A new new co-op has been set up for Dutch and German blueberry growers to to jointly market their fruit.
Coöperatie European Blueberry Growers U.A. has brought together 12 growers, who between them farm 280 hectares of land, producing 2.5million kg of berries.
“We’ve been working with these growers for quite some time,” the co-op’s Harm Valckx told fruit and veg industry news website Fresh Plaza. “Sales will now be taken care of by the new grower’s co-operative. It was a long-cherished wish to group ourselves and to take care of our own sales.”
Two of the co-op’s growers are certified organic by Netherlands regulator Skal Biocontrole, supplying around 300 tonnes of organic berries into the co-op.
“Demand for organic berries is starting to increase. Prices for these are better than for conventional berries as well, but the balance between supply and demand is still fragile,” said Mr Valkx.
The blueberries of the co-operative’s members will be packed, by Berry Packing Services, the sorting and packing station co-founded by Mr Valckx in Venlo, the Netherlands.
