"The time when we only sold a few nuts at Christmas is truly behind us," says Richard Strijbis of Tovano with a hint of understatement. "Sales might dip slightly as we head into the summer holidays, but we haven't noticed any slowdown yet. Our business has increasingly become a year-round operation and fits perfectly with the growing trend of people wanting to eat more consciously and enjoy their food."
"For example, we're selling more and more to true nut specialists, such as market vendors and specialty shops, while sales to the processing industry are also growing rapidly. Nuts make an excellent topping or side ingredient in salads, and raw nuts in particular are incredibly healthy. Walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and pine nuts are especially popular. Cashews and almonds have also become strong year-round sellers. In our case, the share of sales to retail is steadily declining, but other segments, especially fresh produce wholesalers and exporters, are more than making up for that."
"Dates are also performing very well this year. We import a lot from Tunisia, and dates have truly become a volume product—completely natural, without additives, and also affordable," Richard says. "That's a relief, because many of our other products have become quite expensive in recent years. At the same time, it's sometimes too easy to label our products as expensive, while that's accepted without question for a steak, even though our cashew nuts are perfectly suitable as a meat substitute."
In the coming period, Tovano will be receiving new harvests of walnuts, sultanas, and plums from Chile. A new addition to their range is dried persimmon, part of the company's line of dried fruits with no added sugars. "That's how we continue to innovate," Richard notes. When asked whether competition is increasing, the nut and dried fruit trader replies, "There are always new fortune seekers entering the market. But with all the current laws and regulations, they soon find out it's not such an easy business."
"Don't forget, it sometimes takes two or three months for our goods to arrive. And as a full-service supplier, we always keep products in stock. That's especially challenging with the impacts of climate change. In Turkey, for example, there has been a lot of snow and frost recently, so not a single kilo of the new apricot crop is coming our way. But we have to manage that too."
For more information:
Richard Strijbis
Tovano
Transportweg 47
4676 LM Maasdijk
+31 (0)174 52 83 33
[email protected]
www.tovano.nl