50,000 kilos of sweet potatoes are waiting for a buyer in Espel. Three brothers who run the company De Polderjongens would like to get rid of them, but because the pagers do not have the perfect shape, that is not possible.
For example, they are too small, too crooked or misshapen and are therefore not suitable for the store. “We notice that consumers are more inclined towards the perfect picture,” says Stefan Koenraadt of the company.
“It remains a natural product”
— Stefan Koenraadt, The Polder Boys
Stefan and his two brothers started growing sweet potatoes seven years ago. “We started with a few plants,” they say. At first it was not very successful. “You always have to learn how a product works that is not normally grown in the Netherlands.”
Soup or puree
Due to the dry spring and wet autumn, there is a larger leftover batch than normal this year and the brothers cannot get rid of it. Stefan: “You will always have these kinds of misfits due to weather influences.” He hopes that a large company will take over the lot to, for example, make another product, such as soup or puree.
According to the grower, it is difficult to grow the potato in the shape that stores want: “It remains a natural product and it ensures that it always tries to pave its own way.”
“The consumer is more inclined towards the perfect picture”
— Stefan Koenraadt, The Polder Boys
Food waste
An organization that fights food waste heard about the rejected potatoes and is now committed to ‘saving’ the orange vegetable.
‘No Waste Army’ writes: “Despite their tasty interior, they do not meet the strict cosmetic requirements for vegetables in the Netherlands.” A total of 6,000 kilos will be taken over by the organization and delivered to their members. Every quarter they receive a box with leftover products.
Also read: Three brothers from Espel are trying to conquer the sweet potato market
Buy a few kilos
People have also contacted the brothers who want to buy a small quantity, but that is actually not what Stefan is looking for. “We don’t have the manpower to deliver that, so it is especially nice to purchase a larger base.”
If the potatoes are not taken over, they will eventually be spread across the land. “This way you return it to the country and you have no costs in terms of waste processing.”
The brothers would then suffer a loss on the pagers, but cannot yet say how much money would be involved. “But it is certainly a cost item. That can run into tens of thousands of euros.”
Local restaurant interested
After the call from No Waste Army, the first rip-offs have already reported to the brothers, such as a local restaurant and a wholesaler.
2024-02-16 06:43:08
#Stefan #buyer #kilos #small #misshapen #sweet #potatoes
