Tholen – The autumn season has started again. The weather has turned and the summer products are slowly making way for apples, pears and winter vegetables. "The top fruit season has already started a few weeks ago and the pears have been picked and are in the fridges and the apples are almost in," says Hannah Nicolaï of Nicolai Fruit. “We are currently seeing a small dip in pear sales, which limits the supply and the price may rise again. This is traditionally for late September/early October. The export is still a bit delayed, because France still has its own production. When those pears are gone, we expect exports to pick up again.”
“We are very positive about the quality of the pears this year. The pears are very nice green and the skin is smooth. The taste is also very good, because the pears have had many hours of sunshine. We have to be careful this year with pears that were picked too late, but this should work out with proper monitoring. The apple story is completely different this year. This year will be a difficult Belgian apple year, because volumes are very limited. The apples have suffered a lot from frost and sunburn, so there are considerably fewer apples this year," says Hannah.
The sprout season has also started again at Nicolaï Fruit. “Most of the sprouts are destined for export. We export good volumes to France, but also to Vietnam and Hong Kong. These distant destinations specifically ask for Belgian sprouts, because they are known for their good quality. We have noticed that in recent years, sprouts have started to lose their old-fashioned character and that their popularity is increasing,” Hannah continues. “You can also do so much more with Brussels sprouts than just cooking or stewing, and more and more people are starting to find out.”
“In addition to sprouts, the cabbage season is also starting again. We currently mainly sell these products on the Belgian market. The chicory season has also started again and demand from abroad is starting to pick up again. We have special chicory in our range that has an extra long shelf life and is therefore extremely suitable for export. It's nice that all new products are coming in again and that respond perfectly to the season. That makes the fruit and vegetable trade so diverse and fun,” concludes Hannah.
For more information:
Hannah Nicolai
Nicholas Fruit
