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