From Monday, the Sweet Eve strawberry will be on the shelves at Dutch Albert Heijn supermarkets. The brand comes from VitalBerry. "Flavour has been a neglected aspect the past few decades. We want to deliver something different to the strawberry shelves."
Distinction
Carrying baskets full of strawberries, the children who got to pick the first Sweet Eve strawberries of the season are walking between the growing gutters. "Tasty", is the general opinion, and that's exactly what the new Sweet Eve strawberry is about: good flavour. The brand is marketed by VitalBerry. The organization was looking for a way to distinguish itself on strawberry shelves. "There are ten tomato varieties and five apple varieties in the supermarket, but only 1 strawberry variety", says Ghislaine van Berkom-Smits of VitalBerry. "With the Sweet Eves, we can change that." The brand's recognizability is very important in that respect. "They are developed for quality, for flavour. That should be the reason for customers to buy them again." From Monday onward, the Sweet Eves are available at Albert Heijn nationwide, in 400 gram boxes. The season lasts until mid-September, depending on the weather. The firm expects to fill around a million boxes during that period. Anything still on the plant after that, is less flavourful, and the company wishes only to deliver top quality under the label.
Breeder Peter Vinson
Constant quality
The Sweet Eve was developed in the United Kingdom, and has been in supermarkets there for some time now. The tasty strawberry is a success there, says breeder Peter Vinson, who developed the flavourful strawberry. "It's about the entire experience. The sweetness, the firmness, the aroma, the low acidity", he explains the success. "Strawberries can sometimes leave a slightly sour taste in your mouth. This one doesn't." Its shelf life is very good as well. Important, because customers are going grocery shopping less and less. In addition, Vinson has kept an eye on the variety's consistency. Throughout the season, constant quality is harvested. "In warm weather too."
Grower Rinie Goossens and Ghislaine van Berkom-Smits, VitalBerry
Strawberry market overflowing
All in all, the Sweet Eve is grown on about sixteen hectares. Five of those hectares are on Rinie Goossens' farm in Steenbergen. That means 2/3rds of his acreage is filled with the Sweet Eves. Quite a step, since the variety's yield is lower than that of the usual variety. "I think distinguishing oneself is the only way to keep up in the market", the grower explains. "The strawberry market is overflowing as well. One could grow more of the same anywhere. I'm convinced that with this, we can distinguish ourselves."
For more information:
VitalBerry BV
Ghislaine van Berkom
Schanseind 16
4921 PM Made
Tel: +31 162 690 422
Fax: +31 162 690 429
www.vitalberry.eu