty and, even though we don't sell them cheaply, consumers respond positively. We're looking forward to the coming weeks with confidence. They're beautiful again this year. The plums have hardly been affected by the heat. We haven't seen much sunburn this year, so the outlook is good. But that's not the biggest challenge. The real issue is keeping fruit flies at bay, and we managed that well again this year."
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Bio-Qtee pears
Top fruit
After the plum season kicks off, Gunther quickly shifts focus to the new top fruit season. "We'll start harvesting the summer apple Colina as early as Saturday, with sales beginning on Monday. Then we hope to transition into Qtee, although that start has been delayed slightly to 10 August. These will need to be stored in cold rooms for another five days before sorting begins. As a result, just like Colina, we are starting a little later than last year despite the sunny weather."
"The outlook is very positive. I haven't tasted the Colina yet, but cosmetically, everything looks much better than last year; this applies to all varieties. We're finding almost no scabs, which is exceptional given that the trees still carry some. In terms of volumes, we're also seeing growth for Qtee compared to last year, reaching around 450 tonnes. Colina remains the same. These aren't the largest volumes, but they remain stable every year."
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Bio-Conference
For more information:
Gunther De Vadder
BelOrta
Mechelsesteenweg 120
B-2860 Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium
Tel: +32 155 655 291
[email protected]
www.belorta.be
