After an eventful year, we‘ve laid an excellent founda tion for further growth

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.

René 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, year-

Trailer with a new slogan

round production. We also prepare for the season during winter. That includes cultivation, client, and shelf plans. Although there's less trade, there's no less effort," continues De Weerdt.

"Germany, England, and Scandinavia have long been important markets for us. But Southern Europe and France are also promising. In recent years we've seen strong growth in, particularly, the Polish market too. Poland's economy is picking up, and that's also consumers' diets. People are more willing to spend money on healthy food. We've been able to capitalize on that, despite production also increasing there. There's great potential for further client growth across the board. We're still hardly active in the Dutch retail market, for example."

VERY ADAPTABLE

This year, Brexit is making trading with the United Kingdom extra challenging. "Our project team prepared well to be able to respond to all possible scenarios. That was both logistically and commercially. Based on that, we drew up a script. Fortunately, they struck a deal at the end of the year. Otherwise, we'd have been faced with skyhigh levies. In the meantime, our transport department, with its own fleet, has been able to respond well to the situation. We draw up all export documents in-house. The processes run smoothly, and the time between the customer's order and the product's delivery has shortened. We've proven to be generally very adaptable," René explains.

'CREATING REFRESHING WAYS TOGETHER'

"We have also refreshed our house style, giving it a cool twist. We wanted to emphasize our role's energy more. That's led to our new motto, 'Creating refreshing ways together'. Our new trucks will take to the roads soon. Everyone's becoming more transparent, so it's crucial that we work with our growers and customers in that way as much as possible. After all, you create added value together.

"In general, it's been an eventful year. But I'm extremely proud of what we've achieved as a team. We overcame challenges and showed our adaptability. We also changed our corporate identity and made investments. With that, we've laid an excellent foundation for further growth," concludes René. (IH) 

www.combilo.nl

Versatile range

Oxin Growers is the leading growers’ cooperative in the Netherlands and takes care of the sale of (outdoor cultivation) fruit and vegetables for its members. It arranges contracts, invoicing, payment and payment security. All the tasty and fresh produce from Oxin Growers is grown with care and attention by skilled growers. Our versatile range is produced at nurseries and production sites in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Food safety certificates

Our affiliated fruit and vegetable growers produce their crops with careful attention to water and nutrient use. All Oxin Growers member companies are GlobalGap certified and have additional certification depending on the markets and customers served by the specific growers. This includes BRC or On the way to PlanetProof. A number of our growers use organic methods and hold Skal certification.

Packaging

Creating and maintaining visibility is essential for producers and sellers of fresh produce. Oxin Growers is happy to contribute to visibility. Our growers process and pack fruit and vegetables exactly as you wish. In packaging with your own label, according to the retailer’s specifications or number of items. If required, we can also develop customised packaging or concepts. Members of Oxin Growers can supply the produce retail ready. This reduces the time between harvesting and arrival at the point of sale, for optimal freshness.

+31 (0)180 203 203 - info@oxin-growers.nl - oxin-growers.nl