Belgian group says it will become the supplier of fresh potatoes, fruit and vegetables to all Sligro stores in the country
Sligro Food Group and Greenyard have announced a new partnership agreement that will see the latter become the supplier of fresh potatoes, fruit and vegetables to all Sligro stores in Belgium.
According to the groups, the collaboration allowed Sligro to offer a comprehensive range and at the same time focus even more on a short food supply chain, including a local assortment and competitive market prices.
Greenyard is already a partner of Sligro Food Group in other fruit and vegetable categories, supplying frozen vegetables, prepared vegetables and sauces to the group.
The new, additional, collaboration ”confirms the trust between both parties”, they stated, and was part of the further rollout of Greenyard’s integrated customer relationships.
Greenyard Fresh Belgium will become the supplier of potatoes, unprocessed fruit and vegetables and cut vegetables for all Sligro, Sligro-M and JAVA activities in Belgium.
Sligro Food Group explained that it marked ”an important step” in further strengthening its position as a leading wholesaler in the Belgian food service market.
Fresh fruit and vegetables was a ”crucial category” in its stores, Sligro outlined, and at the same time the result of a highly complex supply chain.
”Greenyard Fresh Belgium will now unburden Sligro by streamlining the entire process from sourcing the products until the delivery to the individual stores,” it said.
”The collaboration will cover more than 5.1mn items annually, including apples and pears from Belgian origins, as well as lettuce, chicory and strawberries supplied by Belgian growers.”
Koen Slippens, CEO of Sligro Food Group, explained the choice of the new partner.
”We want to respond to the needs of Belgian hospitality professionals and offer them the best possible range,” said Slippens. ”The collaboration with Greenyard fits perfectly within that strategy.
”Thanks to its scale and strong Belgian roots, Greenyard can follow the market closely, helping us to ensure that our customers pay fair and competitive prices.
”Moreover, Greenyard has its own companies on every continent, enabling it to purchase directly from growers worldwide, which directly contributes to the consistent quality of our products,” he explained.
”For our customers, this new collaboration means a shorter chain and therefore greater freshness, a wide range that always reflects current market prices and a maximum focus on local products where relevant.”
Greenyard CEO Francis Kint said the company was “very happy” with the collaboration, which he said ”fitted in perfectly” with its vision of integrated customer relations.
”This partnership is a perfect match between two companies with a shared passion for quality, sustainability and an efficient supply chain,” said Kint.
”We supply a wide range of fresh produce and, thanks to this agreement, we will reach even more catering professionals.
”This is a long-term, transparent and vertically integrated partnership in fresh fruit and vegetables,” he continued.
”It emphasises Greenyard’s commitment to implementing tailor-made cooperation models and to working sustainably with all our customers.
”Our focus is on unburdening our customers in every fruit and vegetable category, so that they can fully concentrate on providing maximum service to their end customers,” Kint added.
