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Healthy start to cranberry season

The first cranberries of the new crop are again available at Nature's Pride. "From now on, we get weekly supplies of fresh cranberries from our dedicated growers in America and Canada. The season is starting promisingly with sufficient availability and good demand for the product," says Bram Klapwijk, buyer at Nature's Pride.

Harvesting started three weeks ago. 'This season's harvest looks better than last season. Last year, production was lower because, after a very warm April, May was much colder with periods of frost. This year, weather conditions are a lot more favourable for cranberries resulting in good product quality and sufficient volumes."

At the moment, many importers are facing tougher price increases. The cost of sea freight and products has increased a lot. Combined with unfavourable exchange rate, this is causing higher prices. "With the current inflation we are facing globally, it is still difficult to estimate whether this is going to affect cranberry sales and demand. At the start of this season, demand is higher than other years, which makes us positive," says Bram Klapwijk.

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Origin cranberries

Nature's Pride sources cranberries from Wisconsin in America and the province of Quebec in Canada. "Over the years, we have become one of the largest importers of fresh cranberries in Northern Europe. Together with our growers, who specialise in harvesting cranberries for the fresh market, we ensure that more and more consumers can enjoy fresh cranberries. And cranberries that do not eventually make it to the fresh market due to external damage are collected by our optical sorting machine for a fruit processing plant. Thus, damaged but still flavourful cranberries are processed into purees and concentrates, among other things. Last year, we used this to preserve some 38,200 kg of cranberries within the food chain."

Cranberry harvest - Canada

Health aspects of cranberries

Cranberries are often consumed while eating game and at holidays. But the health aspects mean the berries are gaining ground in other dishes and drinks. "Cranberries are a source of vitamin C, which has a positive impact on the immune system and contributes to fitness. As consumers become more familiar with the health benefits and we try to inspire them with preparation options, we see more and more consumers enjoying cranberries."