In Latvia, Bejo supplies products to Ezerkauliņi Agro, a major player in the Eastern European vegetable processing market. And not only in processing; the company has also taken in-house the cultivation of field vegetables such as beetroot, carrot, parsnip, radish and onion. In total, Ezerkauliņi Agro produces more than 5,000 tonnes of processed product on an annual basis. We put some questions to owner Kristīne Brunovska.
The combination of cultivation and processing within the same farm, how did it come about?
Ezerkauliņi farm was established in 1997. Initially, we did everything, about 40 different crops, by hand. Over the years, we started expanding: we bought, land, greenhouses and new machinery to process the produce. To expand further, we partnered with farms and acquired businesses. We also set up biogas plants in 2011 and 2012 to grow sustainably. All these developments ensure that we can produce the necessary volumes and offer a wide assortment. In our greenhouses, we now grow cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and green onion leaves on 9 hectares.
What does the market in Latvia look like?
The consumption of vegetables is increasing. People are opting for a healthier diet and are also increasingly choosing locally grown products. In doing so, they choose fresh vegetables that are available at the time.
And speaking specifically about red beetroot?
Beetroot is a common vegetable in cooking, in both sweet and savoury dishes. Beverages with beetroot in them are also popular. Of our fresh beets, most are for domestic consumption: we export about 40 percent. For precooked beetroot, the percentage is even slightly lower, 30 percent of which is for export.
What are popular products?
We sell both fresh and processed vegetables, under the Ezerkauliņi and Mārupes Siltumnīcas
brands. Ezerkauliņi includes processed greens such as sauerkraut with beetroot, as well as marinated beetroot and Korean-style beetroot. Our most popular product is a pack of 500 grams of cooked beetroot.
How long have you been working with Bejo?
We have been buying varieties from Bejo for about 25 years. At the moment, we use Manolo, Bresco, Manzu and Wodan, among others. It's important to us that beets have a high sugar content, which ensures a pleasant flavour. Also, the beet should have a distinct round shape, which prevents loss during peeling. Manolo is an exceptionally good beet in this respect.
What developments do you see in the future?
Besides our existing offer, we are interested in coloured (yellow) beets and chiogga beets with a stable colour. This is important because the colour sometimes wants to disappear during cooking. We ourselves will continue to profile ourselves as a provider of healthy products, with an emphasis on freshness and local origin. To complement this, we also offer simple and tasty recipes to inspire consumers.
Ezerkauliņi Agro
- Based in Latvia, near capital Riga
- 304 employees
- 2,500 hectares of agricultural land
- Turnover 26.5 million euro
- Specialisation: beetroot, carrot, radish, parsnip and onion.
Beet Magazine
This article is from the first edition of our Beet Magazine. This issue delves into the multifaceted world of this vibrant root vegetable, covering everything from the latest challenges in seed production to the cultural significance of beets in different corners of the world. View the entire magazine here.
Beet Magazine
