Grapevine 2017 EN

2017

Cool Port Our vision of the future 8

Avocados from South Africa 16

On to new adventures together 24

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v e g e ta b l e s

f r o m

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d u t c h

fa m i ly

c o m p a n y

I heard it through The Grapevine ‘Through the grapevine’ is an expression used to indicate the way information is passed from one person to another informally, for example between friends or colleagues. The expression dates from the time that news and gossip were spread mainly while working on the land and in the vineyards. As a family firm, we at Schrijvershof know all too well how valuable relationships are. And you maintain good relationships by staying in contact with each other, in words and in actions. At Schrijvershof we do our very best every day to be of service to our growers and buyers, with expert advice, well-thought-out solutions, sincere interest and useful information. In this magazine we tell you more about how we do this.

You heard it through the grapevine.

8 No such thing as waste

Like father, like son

32

20

Cool Port – Our vision of the future

Business and Culture in Latin America

22

Colophon

Avocados from South Africa

16

The many faces of South Africa

28

On to new adventures together

24

© Schrijvershof B.V. 2017 - 'The Grapevine 2017' is published by Schrijvershof B.V. No rights can be claimed from the content of this magazine. Schrijvershof B.V. has done its utmost to list all copyright holders of the images used.

Editing: Schrijvershof B.V. and WebNL Images: Beeldkracht, Shutterstock, the Gubitz family, Fruitleather Rotterdam, Kloosterboer, Karen Salamanca and Schrijvershof B.V. Tekst contributed by: Yu Dehai, Anamaría Mendieta, Martin Gubitz, Henk Schrijvershof, Maarten Schrijvershof, Maarten Schrijvershof Sr. and Alexander Schrijvershof.

Thanks to: Kloosterboer, Cool Port, Schiphol, the Gubitz family, the Yu family, Anamaría Mendieta and Fruitleather Rotterdam.

Design and layout: WebNL Translation: Het Taalatelier For more information: www.schrijvershof.nl

4

Family matters

Family matters 4

henk and maarten schrijvershof

The fruit and vegetable business is like a hectic marketplace, and it’s always busy. But now and then you have to take a break too.

Relax for a minute, laugh and catch up with your brother. That’s one of the great things about a family firm: you share a lot of memories, so it’s fun looking back together. And of course, to look ahead. Because the Schrijvershof family firm is at an important point in its existence.

With the upcoming move to Cool Port, Schrijvershof has an exciting year ahead.

The outsourcing of our logistics means we’ll be working in a completely different way than we do now. Our operations will run even more smoothly and ICT will play an even larger role in our daily tasks.

It’s all aimed at an optimum logistical flow, efficiency and minimising errors.

In today’s fast-moving world, things like these are self-evident and considered essential. But sometimes the brothers in this Schrijvershof generation wonder: “Actually, how did we do that before?”

Henk and Maarten Schrijvershof look back on how it all started for the family business. When Maarten was young fruit and vegetables were mostly still sold door to door, and then at the weekly markets and shops around Rotterdam.

It was the age when you wrapped a head of lettuce in last week’s newspaper and sold potatoes by the 10-kilo sack. Henk still remembers hauling two of those sacks up three flights of stairs to that big family’s flat, without being asked; it

Maarten (left) and Henk Schrijvershof looking back and ahead together.

was just part of the job. It was the age of apples and pears from people’s own orchards, and of that one grower whose beans were always nicer than the others.

Both brothers have fond memories of that time. The developments of today have led to a whole new way of doing business. Although…it’s also funny to see how all those “new” trends like eating local and “food-delivery 2.0” hark back to the charm of an earlier time that the brothers still recognise. Though the Internet is changing many things, some nostalgic feelings apparently are stronger than we’d like to admit, and ultimately we rather like it if the greengrocer delivers to our door. Because that’s what’s happening in fact, but then in an innovative way.

growers getting closer to each other again, thanks to the Internet. Even if the grower and consumer are thousands of kilometres from each other. Trends like real food and a new appreciation for the traditional artisanal products underscore the fact that consumers want to know what they’re eating.”

