Not good for all products
"We grew over 10% and this has various causes," says Jan. "First of all we were less affected by the Russia embargo compared to other auctions. We don't have top fruit in our assortment. The strawberries also did very well." But it hasn't been a positive season for all products. "Pepper and cucumber growers have had a bad year. This makes it difficult to be euphoric if not all growers can join in."
Product turnover 192 million
In 2014 150 million kilo of product was supplied to Veiling Hoogstraten. The product turnover for that year was 192 million Euro. The main products were (and are) strawberries, tomatoes, peppers and cucumber. Hoogstraten sees a large increase in specialities.
Areas 2015
The areas of various products will generally remain the same this year. This concerns 154 hectares of tomatoes, 98 hectares of peppers and 46.5 hectares of various products. There is only a visible reduction in cucumber, down 25% compared to 2014. The area for strawberries is also comparable to 2014, around 1000 hectares. Jan explains: "There are of course different cultivation systems, but they are all as good as stable. A comparable supply is also estimated. Last year the volume was 30.5 million kilo. We expect between 30 and 31 million kilo this season. Of course, it depends on a lot of factors, including the amount of plants, the quality of the plants and the weather. But I think we will experience around the same amount."
Construction plans
The auction also has construction plans this year. "We are going to build a 7,000 square metre packaging warehouse," according to Jan. "This is to go along with the demand from the trade and all the legal questions around it. Our packaging department was old fashioned and it was time to upgrade. This new department will connect to the current warehouse. The other warehouse is a distribution centre of 2,500 square metres. This is rented out to a customer and is a logistic gathering centre.
Growers
215 producers and 75 guest auctioneers are connected to Hoogstraten. The number of growers is declining every year. "It's a phenomenon that we've had to deal with over the last few years," says Jan. "Yet the area is increasing bit by bit. Sometimes grower who don't have succession drop out. They are often taken over by other growers."
New strawberry punnets
The open ground strawberries will be in a new box with new punnets this year. "They are clearly recognisable for the consumer. We are putting the focus on a traditional way of growing."
Cherries for the first time
Hoogstraten will have cherries for the first time this year. "We have now planted 15 hectares, of which 5 will be in production this year. We will start in June. Click here for the extended article about Hoogstraten's cherries.
Marketing campaign
As far as marketing is concerned Veiling Hoogstraten has set up a huge campaign mix. This campaign includes TV campaigns, radio spots, adverts on public transport, presence at various festivals, adverts, sponsoring, samplings, in store promotions and activities on social media.
A box of strawberries for charity
Strawberries for charity
After the press conference a box of strawberries was auctioned for charity, as per the annual traditional. This box went to Delhaize for a price of €500 per 500g. Thanks to the input of Veiling Hoogstraten, on behalf of the strawberry grower, the yield was doubled. The sum of €8,000 was handed to Nathalie Cornelis, representative of the charity Pinocchio. This is an organisation which takes care of the interests and welfare of children and young adults with burn injuries all over Belgium (www.vzw-pinocchio-asbl.be). The people from Pinocchio are very grateful for this generous gift. What will they do with the money? "This great proceed can be invested in a health camp for heavily burned patients at the start of their rehabilitation. We try to keep the scars soft by using thermal cures to help the wounds heal better."
Gaëlle Devos (Category Manager Fruit & Vegetables) of Delhaize is happy with the purchase of these strawberries. "We are happy to be able to buy these strawberries and give the starting signal to the Belgian strawberry season. We want to underline the importance of local production with this purchase. It is our philosophy to offer as many Belgian products as possible and support Belgian producers where we can. As of last year Delhaize is the only retailer to sell Belgian strawberries in the winter months so we can foresee our customers of domestic product all year round. The fact that we can contribute to a national charity, is an added bonus!"
For more information:
Jan Engelen
Veiling Hoogstraten
Loenhoutseweg 59
Hoogstraten - Belgium
Tel: +32 3 3400233
Fax: +32 3 3147844
www.hoogstraten.eu