“Yardlong beans have always been one of our showpieces,” says Peter van Teeseling, Sales Manager at Bel Impex, an exotic fruit and vegetable wholesaler in the Netherlands. That was until the global pandemic threw a spanner in the works. “Passenger flights came to a standstill. So we could no longer transport this product from the Dominican Republic. Also, sales were uncertain, so growers simply stopped cultivating these legumes.” Aviation is now back to normal levels.
And Bel Impex has been able to scale up with the growers. “The market has absorbed that volume well. It’s responding well to Dominican Republic yardlong beans’ value for money too,” says Peter. In that country, Bel Impex has gained many years of knowledge. The wholesaler supplies ethnic wholesalers, supermarkets, and the trade channel. “We could expand, but volumes are still insufficient.” Bel Impex carries both the Surinamese – a thinner, dark green bean – and the Thai variety – a thicker, light green bean.
Volume
Bel Impex has not escaped the influence of rising prices. “This affects everything. Not only transport in the country of origin and the Netherlands. But, also, container and air freight prices. We’re facing huge cost increases.” Certain processes are also slowing down, thus hiking prices. These include things like airport customs clearance and handling. That is due to the tight labor market. Supply security, too, is affected.
“Until recently, we got a shipment of yardlong beans a week. Then it’s problematic to absorb delays or wait for lab results. With the current two shipments per week and more volume in the future, we can cope with these external factors,” Peter explains. “Some buyers prefer to wait to include these vegetables in their assortment. They want 100% delivery certainty. We’re sure that, should we be able to guarantee better supply security, we could grow our yardlong bean volumes.”
foto: Shutterstock
To be more independent, Bel Impex is also focusing on other growing areas. “We’ve been involved in yardlong bean cultivation in the Dominican Republic for 25 years. We’re considering further expansion. We want to also professionalize the knowledge we’ve gained in yardlong bean farming and exports. We want it to become sustainable and ethical,” Peter concludes. Then, regions closer to the Netherlands, like Spain, come into the picture. As do those with a stable air transport route.
Peter van Teeseling
[email protected] 
Bel Impex
Stoomweg 4
2631 RR Nootdorp
+31 (0)6 14 88 42 90
www.belimpex.nl
[email protected]
