There are 5 producer organizations (fruit and vegetable auctions) in Belgium, all of which belong to LAVA.

There are mixed producer organizations (vegetables and fruit) and also producer organizations dealing only in fruit. They have different sale days and how busy they are also varies from season to season.

 

Mixed producer organizations get fresh product in from their producers on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. They have their main sales days on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. But sales are also held on the other days of the week, although on Sundays or public holidays. They products which are sold vary from producer organization to producer organization and depending on the season. Some producer organizations can therefore specialise more in particular products than other producer organizations.

 

Fruit producer organizations have their main sales days on Tuesdays and Thursdays. During the strawberry and small fruit season, sales are held every day. This is because these delicate fruits have to reach the consumer as quickly as possible!

Both vegetables and fruit are brought to the producer organizations by the growers the day before the sale. The producer organizations inspectors examine and rate the products. After the inspection, and the award of the classification (for example the Flandria label for the best products), the products are immediately refrigerated.

 

The next morning, the products are sold in the sale room with the clock. This clock gives various pieces of information simultaneously: the quality, the price, the quantity, etc. Every buyer has a button on his bench with which to indicate that he is interested in that particular product. The lights on the clock run from the highest price to the lowest. If the buyer wants to purchase a particular product, he waits until the light comes on by the price that he wants to pay, and the quickly pushes his button. It can get quite exciting: if he persses too soon, the he has to pay too much. If he is too slow off the mark, then someone else might beat him to it. One press of the button does not entitle someone to buy the whole load of vegetables or fruit. The amounts are determined in advance. Modern technology means that buyers can also buy in all the 5 LAVA producer organizations at one, or even from home.

 

It is also possible, as a buyer, to agree a price for a product in advance, via the producer organization or via the LAVA Sales Departement. For example, for a store promotion on chicory, which is know several months in advance. A buyer can be someone buying for himself (and his store outlets), but it can also be someone who is buying vegetables and fruit not for himself but for various clients.

 

The growers of fresh vegetables and fruit never know in advance how much their products will earn them. This varies from day to day, depending on supply and demand. Depending on the quantity of products brought in, and how much the buyers need, the price is kept steady.

 

After the sale at the producer organization, the products are loaded as quickly as possible into refrigerated lorries. This keeps the products fresh until they reach the shops. At that point, they are still actually less than one day old.