HAK began testing the cultivation of exotic bean varieties in Dutch soil with various growers several years ago. This has now resulted in the successful cultivation of kidney beans in the country. Grower Termont & Thomaes, one of the leading receivers and processors of Dutch legumes, launched the local cultivation of chickpeas that normally thrive in a subtropical climate last spring. The yield and quality of the 2018 harvest have been surprisingly good.
Canned vegetable and legume producer HAK, an NPM Capital portfolio company, prefers to source all its vegetables and legumes within a 125-kilometre radius of its plant in Giessen, the Netherlands. In addition to ensuring a low ecological footprint, this enables it to have optimum control over the quality of the produce. Local sourcing is difficult in the case of popular exotic bean varieties such as chickpeas and black beans because they generally do not flourish in the Dutch maritime climate and most are consequently imported from North America and Canada. The first harvest this year has been very successful, thanks in part to the prolonged period of warm summer weather. HAK says the results of the experiment are hopeful. This provides a more than sufficient basis for continuing the experiment next year and optimising the varieties, cultivation and harvest. The related objective is to achieve even better quality.
Exotic bean varieties are hugely popular with the general public, partly due to the trend of eating a more vegetable-rich and healthy diet. Consumption of modern legumes such as chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans and lentils will continue to grow in 2018. The consumption of these legumes even surpasses that of more traditional legumes such as brown and white beans. HAK saw its revenue in modern legumes increase by 18% over the past year compared to the previous year, with these products consequently driving the growth in the total category.