Heiko Lenk employs about 20 people in Asia and Europe who together took care of about 8,500 tonnes of products in 2008.
uct they want and can define the product specifications. It is then our job to organise everything from sourcing to delivery because we are on site and are knowledgeable about the companies and their possibilities”, says Lenk to describe his company’s service spectrum.
Buying service in Asia
ISO certification for Lenk Frozen Foods in Thailand
Prefried products to spark new trend
Asia is one of the most important regions for buying and processing fish and seafood. Heiko Lenk recognized this fact early on and set up his own service company in Thailand to offer support during procurement of seafood. His company now holds ISO 9001:2008 certification and has started producing convenience products for the European market.
H
eiko Lenk roams between different worlds. For more than 250 days a year he is ‘en route’ – travelling back and forth between Europe
and Asia to bring shrimp from Thailand or pangasius from Vietnam to the European market. As a rule he does not import the fish and seafood for his own ac-
count but acts as a problem solver who has knowledge of the culture and market structure in both Asia and in Europe. “The customers who turn to us know which prod-
“We develop private labels for the food service segment, cash & carry markets, grocery and industry sectors, and support all our customers’ activities on site”, says Lenk, going into more detail. His company has its own teams in Vietnam, China, India, Bangladesh and Thailand for selecting raw materials and factories, monitoring product processing and packaging, and carrying out all inspections and controls that are necessary up to shipment. Each team is headed by food technologist. “We give our customers the certainty that the products will meet their expectations”, ensures Lenk. It is the customers who act as importers, and Lenk Fro-
Lenk Seafood Company Fact File Lenk Seafood Service GmbH Rathausstr. 10 22941 Bargteheide Tel.: +49 (0)4532-28 80 80 Fax: +49 (0)4532 28 80 810 E-mail to German office: mailG@ sea-scout.net E-mail to Thai office: mailTH@ sea-scout.net www.sea-scout.net
The headquarters of Lenk Frozen Foods is in Bangkok.
54 Eurofish Magazine 2 / 2010
Owner / Manager: Heiko Lenk
Chief Executive: Alf-Olai Ingebrigtsen Business: - Service and support for seafood procurement in Asia - European trading platform for Asian partner companies Customers: Importers, caterers, grocery, industry Product volume in 2008: 8,500 tonnes Founded: 2003 No. employees: 20
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