First challenge: Offer organic blueberries throughout the year

15/06/2015

In the long term, the future lies in organic products. From this conviction, the Belgian company Special Fruit (dedicated to red fruits, exotic fruits and special vegetables) has started with organic blueberries. "There is a lot of talk about the ecological, but marketing the product is something totally different"Explains Karel Bolckmans of Special Fruit, who talks about the ambitions of the Belgian commercial company and their choice to start with blueberries in the organic segment.

The blueberry producer of Mirtisul, Portugal, started approximately seventeen years ago; two years ago, Special Fruit acquired it and, thus, the company took its first steps in the organic market. "The reason to go towards the organic product is double"Explains Karel. "On the one hand, we see an increase in the demand for organic products from the German-speaking countries and Scandinavia. On the other hand, at Special Fruit we are very concerned with corporate social responsibility" Not only at a social level, but also regarding the cultivation of products that respect the environment, the company wants to make reasonable choices. "Blueberries are bought largely by consumers who are concerned about health and a waste-free product is the next logical choice".

Cranberries, raspberries and blackberries

At present, the cultivation area of the blueberries is 14 hectares, where five varieties are cultivated in an ecological way. "We wanted to get involved in the cultivation of blueberries and at the same time get to know the market better" Next to blueberries, Special Fruit, has an area of 3,5 hectares of red fruits in tunnels, also in Portugal. "Next year we will see if we can develop the ecological cultivation of berries and raspberries in these tunnels".

"Blueberries are easy to grow organically, but the choice of blackberries and raspberries is not so obvious. Strawberries are a more logical choice", Continues Karel, who explains that the choice of blackberries and raspberries has to do with the location of the production company. "This is not suitable for the cultivation of strawberries".

Scandinavia and Germany, big markets

The main markets for organic berries are undoubtedly Scandinavia and the German-speaking countries. These markets account for approximately 90% of sales of organic blueberries. "The growth in Scandinavia and Germany is still strong. I think that consumers put more pressure on the sector and NGOs are more active there" Although Karel also predicts that the sector will grow in the Benelux, there advances are not so fast. However, he is convinced that the market moves towards the ecological or, at least, towards the products free of waste. "I think everything starts with waste-free products and then the step towards organic products is smaller".

The biggest challenge for the organic sector is the difference in price with conventional farming. "Studies show that the 70% of consumers will choose an organic product if they are first well informed and the prices are the same as for conventional products. If prices diverge significantly, consumers will choose conventional products" According to Karel, organic products should always cost more than conventional products, just as the productivity of the land can be at the same level.

Technical challenges

Technical advances make this increasingly possible. "There are still some technical challenges, but there are better organic pesticides" Today, the biggest threat to red fruits is the Suzuki fly, "that is becoming a true turning point".

The advances in the technical front happen quickly, but Special Fruit does not want to take hasty steps. The first challenge is to offer organic blueberries all year round, they will have to come from South America, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium. After that, the other red fruits will follow.

Exotic organic fruits are more difficult

Approximately half of the turnover of Belgian companies comes from exotic fruits and the segment of special vegetables. In these moments, the ecological plays a much smaller role in these segments. Apart from the fact that the ecological is a niche in an already niche product, the most important reason is that there are still not enough good ecological techniques postharvest, so that exotic fruits have a shorter shelf life and mature worse. "The quality of exotic organic fruits is different", Concludes Kare. "But ecological pesticides are being developed. For this, the long and expensive approval procedures must go ahead".