TRADE AND MARKET I NG Fruit Logistica focuses on sustainability with a modern touch’, the brand-new commercial director explains. ‘The source of inspiration for the new packaging line is the hand-painted advertising posters that are traditionally found on the market. We gave the potato packaging new names that capture the imagination. For example, we have the Allrounders, which you can cook, bake, mash and fry. The Creamy Fellows, which are floury potatoes and the Tough Ones, which are the waxy types. Finally, we also have the Rainbow Potatoes, with a different skin and flesh colour in one bag or tray’, he explains. This introduction is in line with the company’s new strategy that focuses on paying more attention to customers and growth at home and abroad. An important objective of attending Fruit Logistica is even more focus on sales and finding new customers in export and retail, but also in the food service sector. In support of this new direction, we invested last year in a new packaging EARLY GROWING AREAS SEE OPPORTUNITIES DUE TO THE WITHDRAWAL OF CIPC. One man’s loss is another man’s gain, is what you could say when you visit farms in the early growing areas in Italy, Spain and France. Due to the withdrawal of the Chlorpropham sprout inhibitor, it has become a challenge in Northern European countries to continue to supply high quality table potatoes long into the season. Companies in early areas are positioning themselves as suppliers of fresh produce. In Sicily, Salvatore Milana has been growing and selling organic potatoes for many years which, until now, he has mainly exported to Germany, France and Austria, where they find their way to consumers via the Aldi and Edeka stores. He harvests the potatoes, mainly of the Nicola variety, from April to June. In the ‘heel of Italy’, Francesco Roman of the RO.GR.AN.srl company in Parabita trades around 4,000 tons of early potatoes every year. Important varieties in his range are Sieglinde, Annabelle, Nicola, Altesse and Vinessa. Normally, the growers in Puglia plant their potatoes in February and harvest them from May to August. He delivers the early potatoes partly under his own Baby Bear brand, but he can also supply bags of 25 kilograms. Customers include various European wholesalers, supermarkets in Poland such as Metro and Biedronka and the German Edeka supermarket. He says he’s ready for more demand from other countries. Potato trading companies in early areas such as RO.GR.AN.srl are positioning themselves as suppliers of fresh produce. On the French island of Noirmoutier, some 25 growers cultivate about 11,000 tons of early potatoes. In addition to fresh potatoes, the growers have made a name for themselves with their ‘zéro rédisu de pesticides’, which means there are no residues of plant protection chemicals in their harvested produce. The harvest starts in early April and continues until July 15. In addition to the old Sirtema variety and the exclusive, early La Bonnotte, other important varieties are Lady Christl, Laurette and Annalisa. Despite the fact that Commercial Manager Valéry Brechet expects the crop to expand, he reports that he’s ready to respond to the needs of buyers in other countries. ‘This product line with accompanying shelves is an example of what we want to introduce under our own name’, Koen van Harteveld explains. line for small packaging and this year we’ll be investing substantially in the large packaging department, in order to meet the increasing demand for exports. Van Harteveld told us that, during his career, he has worked for food companies such as Rotie, McCain and Red Bull. ‘At Nedato, we’re in the middle of a transition in which growth in all segments is a priority. We want to develop our own brands. This product line with accompanying shelves is an example of what we want to introduce under our own name’, he explains. Continue to develop new concepts At Jansen-Dongen in Tilburg, Stan de Jager tells us that they carry a total package of fruit and vegetables including an increasing percentage of organic produce in their subsidiary BioFresh. The potato remains an essential product in this range. An important trend is that the company is continuously innovating in varieties and packaging. ‘We need to stay ahead and develop new concepts’, he says. ‘An example is our salty potatoes from the island of Texel’, he explains. ‘A type of crop that will Potato World 2020 • number 2 15 Pagina 14

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