Dutch fruit retailers adapt to heatwave and push quality across supply chain

Christiaan van Ravenswaaij of S.C. van Ravenswaaij, which operates the Goudreinet, De Koopman and Fruitcompany Tholen store chains, says the unusually warm weather has not reduced sales. Most stores are air‑conditioned, and customers are adjusting shopping times to avoid the hottest periods. Sales of cucumbers, watermelons, salads and cherries have risen, while sales of cooked vegetables and some potatoes have fallen.

Kees van Ossenbruggen, co‑owner of Van Ossenbruggen Fruit in Ingen, reports that the hard‑fruit season is in its final phase but expects to meet demand through the third week of July. He highlights ongoing quality issues for apples, attributing them to outdated orchards, harvesting damage and fragmented responsibility across the supply chain. Van Ossenbruggen Fruit integrates cultivation, trade, storage, sorting, packaging and distribution to maintain standards, focusing on its own Elstar apples and supplying pears to the European market.

Both companies emphasize the need for a coordinated approach to quality and the impact of weather on consumer buying patterns within the Dutch fruit sector.