Recently, Feeling Fresh sent the first pallets of red peppers to North American customers. Still, according to Marcel van der Pluijm, it will take some time before the larger volumes will be exported. "For that, our peppers are currently still at too high a level. Moreover, Mexico is in the full market, and so are Canadian growers, which means that prices on the local market in North America and Canada are too low to compete with the Dutch product."
Incidentally, this is not news, says the exporter. "February and March are always quiet months for us. In spring, exports will really take off, and for that, the signals are green. Air freight rates are still falling. That trend started six months ago and is still continuing. The passenger market is very good, and the space at the bottom of the plane can be perfectly filled with vegetables. For us as exporters, that is favorable. The dollar exchange rate is also still good. Although it is 10% weaker than a few months ago, it is still favorable for exports," Marcel continues.
Besides peppers, Feeling Fresh is also currently exporting more exclusive products to its overseas customers, such as Dutch asparagus and Italian Radicchio Rosso. "Of course, these are nowhere near the numbers in which we ship peppers, for example, but it's a nice item for North American wholesale and food service customers to differentiate themselves with, and it fits nicely into the shipment. The North American market has long since ceased to be a pepper market par excellence."
For more information:
Marcel van der Pluijm 
Feeling Fresh
Tel.: (+31) 653372891
marcel@feelingfresh.nl
www.feelingfresh.nl