HollyBerry is a young Dutch company active in the trade of soft fruit, and it both imports and exports these products. “We started late 2015, and have had a good 2016, and the first months of 2017 were also very promising,” says Business Manager Cédric Bleuset. The company has only recently been located in Strijen. Cédric has years of experience with berries. “The beautiful thing about the soft fruit sector is that it is so dynamic, every day is different.”
Many possibilities
Spain, Morocco and later the Netherlands and Belgium are about to start the soft fruit season, and HollyBerry will then mainly export. “Our most important buyers are the UK, Scandinavia, Germany and Eastern Europe. We offer customers many various possibilities. We supply the products, combinations, weights and packaging to size. There has been an increasing demand for berry mixes recently.”
Seasons
HollyBerry sells its products under brand Holly Fruit. “We offer slightly more quality with this. Customers need to be able to trust the packaging to hold good products. We naturally follow the seasons, and choose the best periods to get product from certain countries. Especially when nearing the end of seasons it becomes more important to stop on time, before quality problems start to be seen. The beautiful thing is that the supply of products from Europe has become nearly year-round. Seasons in countries from Spain and Morocco are starting increasingly early.” HollyBerry works closely with Smits Logistiek in Strijen, where they are located. The products are packed and transported to the customers by Smits. “We outsource our transport, so that we can focus on our core business: the product.”
Production and consumption increase
According to Cédric, the best combination of price and quality is most distinctive for HollyBerry. He sees production and consumption increasing in various countries. “Many markets still have potential to grow. France is a good example of this, that is a real strawberry country. Blueberries and blackberries are much less known there. Belgium and other European countries also have growth opportunities.” He does not expect consumer prices to suddenly decrease because of the higher production volumes. “It will remain a special product in supermarkets, which will be sold at higher prices.”
The trader is feeling positive about the coming years. “Soft fruit is a great product with many opportunities. We have laid a good foundation during the past year, and we want to further expand in future.”
