In the Dutch village of Uffelte, grower Bernard Breman began harvesting his kiwiberries on Monday. Last year's crop was disappointing due to the natural alternation of a "rest year," but this season the vines are loaded. "We've had a perfect growing season," Bernard explains. "We only had to irrigate about four times against night frost, which was minimal. The rest of the season brought ideal growing conditions."
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As in previous years, his kiwiberry orchard covers one and a half hectares. "The total acreage in the Netherlands is quite stable. It doesn't really increase or decrease. A few years ago, we expected plantings to expand, but that never happened, and now I don't think it will. It's not an easy crop, and that discourages new growers. It takes several years for the plants to produce fruit, and cultivation is very labor-intensive, not just at harvest but also during summer and winter pruning. In the end, it's the growers with stamina who stick with it; you really need perseverance in this business."
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Bernard started the season with the Geneva variety, followed by Weiki next week. All of his kiwiberries are delivered to Coöperatie Hoogstraten. "They take care of sorting and packaging. The fruit is graded by firmness. The softer berries go straight to the shops, while the firmer ones are left to ripen in cold storage," Bernard explains. Some of the packaged fruit comes back to his farm, where he supplies local farm shops. "But the bulk goes to Belgian retail through Hoogstraten. Personally, I believe there are numerous opportunities for Dutch supermarkets to promote this unique, homegrown product. There's a lot of talk about sustainability, yet the preference still seems to be for imported exotics."
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Bernard is in daily contact with fellow kiwiberry growers who also market their fruit through Hoogstraten. According to him, prices have been fairly stable over the years. "I expect the kiwiberry market to remain steady, though sometimes you get pleasant surprises. For example, after I appeared on the TV program Binnenstebuiten (link in Dutch) last year, sales really took off."
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For more information:
Bernard Breman
B. Breman Fruit Growing Company
Winkelsteeg 1 a
7975 PV Uffelte (Dr.)
Tel.: +31 (0) 6 55 140 930
[email protected]
www.kiwibes.nu
