'Peeled pineapples'

Rising temperatures
"The strawberry supply is not yet optimal. So, prices are still on the high side. But, you can get a good price for good strawberries. The low-quality strawberries are actually a bit too expensive", he says. Derks distinguishes himself with Dutch and local products. "We always say where it comes from. We get strawberries from Van Enckevoort and pre-season asparagus from the De Wit nursery in Mariahoeve. As soon as the open ground asparagus are ready, we get them from Klumper, a grower in the Sallandse Heuvelrug. We have been doing this for 25 years now", says Eddy. Asparagus prices are falling fast at the moment. This makes it even more attractive to sell them. "On Monday last week, they were still at EUR11 per kg; on Tuesday it was EUR10. The price dropped by a Euro a day. On Friday, the price was at the EUR7 level."

The rapidly rising temperatures have very little influence on Eddy's trade. He owns a refrigerated luxury sales truck. Come summer or winter; this protects the products as well as the seller. "We worked through the whole of the winter, except for one day when there was a heavy storm. We were supposed to be in a wooded area. But it was not safe for our customers or us."

Frank and Pieter Swier

Soft fruit 
Jan Swier Groente en Fruit op de Markt has two trucks that they use for trading. One goes to Texel, one of the Dutch Wadden Island's, every Monday. There it stands in the town of Den Burgh's market square. "We transform the trucks into sales trucks. In this way we always have shelter. We display some of the wares. The rest remain in the truck and, so, stay fresher."

The Texel market is Swier's most important one. "We have been here, in winter and summer, for 50 years. There are more tourists between Easter and autumn. This is, of course, good for sales. However, our most important customers are the locals. They carry us through the winter", says Frank. 

Besides the extra customers, soft fruit also boosts sales. "Pineapples also sell very well. We peel them at the stand, so I am constantly shouting 'Peeled Pineapples'. The people really like this. Tourists want to take photos with you. This makes us special. It is an art to keep people entertained at the market. You must be able to make them laugh a bit", says Frank Swier, who runs the market trade with his brother, Pieter.

Besides Texel, Frank and Pieter are at eight other markets in North Holland. They also deliver fruit to businesses under the name of Voorfruit. They get as much of their product as they can from small-scale growers. "This is important to customers - the story behind the products", says Frank. Sales are going very well but, for Jan Swier, the art is in attracting more customers to the market. "You see two main target groups in the market - pensioners and parents or young mothers with small children. There are far fewer working people or those from two-income households."

The brothers have a solution for this. They raffle off three EUR5 fruit baskets per week to people who share their Facebook post. "It is shared often. People are wildly enthusiastic about this. I would not say everyone comes to the stand. But, you do reach a target group that has not been to the market before. Besides, EUR5 is a small investment. You cannot advertise for that amount."

Voor meer informatie
Derks Uw Groenteman
28 Lijnbaanstraat
Zutphen
Tel: +31 (0) 613 272 536

Jan Swier Groenten en Fruit op de Markt
3 Appelmarkt
Zwaagdijk-Oost
Tel: +31 (0) 228 567 712