At Special Fruit tasty strawberries are available throughout the year. They are bought and/or grown using Spanish, Portuguese and Moroccan producers. We grow them ourselves in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal. In that way we provide a full range using different sales channels.

In order to provide customers with a longer shelf life and the best taste at all times we work very closely with Dutch, Belgian and Spanish growers in the development of cultivation techniques. The goal: develop new varieties. In that way we – together with our own packaging centre in Spain – keep everything within our own control. Soon you will hear more about a totally new sort of strawberry that we are developing exclusively with our partner grower.

With this on-going investment in innovation and packaging flexibility we are a reputed supplier who can deliver all year round in every packaging requirement.

Storage

• In the shop: min 1°C – max 4°C
• Ethylene sensitivity: moderate
• Ethylene productivity: low
• At home: best kept refrigerated

Strawberries are sensitive fruits, bruises can quickly lead to mould.  Keep this in mind when buying the fruit.

Strawberries are best consumed as quickly as possible after purchasing or harvesting them. Their shelf-life amounts to 1 to 2 days in a cool location, and 3 days in a refrigerator. You can prevent the fruits from bruising by spreading them across a larger surface area.

Do not wash the strawberries under a flowing tap but use a colander to move them in cold water instead. Ice-cold water helps the strawberries stay nice and firm. Remove the calyx only after rinsing the strawberries.  This prevents them from absorbing too much water while being rinsed which would also lead to a watery taste. Carefully damp them with paper towels or a kitchen towel.

You can also freeze strawberries, but those are only suitable as part of a recipe. Once defrosted, they will have lost part of their shape and colour.

Quality and ripeness

• A ripe strawberry is easily recognised by its glossy red colour.
• A healthy fresh strawberry must be undamaged and dry.
• Strawberries are delicate but firm at the same time.

Did you know that...

• strawberries are often depicted in old paintings as a symbol of "brief enjoyment"?
• Strawberries contain a lot of vitamin C (64 mg per 100 grams), which means they have a positive impact on the immune system and blood-pressure among other things. They are also rich in calcium (15 mg per 100 gr) and iron (25 mg per 100 gr).
• the average strawberry contains about 200 seeds? In addition, the strawberry is one of the only fruits that carry their seeds on the outside.

---