“ The human

touch is and will always be a part of Schrijvershof

Henk explains: “Modern technology is actually taking us 50 years back in time, but in a totally different way. In the last few decades, consumers have lost their sense of connection with the sources of the food on their plate: the growers.

And now we’re seeing consumers and

5

Maarten adds that this sector doesn’t revolve around technology but rather around an interest in real food for real people. The technology is there to serve us, and not the other way around, and that’s a good thing too!

In a sense, this sounds like the way Schrijvershof works. Businesslike, efficient and professional, but with aware of the human element.

Throughout the many years of our existence it’s been that way, and it’s going to stay that way too. Maarten laughs: “Cool Port won’t change any of that. The human touch is and will always be a part of Schrijvershof.”

And that’s something the two brothers are quite proud of.

It’s quite a tale, going from selling fruit and vegetables from a market stall to becoming a company that imports, exports and trades all over the world.

It’s not always easy to stay yourself and remain true to the way you want to deal with people: take an interest in each other, give each other some space, listen and know what the other person is thinking about. You notice that this approach is appreciated all over the world. From South Africa to South America, and from China to the Dutch polders: the way we take an interest in each other is very much appreciated.

Henk and Maarten both feel that “the Schrijvershof way” isn’t so strange at all. It’s a healthy family business, firmly rooted in the Netherlands’ clay soil, with cordial relationships and contacts all over the world. The company has an eye for sustainability, for the values of the past and for the opportunities of the future.

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The Schrijvershof family selling fruit and vegetables in Rotterdam in de 1960s, with Maarten Schrijvershof sr. on the far left. (See also article page 23.)

“ The Schrijvershof family firm is at an

important point in its existence

The five Schrijvershof brothers who now have responsibility for daily operations are the fifth generation of this great family firm and they certainly won’t be the last. Over the years, they have expanded the firm with a team of experts with whom they can help growers and buyers in every way.

Koen Schrijvershof is one of the five brothers of the fifth generation of this great family firm.

Together with this professional team, the Schrijvershof brothers are taking a big step into the future, one that they feel confident and good about. They’re all extremely enthusiastic about all the new developments and as always, look forward to personal contact.

“ Even the new

trends hark back to the charm of the past

Maarten Schrijvershof visiting a grower in Colombia.

7

Cool Port Our vision of the future

8

schrijvershof at cool port kloosterboer, rotterdam

For Schrijvershof, the year 2017 will revolve around our transfer of the cold-storage facility in Oud-Beijerland to Cool Port, the new Rotterdam location of logistics service provider Kloosterboer. And that’s a lot more than just a physical move from point A to point B.

The move to Cool Port means that Schrijvershof is entrusting some of its operations to a logistics expert. In other words, Schrijvershof is outsourcing its logistics. And we think that’s pretty exciting, because it’s a move to greater professionalism, with several important consequences. Positive ones, certainly, but we’ll have to get used to a few changes. In any case the most important thing is that this move is in the interests of our growers and our customers, because ultimately, that’s whom we’re doing it for.

In our view, outsourcing logistics is an obvious step in the evolution of our company. We see logistics as something that doesn’t only take place within the walls of our own cold-storage facility, but as an important and integral part of the total supply chain. From this perspective, managing our own logistics as an importer is not an operation we would necessarily do ourselves. If an importer trying to keep the logistics costs per pallet as low as possible emphasises making optimal use of its own coldstorage capacity, then in some situations it can work against the interests of growers and customers.

Take something like seasonal influences.

They’re inevitable if you import fruit from the southern hemisphere. Using your own logistics facilities often results in your cold-storage spaces not always being full to capacity. Outsourcing logistics then helps the company to make more efficient use of the cold-storage space during every month of the year. For one part of the year, the space is used for fruit from the southern hemisphere and the other part of the year for products from the northern hemisphere. A better use of cold-storage space results in lower logistics costs per pallet. And that’s also in growers’ and buyers’ interests.

Another example is a period of the year when the market can temporarily only take on less-than-normal volumes.

Having one’s own logistics facilities can influence the decisions that an importer makes, since he’s motivated not to optimally meet market demand, but to ensure the logistics facilities are sufficiently full.

