Kris Bossuyt, from Asperge Bossuyt (Belgium):“Green asparagus prices are rising, but white asparagus prices continue to decline slightly”by FreshPlaza

The asparagus season in Belgium has been underway for two months, and the pop-up store opened for the first time this year by Asperge Bossuyt in Knokke-Heist is currently experiencing solid sales. “Preparation was well done. Customers know where to find the shop. Sales aren’t the same as at the farm. Processed asparagus products, like soups and ready-made dishes, are selling very well,” explains Kris Bossuyt, from the cultivation business in Oostrozebeke.

On Saturday, March 15th, Bossuyt opened the store at 218 Lippenslaan in the Flemish coastal town. “We definitely don’t regret the decision. This week was a bit quieter because of the cold weather at the coast, but temperatures are rising and we’re expecting more foot traffic soon. In any case, with Mother’s Day approaching, restaurants are ordering heavily. There are still differences in sales: unprocessed and peeled asparagus is still selling well, but as a percentage, prepared dishes are selling better here than at the farm.”

The producer is very satisfied with the season so far. “We started the white asparagus season with very high prices. I think I’ve never seen them that high for so long, but things are calming down now. Last week’s warm weather increased volumes, which brought prices down significantly. However, with the holidays coming up, we expect things to improve again. For green asparagus, the trend has been the opposite: prices stayed low for a long time, but volumes have dropped this week, which pushed prices up.” How things will evolve in the coming weeks remains to be seen. “May is always a strong month for asparagus, but after Pentecost, which falls on June 11 this year, prices tend to fall more quickly. We’ll see.”

And next year? “There will probably be another pop-up store. From an organizational standpoint, it was a reasonable challenge. Not to be underestimated, but we’re happy with how it went. That’s why we’re considering moving into a larger building on the coast — if we can manage it. It could mean we’ll have to scale up our operations, but we’ll evaluate the season in five or six weeks. Overall, we can definitely say it’s been a positive development.”