From the US
Almost 40 years ago, iceberg lettuce was still being imported from the US by a handful of pioneers in the fresh produce sector. “Some Dutch importers brought the product here, successfully. For years it was a growth market. At first they thought it was just a winter product, but they soon wanted it here year-round, and the Dutch and other Europeans started cultivating it themselves. Iceberg lettuce was known in the US for a much longer time already. The trend in the growth of other types of lettuce, such as romaine, was visible earlier there as well. The Netherlands always follows.”
To the Middle East with Peakfresh
Almost ten years ago Peakfresh was introduced, a revolutionary development in the world of vegetables. “This is a packaging that gives vegetables a longer shelf life. Freeland is the only supplier in Europe allowed to provide lettuce in Peakfresh packaging. Iceberg lettuce has a shelf life of 40 days because of this, 15 days longer than is usual. Because of this, we can export to far-off destinations,” says Van den Bosch.
Seeing is believing
“The new markets we could supply thanks to this packaging were Dubai, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Using freighters to supply those countries takes about 15 to 21 days, and we still have some elbow room then. It has been proven that lettuce has a 40-day shelf life with Peakfresh, but we must remain cautious with such statements.” Van den Bosch indicates that convincing the customer is a profession in its own right. “By now, Peakfresh is already known to many people, but new customers usually take at least a season before being convinced of the product. ‘Seeing is believing’ is our motto. We continue to slowly expand in the Middle East, one step at a time.”
