René de Weerdt, Combilo’s Commercial Director:
„After an eventful year, we‘ve laid an excellent foundation for further growth“ In November 2020, large-scale reconstruction began at Combilo's office in the Netherlands. This will be complete by the end of April. "We've replaced our old office with an inspiring office garden, supplemented with informal meeting and training rooms. The entire office is fitted out with ergonomic workstations, including adjustable desks. After all, when our people feel comfortable at the office, it contributes to job satisfaction and productivity. The result is truly fantastic, and we're very proud of it," says René de Weerdt.
R
ené was appointed as commercial director at Combilo on 1 May last year. His first year has indeed been memorable. "It was quite a year to start; it doesn't get much crazier. The COVID-19 pandemic affected our customers and us considerably. Of course, it was particularly frustrating for some of our customer channels. They've been locked down. So we couldn't deliver some of our contracted products."
"However, sales to the retail sector compensated for that. This is a growing sales channel at Combilo. Retailers wanted full shelves and experienced unprecedented demand in their shops. Fortunately for our growers and us, we could conclude a highly eventful year on a positive note. It was hard
work, but looking back, the past year's been a great experience for the team."
"As a team, we were able to adapt well to the COVID-19 measures. We've been creative in our approach. We worked on a 50/50 staffing base for a long time. But with our technical resources, we coped very well. Working from home was considered impossible in the fruit and vegetable trade. Now it's turned out to be perfectly feasible. Another side effect of the pandemic is that healthy living and eating are more important than ever. Retailers are increasingly positioning the fresh food department as the shop's drawcard. That while meat's importance is declining," says René.
"We can respond well to vegetables being meat substitutes. That creates great opportunities for this channel. The whole landscape is changing, and customer demands are increasing. This does make it more complex. Flexibility, maneuverability, sustainability, shelf, and thinking like a shopper - it takes daily dedication for a company to complete the puzzle. At the same time, it also offers fantastic chances. It all comes down to how flexible you are and remain. We're, for example, researching whether we can roll out e-commerce concepts in due course." PRODUCT SPECIALIZATION IS A MAJOR ADVANTAGE Combilo has always specialized in exporting Dutch greenhouse vegetables. "Our customers have already received the first cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, and aubergines." According to the commercial director, this product specialism is a big advantage. "When it comes to greenhouse vegetables, we know all the ins and outs. That's from the intrinsic product properties to shelf presentation. The Dutch greenhouse vegetable season runs to the end of November. In winter, we're increasingly shifting our focus to lit cultivation. So, yearAGF Primeur • Gewächshausgemüse • 2020
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