Toko is the Malay word for ‘shop’, and a lot of these tokos can be found in streets in the Netherlands now. The Asian supermarkets are important clients for Visser Asian Crop. This family enterprise from Velden has been growing Asian vegetables like Shanghai pak choi and Min pak choi since 1999. Cees Visser: “We’re now specializing in this, supplying to tokos across Europe.”
The product range is expanded each year, and the composition depends on customer demand and seed supplier tests. “The suppliers regularly offer suggestions for new crops in our product range.” Visser cannot yet say how things will go this summer. As with most crops, Asian vegetables love the sun: “In summer, we grow around 15 products, and in winter it’s only 7, which don’t grow very well either then. For that reason, we import from Spain in winter. If it stays this hot, it won't be good for sales, because demand decreases when the temperature goes up.”
The product range is expanded each year, and the composition depends on customer demand and seed supplier tests. “The suppliers regularly offer suggestions for new crops in our product range.” Visser cannot yet say how things will go this summer. As with most crops, Asian vegetables love the sun: “In summer, we grow around 15 products, and in winter it’s only 7, which don’t grow very well either then. For that reason, we import from Spain in winter. If it stays this hot, it won't be good for sales, because demand decreases when the temperature goes up.”
When supply is too high, Visser sometimes has to process crops into compost. One of the causes of the surplus, Visser says, is the increased production of oriental fruit and veg: “Asian products have become increasingly mainstream. The production of Shanghai pak choi in particular really isn’t a niche any more. There are growers that try it once, and throw the entire harvest onto the market prematurely. That sudden supply causes the price to drop. So the trick is to bring production in line with sales.”
A reliable network, built on expertise and quality, somewhat absorbs that instability. “When we started with 250 m2 in 1999, we invested a lot in quality to begin with. We cut our products each morning and supply those to clients immediately. That way, the client never gets a product that’s older than two days.”
Asians are not the only ones to consume these products, Europeans are discovering Asian cuisine as well. Visser doesn’t see that effect in sales though: “Asians in turn are starting to consume more European food. That balances each other out. The problem is in the increased supply of Asian vegetables, which puts margins under pressure.”
More information:
Asian Crop
Cees Visser
Ebberstraat 12
5941 NN Velden