Seasons for the mandarins which came fore mostly from Spain have significantly expanded, they used to appear just before the Christmas market. "This was the Mediterranean mandarin, which has a very typical old-fashioned taste and odour, and gave you a mouth full of pits." Dick says that this taste can no longer be found in contemporary mandarins. "They are no longer related to the Mediterranean mandarin." This does have to be, according to him, negative. "The grower chooses a good technical product cultivation, that have little need for plant protection products, and are resistant to frost. "Also, the season is now expanded with both early and late varieties. "Each year new varieties are seen. Thanks to in vitro techniques, they may even be cultured without the use of seeds. "
Today's consumer demands a seedless mandarin. "100% seedless is almost impossible," explains Dick Pijpers.
Many growers have gone into the cultivation of new varieties because they could no longer earn a living with the old mandarin varieties. "In the trade it goes on returns."
Reverting to older breeds with the taste of the Mediterranean mandarin will never disappear. The Tardive, a race known in Europe as the Mediterranean mandarin, is still available. The supply comes mainly from Sicily (Italy), and runs from January to April. According to Dick, there are more and more producers again reverting to the old races, just to stand out from the crowd. "Also, we see consumers going back to taste."