Purple Pride will be offering aubergines grown under assimilation lighting starting this week. It is expected that over 100,000 kg of aubergines will be harvested this winter at Purple Pride’s cultivation site in Dinteloord, where a total surface area of 7000 m2 is dedicated to growing aubergines under assimilation lighting. Until recently, the only aubergines available during the winter season in the Netherlands were imported from Spain.
After three years of testing, Purple Pride now believes that the time is ripe to officially bring aubergines grown under assimilation lighting to the market. The fact that this took three years demonstrates that the growers’ collective did a lot of research before coming to this decision. Grower Peter de Jong: “We noticed that more and more of our clients were asking for Purple Pride aubergines outside of the regular season. There is a demand for locally grown products. However, the Spanish alternative is not always reliable in terms of availability and quality.”
Sustainably grown
Normally speaking, the aubergine season in the Netherlands runs from late February to mid-November. To respond to the production hiatus, aubergines are imported from Spain. De Jong: “We are convinced that there is sufficient demand for a product that distinguishes itself from the conventional variety in addition to the volume obtained from Spain. In addition to quality, our customers attach considerable value to sustainable production methods. We limit our water consumption to the absolute minimum, for example, and use biological crop protection methods.”
Aubergine brand
Purple Pride has been dedicated to growing high-quality aubergines on Dutch soil since 1996. With a harvest of over 20 million kilos of aubergines each year, grown at five cultivation sites, the growers’ collective has grown into north-western Europe’s largest aubergine brand. Purple Pride therefore makes every effort to increase the consumption of aubergines and to turn this fruit into one of the most highly valued culinary ingredients available. The sale and marketing of Purple Pride aubergines is in the hands of DOOR Partners BV.
Source/photo: Purple Pride/DOOR Partners BV.
