The first month of the year was again dubbed Veganuary. Hundreds of thousands of people have been challenged to go vegan for 31 days. So, they were eating lots of fruits and vegetables. But what not many people know is you can take this a step further: vegan-grown fruits and vegetables.
TOFF team
Logical next step
'But aren't fruits and vegetables already vegan?" is a common question. The biggest challenge for vegan fruit and vegetables, then, is consumers' unawareness of them. "As the organic fruit and vegetable market was 20 years ago, so it is the vegan fruit and vegetables now," says Jeffrey Moret of The Organic Fresh Factory (TOFF) in the Netherlands. He was introduced to the concept about seven years ago. Recently, he set up the Green Vegan brand. He trades Biocyclic Vegan-certified fruits and vegetables under this label.
Unlike regular and conventional farmers, Biocyclic-certified growers do not use animal fertilizers. They also pay extra attention to soil, water, biodiversity. Jeffrey calls it a logical successor to (organic) cultivation methods. "I truly believe in this. We're well aware that we all have to eat less meat. There are livestock farms that survive on manure production. If that stops, land will be freed up for natural areas and new agricultural farms. Water, biodiversity, and soil life also greatly benefit."
Vegan cultivation is still in its infancy. Its creator Adolf Hoops has been working on the idea since 1950. Yet, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) only accredited biocyclic vegan farming principles as a global standard in 2017. The IFOAM is the organic farming and food sector's umbrella organization.
In the Netherlands and Belgium, a grower each has, so far, received this seal of approval. You will find most vegan growers in Greece and Germany. In Germany, the label enjoys the highest consumer awareness. Though there, most of the products are sold in health food stores.
Trading and annual programs
The vegan fruit and vegetable sector occupies a tiny part of the market, admits Jeffrey. Still, that didn't stop him from starting Green Vegan. "We want to be ready for the future," he says. Even within TOFF, Green Vegan still constitutes only a small division. TOFF was founded in 2014 and operated under the Marni Fruit banner until 2017. The company has grown considerably in recent years. "It started mainly with trading organic fruit and vegetables."
"We've let that go a bit since 2107. We began focusing on sustainable partnerships with growers and retailers. Now, we run full annual programs and try to get the products out there in the best possible way," explains Jeffrey. TOFF handles the marketing for various Dutch greenhouse vegetable farmers and many other European growers. Overseas products have a place in the assortment too. These include ginger, turmeric, mangoes, avocadoes, apples, and pears.
Full range of sales
Choosing to focus on long-term partnerships brings continuity and stability to the company. Nevertheless, according to Jeffrey, there is still room for 'old-fashioned' trading. That is why TOFF has not yet wholly abandoned that branch of the business. The company is also a wholesaler with many mixed pallets.
They fly weekly orders to Hong Kong and Dubai too. "There's plenty of demand for organic trade. And on the public's side, plenty of growth. Supplies don't always increase in pace. Organic fruit and vegetable trading certainly, therefore, still offers an excellent business model."
Combining these two branches is working out well. "We don't only supply the well-known retail channels, so we have room for products with varying sizes, shapes, and qualities. Retailers can only buy a small part of the crop. We offer our growers other outlets such as wholesalers, caterers, and, for example, processors. We can, thus, give our growers the full range of sales," Jeffrey concludes.
Jeffrey Moret
jeffrey.moret@toffbv.nl
TOFF
+31 (0)85 070 4572
www.toffbv.nl
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