Dutch fresh produce importer-supplier Hillfresh expects steady courgette demand across Europe this year as it seeks to market large volumes from Spain.
'In our dynamic fruit and vegetable market, courgettes are considered one of the most stable products,' Kees van den Heuvel, courgette buyer at Hillfresh, tells Eurofruit. 'We’ve been working with the largest courgette supplier in Spain for quite a while now, and we are very pleased with the results.'
This stability is crucial given the large volumes Hillfresh imports from Spain – some 33,000 tonnes per year, according to van den Heuvel.
'For our clients, courgettes are good to order because they are now being consumed in greater numbers,' noted Hillfresh marketing manager Dasha Koptina. 'According to TNS European consumer research, females aged 45 and over eat more than one-third of all courgettes in Europe.
'On the other hand, children – who are often the 'decision makers' in households when it comes to purchasing – are less likely to eat courgettes when compared with other foods, although there is 7 per cent growth in consumption in the 0-5 year-old segment,' she added.
The Netherlands' own courgette season usually starts around the beginning of April.
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