In the Netherlands, Elshof Organic Fruit is just about finished harvesting its new crop of organic top fruit. "We're now only picking our Bellebio apple brand, and thanks to a wonderful summer, this year's quality is outstanding. Of course, the economy is challenging in several ways, but when people taste our fruit, they keep coming back to buy more," begins this family business' Robert Elshof.
Elshof Organic Fruit specializes in organic apple and pear cultivation. Its primary goal is to provide Dutch organic apples year-round. "Much of this used to be imported in the second half of the season. The organic sector plays a pioneering role in sustainability. Organic fruit, which could be very well available locally, doesn’t have to travel such a long way. Also, that's very pricey these days. That means the market is increasingly demanding local produce, and we intend to meet the Dutch and Belgian markets’ demand for that."
One way this fruit grower – whose own 29 hectares, which when added to various affiliated growers, totals 200 hectares - wants to make this a reality is with things like its own Bellebio organic apple variety. "We grow various varieties including Elstar, which will always sell well. It's hard to grow this variety organically, but the market still prefers these over a variety that may be easier to cultivate organically. We used to often look overseas in the second half of the season," says Robert.
"But our Bellebio variety can now meet that need. This late variety stores well for long and retains its crispness." Elshof Organic Fruit successfully combats emissions and long storage-related energy costs. "Our cold stores run entirely on solar energy. Plus, growers affiliated with us cool their fruit at companies that generate solar energy. Our future view is this: sustainability only works if it's a healthy, long-term plan," continues Robert.
Available in good quality until July
The past summer's various extreme climate issues proved challenging for many top fruit growers, yet Robert is satisfied with the new top fruit crop. "Volumes are definitely good, and the harvest was as expected. As mentioned, the quality is exceptional." That offers optimism for the upcoming season. "There's no reason for negativity. We had shortages in previous years and that's far harder to market. The very high price expectation quickly shifts people's focus to imported products. This year, however, we can absolutely deliver good quality until July," Robert explains.
This extended delivery means he is not concerned that reduced consumer spending will lead to declining organic fruit demand. "After all, organic, undeniably, falls under the luxury product segment. This inflation is unprecedented. It and the other additional increased costs everyone faces means all we can do is wait and see how it all affects consumption. It will undoubtedly cause consumers to question whether they'll buy organic. But people will always eat apples or pears."
"Of course, some consumers will go for the cheapest product, and there are those for whom it doesn't matter. There is, however, also a large in-between group who deliberately choose organic on principle. This group won't disappear, and we can offer them an organic option with great quality year-round. It may take a little longer to sell them all, but we can use refrigeration well to stretch that. We can, thus, offer lovely Bellebio for even longer. In the long run, I expect the focus on a healthy, sustainable product to prevail," says Elshof.
Organic pears are an export market
Whereas its organic apple sales are primarily focused on the Dutch and Belgian markets, Elshof Organic Fruit exports its pears to the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, France, and, increasingly, Germany.
"Southern Europe's climate problems mean countries like Italy, originally a pear country, have become important markets for us. That's mainly because of their lack of water, a huge issue for everyone. In the future, this will determine which areas remain suitable for top fruit cultivation. Fortunately, the Netherlands regulates this very well, and there’s plenty of water available."
"That ensures we can fill the overseas markets' gaps," adds Robert. Besides these southern European countries, Germany is, as mentioned, a growing market for Dutch organic pears. "Germany is entirely self-sufficient regarding organic apples, but we target the local market with those anyway. Germany grows organic pears, but that’s actually more of a pull factor. They've created a pear market they cannot fully satisfy. We can take advantage of that," he concludes.
