The Dutch pepper season is now in its final phase at ZON. "We still have a bit of everything," says sales manager Wouter Willems. It has not been an easy season this year. "We had good production volumes on average, but the average price was much lower than in previous years. It was a constant push and pull in sales."
Currently, yellow peppers are still auctioned at around 1.30 euros, red peppers at 2 euros, the last orange peppers at 0.60–0.70 euros, and for green peppers, the large sizes are still above 1 euro, while the smaller sizes are below that mark. "Production levels have been good, which compensates somewhat for growers' per-square-metre yields, but it hasn't been easy. In terms of quality, the pressure from thrips and bugs was also high," says Wouter.
© ZON
For next season, ZON will no longer have orange peppers from its own members. "Our orange pepper grower is switching to yellow peppers. Therefore, we are looking for opportunities, perhaps in cooperation with other marketing organisations, to still get orange peppers for the auction," Wouter says. What is new is that from next season, all peppers will be auctioned by number rather than by block. "This will allow growers to better distinguish themselves at auction. We see with products like leeks, cauliflower, and vine tomatoes that this approach is catching on well."
Meanwhile, the first Spanish peppers are already being auctioned at ZON. "These are still small quantities, but we have all colours available again and will gradually scale up as Dutch production winds down," Wouter says. "Customers see it as a positive development to keep product flows consistent through the winter."
For more information:
Wouter Willems
ZON
Venrayseweg 102
5928 RH Venlo
Tel: +31 (0) 77 3239999
[email protected]
www.royalzon.com
