“A lot Opal plum supply expected, but Dutch market absorbs them well”

B&B Fruit’s plum season has already entered its second week. Marinus Bunt, who runs the company with his cousin Frederik, is satisfied with the first week. “Last year saw a difficult start, with supermarkets getting on board later. The cherry season went quickly this year, and Spain has finished with plums, and our Dutch plums are absorbed well.”

B&B Fruit represents 40 per cent of the Dutch plum turnover. “Plums are actually a niche product within fresh produce, and we have chosen this niche product to have something different,” Marinus says. “This weather is great for us. The harvest is looking good, flavour is fantastic.”

Due to this, the season started early, and Marinus expects a lot of supply of Opal plums this week. “The fruit is ripening very quickly, but trade appears to be as sunny as the weather. If prices remain at this level, we’ll be very satisfied. Practically all supermarkets will have promotions, so I expect the market to absorb the plums well. We are also getting good demand from wholesalers.”

The Bunt cousins have various pillars for their company. For example, they also each run their own production company, which they use to supply FruitMasters with fruit. The Lazoet plums are exclusively supplied to The Greenery, and for some years now, they’ve also managed a 20-hectare plum production company in Poland.