Hello, I am Gerard Mertz, a kiwiberry grower for Hoogstraten since 2011. Together with my partner Ellen, I run a soft fruit company. I inherited the interest in the sector from my father. I started with growing red berries. Blackberries and kiwiberries were added later to have a wider range. Why did I choose kiwiberries? The kiwiberry is the ideal addition to my other crops, as kiwiberries are an environmentally friendly soft fruit variety for the autumn, while most other soft fruit varieties are available in the spring and during the summer. Through Hogeschool Gent and the former Profruco auction, we first came into contact with this unique and innovative product. We have chosen the Jumbo, Geneva, Weiki and Ken's Red varieties, varying from green, green-red to red. In the winter we prune the kiwiberry plants and during the spring we mow the grass and tie young twigs. In the months of June and July, we prune the plants a second time. The berries are then harvested from August up to and including September. I think Hoogstraten is very important as a brand, because it represents what we stand for. A high-quality product, grown with love, according to the strictest quality requirements that we impose on ourselves.