Netherlands: “Organic citrus relies on the right taste”

Kroon Organic Produce, headquartered in Amsterdam, delivers organic citrus year-round. The company is part of Wessanen Benelux and wholesaler for several dozen organic food stores in Holland. Kroon offers an assortment of over 1,000 organic products, including fruit, vegetables, dairy, cheese, meat, delicatessen and frozen food.

According to Category Manager Yuri Blanken, Kroon considers citrus one of the basic items in its extended assortment. “Citrus is special to us because the demand for – especially organic – citrus depends heavily on the right taste. If this isn’t spot-on, it just won’t sell.” In order to get the right citrus, Kroon primarily does business with growers in Spain and Italy. “These are the best places. The best blood orange, for instance, comes from Sicily.”

Kroon does its best to maintain close relationships with growers. Together they monitor quality and the right time to sell. “Our orange supplier is Azahar. We have been working with this supplier for many years, and to our full satisfaction.” Another important issue to Kroon is traceability. “Our consumers want to know where a product comes from, and under which conditions it was cultivated. We don’t just consider this information, we want the customer to share in the sometimes amazing stories behind the product.”

“The organic market has come a long way,” says Yuri. “We try to keep up with new developments. What you see now is a sustaining trend in processed food of organic origin. That is why our assortment now offers a wide range of prepacked products, like pre-cut endive, broccoli and cauliflower and lettuce. Recently, we have expanded our range of mushrooms with six PURE variants including chestnut mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms and portabellas.”

www.kroonbiologisch.nl