Belgian Greenhouse Pepper Season Faces Challenges and Opportunities
The Belgian greenhouse vegetable season is now in full swing. After a long wait, sunshine has finally arrived, rekindling consumer demand for tomatoes, strawberries, and sweet peppers. However, the season for peppers has been marked by ups and downs due to a challenging spring. “Due to the difficult spring, it is unfortunately not really a production year in peppers in terms of volumes. Nevertheless, so far there is a nice balance between supply and demand on the market,” said Bart Van Bael of Coöperatie Hoogstraten.
Coöperatie Hoogstraten: Beyond Strawberries
Coöperatie Hoogstraten is widely recognized for its strawberries, but its significant role in the pepper market is lesser known. “This versatile vegetable deserves just as much attention, especially in light of the significant investments and developments through Project Paprika in recent years,” said Wouter Dillien, Supply Chain Manager at Coöperatie Hoogstraten. Project Paprika focuses on innovation and easing the burden on growers through automation, quality grading, and flexibility, ensuring the cooperative remains a leading player in the sector.
Challenging Spring and Production Waves
The spring season has been unpredictable due to limited sunlight, causing imbalances in the plants and affecting production. “We always start in mid-March and of course all our growers are in production in the meantime. Still, it has been another unpredictable spring because of the little sunlight we have received,” Bart continued. “That caused imbalance in the plants, which made it difficult for us to start up. We are still feeling this in our production per week, which comes in waves even more than usual.”
Peak Production and Market Balance
Despite the difficult start, busy weeks are ahead for Coöperatie Hoogstraten. “The next two weeks we are in peak production, as there are some peppers hanging ready. Good demand is also making these weeks nice sales, especially now that the sun is showing itself more. However, the 2-3 weeks after that will be a bit more difficult. It’s a year with ups and downs. Peppers are always more sensitive to it, but this year it is quite extreme.”
The market has maintained a reasonable balance on the demand side. “There has always been enough demand so far to keep prices at a nice level. We are hoping that the good weather will continue over the next two weeks, as this will cause more consumption in Belgium and surrounding countries anyway. That would then coincide nicely with our production peak,” Bart explained. The holiday period that follows traditionally brings challenges in sales, but lower production should help stabilize prices.
Growing Snack Segment and Market Shifts
Competition in the market remains strong, particularly from southern regions like Spain, but Coöperatie Hoogstraten stands out in important markets, including the Netherlands, Germany, France, and the UK. A noticeable trend is the growing popularity of sweeter pepper varieties. “The sweeter varieties are becoming more popular. This is something we have been seeing for a while. Green, orange, and yellow are always more popular than just green peppers anyway. You also see that the sweet pointed pepper is really trending, and the snack segment is becoming more and more important,” Bart noted. The cooperative aims to select the right varieties to stay competitive and enhance the flavor and sweetness of their products.
Project Paprika: Innovation and Grower Support
Coöperatie Hoogstraten’s ambition extends to significant investments in innovation. “We are proud of our recent investment in a brand-new palletiser and strapper for automatic stacking of pallets as part of orders. By continuously investing in forward-looking technologies, such as AI-controlled camera sorting systems and automatic liders, we aim to remain at the forefront of high-tech advances,” Wouter added.
Marcel Biemans, Manager Grower Development, emphasized the cooperative’s commitment to both commercializing peppers and supporting growers. “At Hoogstraten, the commercialisation of peppers is just as important as taking care of our pepper growers. Coöperatie Hoogstraten has been trying for years to get the best price from the market for growers thanks to a flexible approach to orders from the Central Sorting Department and optimal use of the clock. Our mission is to unburden our growers as much as possible, so that they can fully focus on their core business of growing high-quality fruit and vegetables.”
Marcel highlighted the cooperative’s efforts to ensure products meet the highest standards while keeping marketing costs competitive. The cooperative is also looking for new growers to meet the increasing demand for peppers. “Thanks to flexibility and quality, Coöperatie Hoogstraten currently has more demand for peppers than its growers can fill with the current acreage. As a result, we are always looking for new growers who can meet this demand,” Marcel concluded.
