HOW DID YOU ORIGINALLY GET INTO THE PRODUCE BUSINESS?
After making a career as an executive in the construction business, I switched to the VBA, the flower auction of Aalsmeer, where I was the managing director for the last three years.
Coming from a family with strong grower links, the sector was not unfamiliar to me.
In February of this year I joined the Greenery.
HOW DID YOU COME TO JOIN THE GREENERY?
The Greenery is an organisation with great business potential.
The company is riding the waves of current trends like health, taste and convenience.
By now, I know highly motivated and qualified specialists are working daily to offer a complete year-round supply of fruits, vegetables and mushrooms.
It is a fantastic challenge to lead such a team.
WHAT OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FACE YOUR BUSINESS?
By listening to our customers we attempt to fulfil their needs in the best possible way.
We try to challenge the markets with new, innovative ideas and concepts.
This all in a short and efficient logistical network.
This is one of Greenery’s unique selling points; a wide range of products available to customers through a fine and reliable logistical system.
WHAT ISSUES DO YOU THINK ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT FOR THE SECTOR?
Economies of scale will remain an important issue; our customers as well as our suppliers will continue to grow in size.
Also food safety has to be a top priority for the industry.
We are talking about food and therefore ‘zero’ tolerance has to be maintained.
The Greenery has developed its own Greenery Quality System through which all the relevant issues of individual customers are catered for.
WHERE DO YOU SEE THE MAJOR GROWTH COMING FROM IN PRODUCE?
On a market level we see strong growth in the new EU member markets.
Established west European retailers have entered these markets and are building successful retail networks.
On the UK market we have seen a strong developed full-service supermarket system. The broad availability of products fulfils all consumer wishes.
On a product level we see a fast changing consumer preference, creating opportunities for a constant flow of new products.
ARE WE SEEING ANY MAJOR CHANGES IN HOW PRODUCE IS MARKETED TO CONSUMERS?
Consumers want to be re-assured on food-safety issues.
This will become a leading issue on how to market fresh products. Also convenience will maintain an important growth category.
HOW ARE CUSTOMER TRENDS DRIVING YOUR BUSINESS FORWARD?
We constantly check the latest developments with our growers and seed companies.
By doing this we develop new concepts that meets the needs of the consumer.
On the other hand we have to be realistic, consumer trends are fragmented nowadays; it is difficult to identify “the market” or “the consumer”.
Identifying the market segments with the highest potential will become key.
You’ve recently launched the Tomato Compass, what is this?
Around 10 years ago, the tomato growers started to segment their market into bulk, standard and top segments.
The market functioned like this and the model fitted at that time.
Nowadays we see many growers coming with new ideas; retailers picked up new trends.
This all developed so fast that the growers as well as the retailers had no clear structure on how the market looks.
In order to guide both sides of the spectrum we took the initiative to reset the tomato segmentation.
HOW HAS IT BEEN RECEIVED?
We received many positive reactions; it steers new developments on growers sides and limits competition between products in the same segment.
On the retailer side it has become much easier to set up programmes into new areas like snack-products and especially the Mediterranean segment.
WHERE IS YOUR PRIMARY FOCUS?
First, we have to focus on our core business, and strengthen this.
The Greenery has proven to be innovative on all levels of the produce chain.
It is our prime task to make this process structural and serve our customers to the max.
Secondly we want to build on our broad supply of products; the Greenery is a major importer for many overseas products into Europe. Many products are sold through various export markets.
Despite a long history with overseas products in the UK market, the Greenery has not reached its potential in the UK.
YOU’VE BEEN THROUGH A PERIOD OF CONSOLIDATION IN THE UK. WHERE NEXT FOR THE GREENERY IN THIS MARKET?
The UK, for the Greenery, is one of the most important markets; we have good customers here with whom we have good relationships.
From an innovation point of view it is absolutely the most important market for us.
Where the Greenery introduces new concepts on the continental markets, we are constantly challenged by our UK customers to make the extra step in developing new products, fine-tune our systems and give the maximum attention to the consumer needs.
We plan to build on the opportunities that are available.
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