BIG interview with Belorta: multicolour season, developments on taste and organics

“Today we have around 5,000ha of pears and 1,600ha of apples, and are continuing to diversify our varieties,” says sales manager Jo Lambrecht. The Conference pear has a very large share and is also a very important branch of BelOrta. He confirms the excellent performance of the new Fred® pear, both technically and commercially. It also brings a new taste experience for consumers. The harvest has just finished and the volume will be a little lower than potential, but Belorta intends to supply all its international markets such as Brazil and China.   Club and organic apples In apples, in addition to classic varieties such as Jonagold and Jonagored, Belorta is also focusing on club varieties with Kanzi, Morgana, Greenstar and Belgica. Belorta is operating for the second season with the new pre-grading and packing station in Borgloon, equipped with the most advanced infra-red selection system. Belorta can also pack in all formats requested by distributors. The cooperative also confirms good results with its organic offer, with sustained demand throughout Europe for organic Conference pears. The organic apple variety Natyra has been successfully introduced, thanks to its good sugar content, red coloring and late shelf-life. It is marketed after Jonagold.   Multicolored berry season Belorta entered the late season with greenhouse production only. “We were surprised by the French market's good response to Belorta strawberries this summer, with the new Parlando and Karima varieties in particular”, informs Lambrecht. Elsanta is losing some surface area, but remains a variety in great demand. Belorta has also introduced new varieties of raspberries and blackberries, such as Monet and Dali, which offer better firmness and flavor. Blackberries and redcurrants also deserve a special mention. Here too, a number of new aromatic varieties have been introduced, resulting in very good export figures. "With blueberries, Belorta suffered from competition from the rest of the world who export to Europe during our season, even from the Southern Hemisphere and Eastern Europe, our high labor costs being a handicap" said Lambrecht. The cherry season was catastrophic, due to excessive rainfall. Barely 30% of the production potential could be harvested.   Vegetables awarded for their taste “After a turbulent year for tomatoes and other greenhouse vegetables, with additional challenges in terms of climate, among other things, we are once again focusing fully on the criteria of taste and quality,” says Lambrecht. The Ruby Red and cœur-de-bœuf tomato ranges have become important and are enjoying an excellent 2024 season in organic too. Ruby Red bio received the BioVLAM Award 2024 for its taste. For 2025, Belorta is preparing the introduction of new varieties of cherry tomatoes on the vine (9 to 13gr fruit) that are even tastier. “We had a good year for cucumbers, given the lack of production in southern Europe and its success on social networks, particularly on TicToc.