The Greenery is trialling a new mild type of sprout, which it hopes will appeal to children and adults who perceive the vegetable as bitter.
The sprout was developed along with seed specialist Syngenta and is grown in sandy soils, which contain low levels of sulphur.
This season, The Greenery trialled the line in a Dutch supermarket, where it made up some 20 per cent of sprout sales in participating stores. The mild sprouts carry a price premium of around 15 per cent, and have been supported in stores by point-of-sale promotions. “It’s only been on a small scale, but we are quite positive about it,” said the company's Hans Verwegen.
He predicts the Dutch 2006/07 sprout crop will be 10-15 per cent down overall this year, due to the warm conditions experienced this summer. Sprouts have also been smaller than average, he said.
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