Challenging but rosy future for soft fruit

Robert Verloop of Naturipe, kicked off with a vision for the future of the softfruit sector and the challenges in the sector. Firstly softfruit should follow the example of Coca Cola with the motto: "to be within arm's reach of desire." Consumers should have no trouble obtaining softfruit. Another major challenge is developing new packaging which is better for the environment, but can also extend the shelflife. In addition and most importantly, consumers want tasty fruits.

Local for local trend continues
The consumption of softfruit is still growing. Especially blueberries are gaining ground, even in Europe. How to fulfil this growing European demand was the subject of the second session. Gerard van Loon, from The Greenery, spoke about the growing importance of local for local. An example of this are members of The Greenery who grow softfruit in, for example, France, Germany, Belgium and Portugal to meet with a local demand for local product instead of exporting the product to these markets. In addition, growers are relying more on sustainability, a topic that is also becoming more important among consumers.

Blueberry consumption growing
Blueberry consumption is on the rise. Consumption has seen considerable growth in the last ten years. Charlotte Murphy, from Berry World, had a look into the British softfruit market. Blueberry consumption is rising, in part, because berries are being offered as a snack and in children's lunch boxes for school. Work still needs to be done in regards to the British consumer associating berries with the seasons. Blueberries sell well throughout the year, however, strawberries have their peak in the summer months. This is because the average Brit thinks that British strawberries are only available during that time period, when they are actually available year round.

Valuable research new varieties
Steve Nelson, from Plant Sciences, described the situation on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. American growers are concentrated in California, which presents different challenges. Some of these challenges are the local for local trend, concern about the fresh water supply and finding enough workers. He also pointed out that the development of new varieties is an expensive venture. The average cost of a research program is usually around a half a million dollars per year and lasts approximately 10 years before a new variety can be grown commercially.

There was an opportunity to network, discuss the various themes and let the new information settle between sessions. The conference was well attended with around 350 visitors from 28 countries. The location for the congress next year is not yet known, but the organisation hinted that they are considering the same location in Amsterdam.