Located in Brittany, the Bigoud Génération farm currently grows asparagus on 19 hectares. “Originally, my father, who is Dutch, arrived in Brittany in the 1980s to grow flower bulbs,” explains Karel Kaptein, manager of the Bigoud Génération farm. “When I settled down, the activity had already lost its profitability. So I turned to vegetable crops, growing mainly sand carrots. Very quickly, however, I started to cultivate small areas of asparagus as well.”
The nearest fields are only 1km from the sea. “I am not sure if the air from the sea makes them sweeter and tastier, but all asparagus specialists seem to agree that our product is particularly good. The sand of the dunes in which it is cultivated seems to suit it perfectly. There are also wild asparagus that grow naturally in the dunes, so we have gradually expanded our production,” explains Karel Kaptein.
Early Breton asparagus appreciated by star chefs
Although grown in Brittany, the white asparagus of Karel and Véronique Kaptein arrive on the market around the 25th of February, sold under the brand “Bigoud Génération”. “We planted the Darlise variety, a very early variety that allows us to start the season early. I immediately chose to use mini-tunnels for better yields and an early harvest. Arriving early on the market is particularly interesting for our clients which include many great chefs. The Parisian and Breton star chefs we supply are always on the lookout for the first asparagus and they are sensitive to the fact that it is grown locally or in a neighboring region.”
A great season, as usual
This is relatively rare in the fruit and vegetable sector, but the asparagus campaigns on this farm follow one another. “Having targeted this clientele of star chefs as our main outlet, we always succeed in our marketing campaigns. The Breton stores to which we sell our asparagus also prefer our local product. Each year, thanks to this loyal clientele, we succeed in selling all of our production, which has allowed us to increase our activity without taking too many risks. This year, we had no difficulty in finding outlets for our 5 additional hectares despite the crisis. Only our organic asparagus that we cultivate on 3 hectares were more difficult to sell, and we eventually had to sell some of them on the conventional market. Luckily, growing organically in this area requires little effort, so we will continue next year while waiting to see how the market evolves.”
A spread out 2023 campaign
For Karel Kaptein, the 2023 season has lasted longer than in previous years. “We are still harvesting the last products and we will stop by the end of this week. Temperatures were not very high this year so the asparagus can still be harvested, which has been a great asset in terms of marketing, since the season has been quite long with moderate production peaks.”
For more information:
Karel et Véronique Kaptein
SARL Bigoud génération
EARL Green génération
sarlbigoud@gmail.com