"North Bay Produce isn't a new presence in Europe. Though, its office in the Netherlands is," begins Wilco Arts, North Bay Produce Europe's Sales Manager about the opening of this branch. "Because of Brexit, North Bay opened this office in April 2020."
This American cooperative has growers in North, Central, and South America. It made the move to the United Kingdom in 2010.
That was so it could supply that country with blueberries, sugar snaps, and snow peas. The move to the UK was made under the leadership of Philip Symons, Sales Director Europe. From there, North Bay gradually started making inroads into the rest of Europe too. "It used to be much easier to send especially products back and forth. Now there's so much red tape that it's almost not worth it. You can't afford delays with soft fruit."
"You want to get it to consumers as quickly as possible. That's why we're now trying to do imports from the origin in a way that satisfies England's requirements. It must go directly there. And what the rest of Europe needs comes to the Netherlands. Then as little as possible needs to be exchanged between the two destinations. The product then ends up on the right side of the channel," says Wilco.
Growth and potential
The UK is a significant blueberry market with high consumption figures. Wilco, however, sees that the market in the rest of Europe is currently expanding more rapidly. "There's generally still much growth in Europe. The UK's growth is perhaps not as strong as in Europe at present. But compared to the volumes sold in the UK, there's still plenty of money to be made in some parts of Europe." The North Bay programs, too, are expanding. "This year, we're marketing 1.5 million kg more blueberries than last year."
"That brings the total volume up to around 5.5 million kg. There's still much growth and potential there." When marketing the blueberries, North Bay deliberately looks for distribution and delivery in many EU countries and the UK. "We have a limited volume of blueberries available, so we try to find the right mix in sales for our growers. That also means we look at where we can get the best results. By distributing across the whole of Europe, we have a good sales spread at good average prices."
Responsible growth
Arts says that besides the rising demand, the global blueberry acreage, too, is expanding. He doesn't expect prices to rise as a result. But he also doesn't think the increasing supply will lead directly to price reductions. "The potential growth in Europe means blueberry volumes can be increased responsibly. With the right varieties and programs, we can realize good prices for our growers."
Head office in Traverse City opened in 2020
Wilco says it is time to partially replace traditional, older varieties with newer ones. To that end, North Bay has also joined Fall Creek's Sekoya variety program. "Growers tend to try to differentiate themselves with better products and varieties. They try to grow crispier, better-tasting blueberries that have a longer shelf life. We're always looking to improve. The standard product can perform well. Consumers, however, sometimes demand something different, and we try to match that."
Sekoya
North Bay does not only try to find the right mix, sales-wise but also cultivation-wise. "Our growers plant the standard, free varieties. Some of our production will focus on the newer, own varieties from the Sekoya program," explains Wilco. Some of that cultivation could also take place in Europe. "We're considering whether there are opportunities for us to supply our own varieties year-round in Europe."
Organic blueberries are also increasingly into the picture, he says. The conditions organic products must meet can differ from country to country, which complicates importing. "What is organic for America isn't yet organic for Europe. We're looking at how North Bay Europe could add to this segment, in which we'd like to expand," Wilco concludes.
Wilco Arts
North Bay Produce Europe
+31 (0)6 1552 1989
[email protected]
www.northbayproduce.com
