Fruit grower De Kat Angelino from Kesteren in Gelderland shares its DNA with HANOS. A family business that honours traditions while constantly innovating, and always goes that extra step for quality.
We are actually visiting fruit farm De Kat Angelino at an awkward moment. It is harvest time, and father Dick, mother Ina and son Roy, who will take over the business in the future, are in the middle of the busy season. But the Jonagold apples are of course hanging perfectly right now and the photographer is delighted, so it is the perfect moment after all. Besides, when you think about it, there is always something to do on the farm. Roy: “In winter we prune every day, from December through to May. When there is late frost in spring, we are up all night checking that the blossom is getting a nice layer of ice from our sprinklers everywhere to protect the buds. This spring was extremely wet and it was impossible to drive heavy machinery over the wet orchard soil, which meant extra work again. Sometimes you wish there were eight days in a week.”
De Kat Angelino grows apples and pears on about 25 hectares. The range for HANOS mainly consists of the varieties Jonagold, Elstar and Goudreinette. “Those are the bestsellers,” Dick confirms. “Real robust Dutch apples with a perfect flavour. HANOS buyer Henk Verwoert regularly comes to see for himself and discuss things, so that HANOS always knows how carefully we work and how high our standards are. By cooling cleverly and reducing the oxygen level, we can supply the tastiest fresh apples twelve months a year. That technique keeps them in a kind of hibernation, so they are always at their best. We actually think it is crazy that the Netherlands imports apples from New Zealand. But chefs sometimes want the crunch and tartness of a Granny Smith. Fortunately, we are not standing still and are still finding new varieties to offer HANOS customers a different kind of Dutch apple. Who knows, soon we may be able to offer an apple with those same qualities, fresh and local.”
Dick is now in his sixties and picked his first apples in the family business at around the age of twelve. He explains how a lifetime of experience pays off: “We walk through the orchard ourselves every day and know exactly what is going on. I always say: if you look closely at the trees, you can see what is bothering them and what they need. After the wet spring, for example, you can get early leaf loss if the trees stand with their roots in waterlogged soil for a long time. Another time, the tree tells you something about the effects of drought, harmful insects or late frost. It is up to us to pay attention, to look and to give the trees our care, experience and attention. And when everything comes into bloom, that is the most beautiful thing there is. Even after all these years, it still makes me happy to see the trees bear the tastiest fruit again every summer. There is nothing better than that.”
“We know exactly what is going on in the orchard because we are there ourselves every day.”
Put tarte tatin on the menu this top fruit season. Autumn means plenty of flavourful home-grown apples and pears. Inspired by Team NL’s Coupe du Monde entry, Bart adapted the recipe into a signature fine dining dessert.
In collaboration with suppliers, HANOS introduces new products for hospitality professionals. That includes the promising Bloss® apple variety, which fruit grower De Kat Angelino is growing for the first time this year. Buyer Henk Verwoert talks about his long-standing partnership with growers such as De Kat Angelino, his love of fruit and vegetables and the constant search for new-season produce for the hospitality sector.
“To select the best products for HANOS customers, I buy directly at the source. I want to see for myself how the growers work and how the harvest is doing, I am at the auction early in the morning to spot the first new-season produce, and I regularly drop in for a coffee at the growers. I want to see, smell and taste the products. Only then can I be sure of the best quality for the HANOS range. Building long-term relationships with our growers comes first. We really do it together, so I also have to make sure I know everything about the world of growing. And I am truly passionate about these products. As a boy I was already walking around the auction, and since then I have always worked with fruit and vegetables. It is a lifelong passion that keeps me busy day and night.”
“Our relationship with apple grower De Kat Angelino goes back years. Here I experience the whole process up close: from the first blossom to the moment the apples end up in the crate, and everything in between. For HANOS, the fruit must meet the strictest requirements in terms of flavour and quality. This grower picks for perfect flavour and the finest appearance. Everything here is precise and careful. They work with great attention to sustainability and are constantly looking for ways to grow the perfect apples. Nature is allowed to do its work here. That may take a little more time, but it always pays off in the best product. I can then reward that approach and quality with good price agreements. That is also what HANOS is known for: a wide and deep range, the highest quality, the most knowledge and passion, and a fair price for grower and customer.”
“Here, nature is given the time to do its work.”
“De Kat Angelino has a great deal of knowledge not only about growing, but also about the long-term storage of top fruit. This allows HANOS to supply the tastiest fresh Dutch Jonagold almost all year round. Alongside well-known apples like these, we are always looking for the latest varieties that meet the wishes of the hospitality sector. Since 2024, for example, De Kat Angelino has been growing the Bloss apple, which has a lovely rosé colour, a crisp texture and an outstanding fruity, sweet flavour. It is also a naturally very robust apple that resists disease well, so fewer crop protection products are needed. The Bloss could become a bestseller that may replace apples that have to come from far abroad. Because it is actually a shame that we have such perfect apples and good growers here and still import so much. Chefs are also increasingly conscious of local produce for their kitchens, so I am confident that the old and new varieties will give us a bright future. Together with our growers, of course.”
“It is actually a shame that we have such perfect apples and good growers here and still import so many apples.”
