“Our craft begins with growing our own crop”

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In the Netherlands, Berrybrothers manages its entire soft fruit supply chain, from cultivation and packaging to sales. According to co-owners Nijs and Teun van Zuilen, this end-to-end management is the basis for their quality, service, and flexibility. “We grow, package, and sell everything ourselves,” says Teun.

© BerryBrothers

“Our customers want long-lasting, flavorful, quality products as well as a high level of service throughout the year.” This family business, which started as a soft fruit farm in 1980, has since developed into an integrated company. Outside the Dutch growing season, Berrybrothers collaborates with selected foreign growers to supply clients year-round.

Innovation to solve new challenges
The Van Zuilens say labor shortages, stricter regulations, and climate change are putting the sector under pressure. And though Nijs says, “The biggest challenge lies in the Dutch business climate and the focus on labor efficiency,” he considers that pressure an incentive to keep innovating.

© BerryBrothers

Berrybrothers has, thus, invested in Teelt van de Toekomst. This future-oriented cultivation project focuses on things like new varieties, adapted growing systems, and automation. “We’re looking at varieties that perform better under changing climate conditions. We’re also focusing on more covered and container cultivation and further automation,” Teun explains.

© BerryBrothersHe says fully automated harvesting is not yet feasible. “Soft fruit is too delicate for that.” The company, nevertheless, sees opportunities in automating supporting processes, such as weighing, sorting, and packaging.

People remain the key
Despite all these technological developments, Teun and Nijs agree you cannot do without craftsmanship. “It starts with cultivation. That’s where quality is established,” Nijs explains. Staffing remains a major challenge. “We sometimes call ourselves an ‘hour factory’. If you want to grow, you must find people, provide good housing and a strong organization.” The sector also increasingly needs employees with technical knowledge of data, sensors, and automated systems.

Adding value to waste streams
Another development is making better use of waste streams. Products that were previously lost are now frozen and processed into larger batches for industrial use. “We don’t want to throw anything away anymore,” Nijs points out. Berrybrothers is actively seeking new partners for this purpose.

© BerryBrothers

Despite its expansion, this family remains committed to its core values. Responsibilities are clearly divided within the family, with in-house cultivation being the primary focus. “Our craft begins at the very foundation. From cultivation and packaging to marketing, we manage everything ourselves. We can, thus, deliver fresh soft fruit daily, which keeps our clients returning,” Nijs concludes.

For more information:
Berrybrothers BV
Nijken 18
6088 NR Roggel
Tel: +31 (0) 475 49 62 14
[email protected]
www.berrybrothers.nl

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Source: The Plantations International Agroforestry Group of Companies