On the morning of 18 March, Coöperatie Hoogstraten celebrated the annual opening of the new strawberry season with the auction of the symbolic first box. Colruyt purchased the strawberries for €5,000 per box (8 x 500 grams). With the growers doubling that amount, Child Focus will receive a check for €10,000.
© Jannick Flach | FreshPlaza.com
Liesbet Mesdom, responsible for purchasing fruit and vegetables at Colruyt Lowest Prices, expressed pride in acquiring the first box: "As a Belgian retailer, we offer as many local products as possible on our shelves. We have been working with Coöperatie Hoogstraten for years and have done so exclusively for our premium strawberry brand since last year. In this way, we further emphasize local anchoring and quality, combined with the lowest prices for our customers."
Volume now doubles week on week
The new season has now truly begun, although it has technically been underway for some time. Winter crops continued as usual over recent months, and spring crops also started a few weeks ago. "These really began at the end of February," explains Michiel Vermeiren of Coöperatie Hoogstraten. "Volumes are still limited, but things are now starting to accelerate. With the current sunny weather and blue skies, production is expected to increase rapidly. We did experience a few dark days that temporarily slowed growth, but that is recovering this week. A significant volume of fruit is now ready for harvest."
© Jannick Flach | FreshPlaza.com
Hans Vanderhallen welcomed guests at the first sale
Michiel expects volumes to rise sharply in the coming period. "This week we expect just over 150 tons of strawberries, and next week already more than 300 tons. We are now in a phase where volumes are doubling week by week. If crop development continues at this pace, we expect to reach one million kilos per week around mid-April. After Easter, the season should reach full momentum."
The weather will, of course, play a major role. "As last year, we are seeing a relatively early spring, but how the season will ultimately develop remains uncertain. Demand is traditionally strong around Easter, but we also expect significant volumes from Spain at the beginning of April, which could temporarily increase overall market supply. We will therefore carefully manage promotions to maintain market balance."
© Jannick Flach | FreshPlaza.com
Three new Dutch growers
As tradition dictates, Jan Engelen guided the press through the cooperative's performance. "Last year once again showed how challenging this sector can be, something our growers will certainly recognize. Nevertheless, we can say that we have performed well in recent years," he says. "Looking at individual products, tomatoes account for by far the largest share. Last year, we traded 108.6 million kilos of tomatoes, making it the largest component of total production. This was followed by strawberries, with approximately 34.6 million kilos, also a record volume. In sweet peppers, despite a very challenging year, acreage remained relatively stable. In terms of turnover, tomatoes and strawberries together account for the largest share of the cooperative's income, each generating around €165 million."
Looking at acreage for 2026, Jan sees relative stability, alongside clear efforts to integrate Dutch growers into the cooperative. "Or to collaborate more closely with us. For example, three new Dutch growers, two pepper growers and one strawberry grower, joined last year, and several more are expected to follow in the coming years. What makes our organization unique is the international nature of our growing area. We are located directly on the border with the Netherlands, and in practice, that border plays little role. Cooperation with Dutch growers has long been essential to our operations and continues to grow in importance."
© Jannick Flach | FreshPlaza.com
Dirk Van den Plas and Hans Vanderhallen of Cooperatie Hoogstraten
"This cooperation is driven by several factors. On the one hand, the cooperative provides economies of scale and support in areas such as administration, IT systems, marketing, and subsidies. On the other hand, our structure offers growers easier access to international markets and larger sales channels. This cross-border collaboration strengthens and stabilizes our production base. We are therefore deliberately targeting the Netherlands as a growth market, not only to attract new growers but also because the sector there is highly advanced in terms of technology and efficiency. This exchange of knowledge benefits both sides."
Consumption lags behind, potential remains high
However, the season opening also highlights a broader challenge, according to Coöperatie Hoogstraten. Europeans consume an average of around 350 grams of fruit and vegetables per day, approximately half the recommended amount. In addition, 35 per cent of Europeans do not consume any fruit or vegetables daily, particularly children.
© Jannick Flach | FreshPlaza.com
For the occasion, all visitors were also immediately invited to a (blind) variety trial in an adjacent room
"This represents both a challenge and an opportunity for the sector. Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption benefits both health and sustainability. Despite ongoing challenges, the potential remains significant. The world needs more fruit and vegetables, not less. As a specialist in strawberries, tomatoes, and peppers, we actively respond to this demand through innovative and sustainable cultivation techniques, supplying local, fresh produce year-round."
Proceeds for Child Focus
The proceeds from the auction will go to Child Focus, the organization dedicated to helping missing and sexually exploited children, as well as promoting online and offline safety for young people. Nel Broothaerts, CEO of Child Focus, explains: "The number of vulnerable young people going missing or becoming victims of online sexual exploitation continues to rise. This makes our mission more urgent than ever. Child Focus operates around the clock to protect, locate, and support children and young people. We are also strongly committed to prevention and awareness around online safety, helping to build resilience. Thanks to the support of our partners, we can continue to offer this assistance free of charge to those who need it most."
© Coöperatie Hoogstraten
Commitment to children is central to Child Focus' mission, and Coöperatie Hoogstraten also actively supports child welfare. Through initiatives such as the Hopsabees project, the cooperative promotes physical activity and healthy eating habits among young children.
Live on Radio 2
Radio 2 broadcast the start of the season live from the farm of strawberry grower Frank Boeren. Presenters Ann Reymen and Daan Masset hosted their program among the strawberry plants, allowing listeners to experience the event up close.
© Radio 2The Radio 2 broadcast, where Daan and Ann are talking to grower Frank Boeren
Finally, before the traditional strawberry breakfast began, Jan offered a brief teaser about upcoming projects. In addition to the annual 'Week of Hoogstraten', which highlights strawberries, the cooperative will publish its first CSRD report in June and continue its work on digitalization, including a forecasting model developed in collaboration with Möbius. He also encouraged attendees to mark 1 April in their calendars, although details remain undisclosed. For now, the focus is on a new strawberry season, which has at least begun under favorable weather conditions.
For more information:
Cooperatie Hoogstraten 
Loenhoutseweg 59
2320 Hoogstraten, Belgium
+32 33 40 02 11
[email protected]
www.hoogstraten.eu
