At the Willemsen asparagus farm in Wassenberg, asparagus is in season for ten months; then, courgettes take over in the summer. Asparagus plants are sold throughout Europe under the Zegra brand. Fresh asparagus is marketed directly, but also ends up on the shelves of Aldi, Rewe, Lidl and Kaufland. These large customers, who want to have regional asparagus on their shelves, are happy that Spargelhof Willemsen supplies them. There are no contracts, just a seasonal meeting in spring. "We are then allocated the central stores. This year, we had to reduce the daily quantities for all customers due to the smaller harvest. We cut back for everyone, but we supplied everyone," says André Willemsen, looking back on a difficult spring.
Right: Two and a half million open-ground courgettes are harvested on the Wassenberg farm, into the autumn. Not only was the asparagus harvest difficult, but the sowing of the courgettes was also delayed repeatedly.
"We sort courgettes for three countries, namely Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, and each country has different weight requirements, from 250 grams and 300 grams to 320 grams. We have scales on the tractors so that the harvesters can weigh and feel that they are harvesting the correct weight. Especially in summer, the courgettes have to be harvested a little lighter, otherwise, they are too heavy the next day and can no longer be sold." Courgettes can be harvested until the first night frost. In autumn, the German courgettes are replaced by Spanish goods, "because we get fewer hours of sunshine and the vegetables get a little lighter," says the farmer.
For more information:
www.zegra.de