Chinese ginger's distinctive features are its mild flavor and low fiber content

Ten years ago, Dutch company B&C Lifestyle predicted that ginger would become an important product on the European market. B&C Lifestyle received its first batch of ginger in 2018 at the Port of Rotterdam. "Eighty percent of what we sell is ginger from China, and we supplement it with some from Brazil and Peru at the end of the season," says Lucas Liu. The company also sells garlic, sweet potatoes, grapefruit, dragon fruit, nashi pears and several other fruits. B&C Lifestyle has its own modern cold storage, drying and packaging facilities.

No more seasonality issues

Chinese ginger is available year-round. "Newly harvested ginger becomes available in January, but the quality starts to suffer to some extent around September. We then sometimes switch to supplying Brazilian or Peruvian ginger. We don't like these gingers; the Brazilian product has more fiber, Peruvian ginger has a stronger taste. Peruvian ginger is also very organic, which is its selling point. Chinese ginger has a milder taste and less fiber, which is different."

In China, ginger is stored in warehouses, underground or in caves immediately after delivery. Ginger stored in the ground lost only 10% of its weight in 10 months. "When we store washed dried ginger, we have a weekly loss rate of 5%. We pack the ginger in the Netherlands and distribute it to supermarket chains in the required packaging. The product is usually packed in plastic boxes, which can also In this form it is delivered directly to wholesalers. Or it can be repackaged into many types of cardboard boxes and plastic crates for supermarket use. We have customers all over Europe," Lucas explains.

"Recently, quality has become more and more important as European importers increasingly purchase directly from growers. Speculators are not that concerned about quality; they mainly want to move quantity and often engage in speculation. But if you With strong ties to a group of growers like we do, you can exercise more control over the entire supply chain."

Following high prices in 2023, current prices are more favorable. Prices should fall this year due to favorable weather conditions, expanded acreage and higher average yields. Lucas concluded optimistically: "However, the situation in the Red Sea seems to have complicated things, with container freight rates from China tripling at one point. But these and arrival delays may only be temporary problems."