Colruyt Group and Wolfcarius join forces to organise an Apple Tour

Colruyt Group and Wolfcarius join forces to organise an Apple Tour

Experience Day at a well-known apple grower in Deinze gives an exclusive look behind the scenes of the apple: from picking to washing to sorting and delivery

Friday, September 16, 2022

On Saturday 17 September, Colruyt Group and fruit grower Wolfcarius are organising a genuine “Experience Day” in Deinze, with a special focus on apples. Continuous guided tours and original workshops throughout the day will give customers a better understanding of an apple’s journey from farm to fork. The response was overwhelming and more than 500 people registered to visit. It is the second time Colruyt Group organises such a day, following a first successful edition at the Aardappelhoeve (potato farm) in 2019, with the aim of familiarising customers with the value of agri-food products and their production and distribution process. ​

Discover the fun Apple Tour

More than 500 people are expected at the Wolfcarius site in Deinze on Saturday 17 September to participate in the genuine “Apple Tour”. The programme, for which participants had to register, includes an interesting guided tour of the entire site. A fun outing for young and old alike with workshops throughout the day. There will be blind tasting sessions where participants can learn the difference between apple varieties, make apple cocktails and mocktails, tinker with apples and listen to instructive information sessions on innovations which result in more sustainable fruit in the supermarket.

For Colruyt Group, an experience day is aimed to familiarise customers with the value of agri-food products and the production and distribution process, and to help them be more aware when buying and using food (when to buy which fruit and vegetables, how best to store them, and so on). The obvious solution to this is sharing information and knowledge. Colruyt Group wants to go even further and connect people; bringing the partners in the chain and customers into direct contact with each other.

Saskia De Block, responsible for agricultural policy at Colruyt Group, adds: “We want to create that connection between our partners and customers in an inspiring way. With an experience day such as this Apple Tour, we have found a way for people not only to gain knowledge by hearing info, but to actually experience things. In this way, we want customers to get a more nuanced and realistic idea of the food they buy in the supermarket, by showing the journey from the farmer to their plate. In our own business operations, we are working on a very specific agricultural policy, where e.g. we are increasingly focusing on shortened chains, just to increase that transparency in that area too. The 2019 edition at the Aardappelhoeve was a success, and we are convinced that it will be a great and instructive day in Deinze as well.”

Long-term sustainable partnership between grower and retailer

Wolfcarius and Colruyt Group have been good partners for many years. Wolfcarius is an important fruit supplier for Colruyt Group stores. For example, the fruit company was actively involved in the development of the local apple variety the 'Magic Star', which is exclusively sold in Colruyt Group stores since 2016. The 'Coryphée' apple was also developed in partnership between Colruyt Group and Wolfcarius and visitors will have the opportunity to pick it during the Apple Tour. Very recently, the two partners launched another test project together on growing Belgian apricots.

Saskia De Block indicates: “The pleasant cooperation with Wolfcarius started many years ago. They are true professionals and their values match ours very well. We appreciate their innovative spirit, both in terms of products and forms of cooperation. Besides, they think about the entire chain with us, and they are flexible. That’s why they were immediately up for such an initiative and we are proud to be able to organise the second edition of our Experience Day together with them.”

“Fruit growing is our great passion. A passion we are only too happy to share with consumers. From that perspective, it is a great opportunity for us to facilitate something like the Experience Day together with Colruyt Group. This way, we can not only highlight our craftsmanship and delicious products, but also introduce potential customers to the versatility of our profession. We are sure it is going to be an interesting day, from which both we, as partners, and visitors can learn a lot,” concludes Yves Wolfcarius, sales manager at Wolfcarius.