Right now there is not much going on in the radish market. "Due to the warmer weather and the extra light, production is at a peak. This occurs every year, but in previous years we could always send extra radishes to Russia. We do not have that fallback position now. That is creating a marketing problem. Sales are stagnating and we have to hold on to too many radishes," says René Cornelissen from the Limburg radish nursery Cornelissen Fresh Food. This situation has been going on for about a week or two, and Cornelissen expects that it will remain. "It is nothing, but it could have been a lot worse. Last year we had this weather two weeks earlier. If that had occurred this year, we would have had a much bigger problem," Cornelissen says.
New greenhouse
Fortunately, despite the slow market conditions, Cornelissen has plenty of other business to discuss. For example, the new greenhouse. Late last year the company took over an empty 1.8 acre tomato nursery. After five busy weeks, in which the greenhouse was equipped with a new heating system, seeds were planted mid-January. Now they are fully in production. "We are still getting used to it, organizationally speaking, but the crop is actually doing very well," says Cornelissen. "Excellent even. The quality of the product is perfect."
Boycott
Due to the Russian boycott and the surplus on the market, was this not a strange time to expand the company? "Not if there are customers," says Cornelissen. "Demand grew from our own solid customer base. You can let that go, or you can choose to expand. Of course you think about things like the boycott, but for now our supply is being picked up. Although, not always for how much you would like it to go for, but that is inherent in this sector," he laughs. "Soon, when the summer vacation begins, we will plant less. Then we will start steaming, employees can go on vacation - then we slow things down a bit. We will pick up early in the fall and fill everything back up."
Deadheaded radishesDue to the Russian boycott and the surplus on the market, was this not a strange time to expand the company? "Not if there are customers," says Cornelissen. "Demand grew from our own solid customer base. You can let that go, or you can choose to expand. Of course you think about things like the boycott, but for now our supply is being picked up. Although, not always for how much you would like it to go for, but that is inherent in this sector," he laughs. "Soon, when the summer vacation begins, we will plant less. Then we will start steaming, employees can go on vacation - then we slow things down a bit. We will pick up early in the fall and fill everything back up."
The market for single radishes is quiet, but put it in another form and the market wakes up. The deadheaded radish, for the processor, has been doing very well in recent months. Two years ago the company developed a semi-automatic processing line specifically for this product. With this machine, the product is deadheaded. "We have seen convenience growing in recent years, and more radishes are being mixed in with salads: in strips, diced - however they make it. We saw a market in that," explains Cornelissen. For a few months now, since a German supplier disappeared from the market, we have been doing very well. We currently have two shifts going on in order to meet the demand. "It is a very different clientele than in the fresh market - they are all contracts, and 90% goes to the German market. But it is a nice complement to the fresh market. It works together and you look for your product's added value. That's why you're an entrepreneur."
