Conference pears are unique and loved worldwide
In the heart of the Hageland, we meet Mario Vanhellemont, passionate grower of apples and pears. “Harvesting a top product that consumers love, this makes me happy.”
Fruit farm Vanhellemont came into being in 1969 when André Vanhellemont and Jeannine Nijs planted their first fruit trees, alongside strawberries. “Apple and pear trees don’t yield immediately. That’s why they also grew strawberries to overcome those first years,” says their son Mario Vanhellemont, who joined the fruit business in 1994.
It was soon clear that he would one day take over the family business. “As a little boy, I always dreamed of becoming a fruit grower,” he says. After completing his studies in a professional bachelor’s degree in horticulture, he first went to work elsewhere for a few years. This allowed his parents some time to expand the farm, and eventually took it upon himself to expand the original 22 hectares his parents owned to 60 hectares. In 2004, his youngest brother Gert also joins the company. He has a marketing background and mainly manages sorting the fruit and the two farm shops they run.
In total, Mario grows as many as 13 different varieties including some new varieties. In terms of pears, Conference pears remain the most popular. Despite the uncertainty, Mario is clearly passionate about his profession. “Working in nature and deciding for yourself what to do and when — that’s what I love. In winter, we start the pruning. Then we make sure the flowers come up well and there are bees to pollinate. After that, it’s a matter of sugaring the young fruits.” “I am always delighted when we harvest a top product that our customers love,” he explains. “After a hectic picking, I enjoy driving to the orchard in the morning by myself.”
Fruit farm Vanhellemont adopted an environmentally friendly approach from a very early stage, making it one of the pioneers. “We first see if nature can fight diseases and harmful insects itself. We do this by introducing beneficial insects such as predatory mites, predatory bugs and ladybirds. Only if there is no other way, we use environmentally friendly solutions.” The results are impressive. “Thanks to the ideal soil and climate, our apples and pears are of exceptional quality. This certainly applies to our Conference pears, which are unique and loved worldwide. We’re very proud of it,” he says.