Start of the 2026 top fruit season

The first Dutch and Belgian apples and pears have been harvested and sorted. As one of the Netherlands’ leading pear specialists, Staay Food Group notes that, so far, the average size is slightly smaller than last year. On the other hand, the flavor development is excellent. The top fruit grower and supplier has also observed that the harvests in the central Netherlands contain larger fruit. This inspires confidence for the new season.

The harvest is now in full swing, and supply will continue to increase in the coming weeks. Thanks to its own production and long-standing partnerships with growers in the Netherlands and Belgium, Staay Food Group has a strong foundation for a stable supply throughout the season.

Impact of weather conditions on crop production

Growth was going well, but starting in June, large parts of the Netherlands and Belgium experienced a significant precipitation deficit. Combined with the persistent heat, this affected fruit size and the final harvest forecast. Farms with limited access to water were sometimes severely affected by the drought. Fruit growers with sufficient irrigation capabilities were largely able to maintain fruit size.

This difference is evident in the first harvests. “Although the first harvests of the new top fruit season show smaller fruit sizes, our colleagues expect a good proportion of larger sizes from the central Netherlands in the coming weeks, thanks to the good availability of irrigation water and rainfall during the final weeks of growth,” said marketing manager Mark Loojenga.

The sunny weather has also had a positive effect on the flavor. The pears generally have high sugar content and are developing an attractive appearance. Although some skin damage is visible in various growing regions as a result of hailstorms shortly after flowering, many growers rate the overall quality of the fruit as good to very good. Despite the challenging weather conditions, the Staay subsidiaries— Westende Fruitteelt, Frupaks-Vernooij, and Direct Fruit Services —are therefore seeing high-quality fruit in their selections.