The history of FruitMasters

The history of FruitMasters starts on 4 May 1904. On this date the auction society ‘Veiling Vereeniging Geldermalsen en Omstreken’ was founded. The 34 members were looking forward to the very first cherry auction which took place in the shed of one of the members. For a moment it seemed as though the initiative had been nipped in the bud. But then a wheelbarrow was pushed onto the premises and one of the members cried out: ‘Look! Three basketfuls of cherries!’ Legendary words that marked the beginning of FruitMasters.

Complete range of fruit

 The Cooperative Fruit Auction Geldermalsen was obviously not the only auction in the Netherlands. To improve efficiency and increase sales, three auctions decided to merge. fruit and Vegetable Auction Rijn-Waal-Maas B.V., Fruit Auction Wijk bij Duurstede and environs and Fruit Auction Geldermalsen EO joined forces and continued to operate under the name FruitMasters Group. Nico de Jong B.V., a trading company focusing mainly on the southern hemisphere, joined the group in 2001. To meet increasing customer demand for a complete range of fruit, in 2003 FruitMasters decided to take over the Citronas Group. The knowledge and experience of the companies in the Citronas Group (MFL and Indigo SAS) strengthened the position of FruitMasters, which could now offer a complete range of fruit.

Royal FruitMasters

 For 100 years of commitment, FruitMasters received the designation ‘Royal’. Over the years, FruitMasters had become an extension of the growers. Through continuous development since its foundation in 1904, FruitMasters had become a major player on the European fruit market. In the coming decades, FruitMasters will make every effort to become an indispensable party in the fruit market.