Since last week, the first greenhouse asparagus have been available at Aspergebedrijf Nooyens. "Things are looking good at the moment. In the greenhouse, they always do, because you are far less sensitive to weather fluctuations than outdoors. In general, volumes are still relatively limited, but for us, there is already plenty available," says Fons Nooyens of the cultivation company in Poppel, Flanders.
© Aspergebedrijf Nooyens
Jan and Fons Nooyens
The fourth generation is now active on the farm. In the early years, grandfather Jan Nooyens started a horticultural business where he and his wife grew lettuce, gherkins, and strawberries. Later, Fons and his wife took over the business. They decided to continue growing strawberries and also added tomatoes. This expansion required an increase in greenhouse area. "In 2010, together with my son Jan, I decided to switch to growing asparagus. That is how this branch of the business developed, about 16 years ago. We started with 1.5 hectares of greenhouse cultivation and 3 hectares of outdoor cultivation. Since then, the outdoor cultivation area has expanded to about 30 hectares, while the greenhouse area remains at 1.5 hectares."
All Lidl branches
Supply is therefore still fairly limited, but demand, he notes, always remains high at the start of the season. "When there is virtually nothing on the market, demand is obviously strong, and prices are high. However, that is not really what matters to people in those first weeks. Everyone is simply happy that they are available again. We are not the first with asparagus, but at the moment we are one of the largest suppliers in Belgium."
© Aspergebedrijf Nooyens
In addition to supplying BelOrta, the company also sells asparagus in its own farm shop and delivers directly to retailers. "We have our own sorting and packaging facilities, which allow us to supply everything ourselves in the desired packaging. However, many supermarkets have not yet started purchasing. At the moment, our asparagus is already available in some Delhaize stores, but once the larger volumes arrive, we will mainly supply Lidl. During the season, we supply asparagus to all 315 stores in Belgium."
Nice volumes at Easter
© Aspergebedrijf Nooyens"It is good to see the asparagus season starting again," Fons confirms. "Volumes remain relatively limited at the beginning until the outdoor season really gets underway. The first outdoor volumes will become available around 15 March, after which supply increases rapidly, and by Easter it should be at its peak. Because we grow in the greenhouse, we can manage supply to some extent, which works very well. That allows us to ensure optimal volumes are available before Easter to meet demand."
Whether it will also be a good season is something he does not yet want to predict. "It depends heavily on the weather, of course. The weather is beautiful now, but it could just as easily snow at this time of year. A lot can change in a few weeks. If severe weather arrives tomorrow, everything could turn around. The asparagus season lasts about four months. Every year, you have three weeks when asparagus are very expensive, and then three weeks when they are far too cheap. Small changes in volume can affect the asparagus market very quickly, so we will simply have to wait and see. In any case, our first greenhouse volumes taste very good."
Watch RTV's report on Aspergebedrijf Nooyens here.
© Aspergebedrijf Nooyens
For more information:
Aspergebedrijf Nooyens
Tulderheyde 6 / 11
2382 Poppel, Belgium
[email protected]
www.aspergebedrijfnooyens.be