The reverse situation can occur too, for example in a season when sales slow down. Then the employees are saying things like “The pallets don’t even get a

chance to touch the floor here!” That’s nice of course, since it means the logistics costs per pallet are minimal. But the flip side is that the coverage of the importer’s fixed costs is also minimal.

And it’s exactly when market conditions are good that the interests of the importer will be opposed to those of the grower and the customer.

“ The move to

Cool Port is more than just a physical move from point A to point B

The progress of the construction of Cool Port shows the enormous size of the new logistics centre.

9

The choice of Cool Port, then, is about much more than just “economies of scale” and “flexibility”. It’s about the role we want to play as an importer, serving our customers and our growers.

Schrijvershof aims to grow more in the next few years, as the specialist in citrus, grapes, mangos and avocados from the southern hemisphere. With our knowledge of the European market and with a team that not only feels at home in the world of retail and food service, but also knows its way around the traditional daily trading world. We believe that the combination of these different market segments gives the best results.

Lastly, the choice to move to Cool Port was also informed by the view that in food safety and sustainability, the beginning of the chain is what mainly matters. That’s where the difference is made, not in the cold-storage facility in the Netherlands. For an importer, it‘s not enough to have a signed supplier’s declaration and the required certificates from the grower. An importer is not just a body that checks and inspects things; it’s much, much more. We see it as our job to work with growers to look at how we can make this relationship a little bit better every day. We know from experience that this approach results in greater mutual understanding, and ultimately to better control of the chain.

Alexander Schrijvershof (left) regularly takes a look at the construction of Cool Port.

Now that the walls are finished, the project is progressing quickly towards completion.

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“ Outsourcing logistics is an

obvious step in our view

Centrally located in Europe and strategically situated on the harbours, railway and motorway, Cool Port is the perfect location for import and transit.

“ In food safety and

sustainability, the beginning of the chain is what mainly matters.

That’s where the difference is made

The move to Cool Port begins a new chapter in the history of the Schrijvershof family firm. Like every big step we’ve taken in the past, we know that this one will also be a suspenseful one. But it’s one that fits in completely with our view of collaborating, protecting each other’s interests, and in the future of our market in general.

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Cool Port’s advantages at a glance 

Centrally located and directly situated on the harbours, motorway and railway



50,000 m2 site on the Waalhaven / Eemhaven harbours



35,000 pallet spaces in mobile storage racks



8,000 m2 dispatch area



8,000 m2 value-added services space



500 m roller conveyors

Harbours

Railway

Motorway A15

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Mobile Racking Mobile racking is a pallet storage system in which the racks move over a rail on the floor. It provides up to twice as many pallet spaces as a stationary pallet storage system using the equivalent amount of floor space.

Moreover, with mobile racking, every pallet can be pulled separately at any time with no loss of efficiency.

Cool Port will be completed in a relatively short time, since several elements of the construction process are being executed simultaneously. Cooling infrastructure is constructed as each refrigeration unit is set up.

Assembly of the mobile storage rack begins immediately once the refrigeration unit is made wind- and waterproof. Construction of the dispatch area begins while the storage units are being built. The connections to the A15 motorway, rail and water are simultaneously being constructed outside the building.

ICT is crucial for our daily operations. Not only within Cool Port itself, but also in the exchange of information between Cool Port and Schrijvershof. The information needed for daily operations will as much as possible be exchanged electronically by EDI (electronic data interchange). This will ensure efficiency in operations and minimize the chances of errors.

Mobile Racking: a mobile pallet storage system.

The new Cool Port building meets all the requirements of the BREEAM-NL 3-star standard (“very good�). BREEAM-NL is the quality certification for sustainable performance of new construction projects in the Netherlands.

Decision to built Cool Port

Construction begins on Cool Port

Cool Port operational

August 2015

June 2016

June 2017

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Opening hours The standard long opening hours of Cool Port offer transporters the opportunity to avoid peak traffic hours. This makes the logistical processes more reliable and makes better use of the capacity of the transport equipment.

Adding value while en route With in-house packing and sorting facilities, Cool Port adds value while products are en route to their destination.

The construction is progressing. Cool Port will be fully operational mid-2017.

Inland waterway connections Because of their size, the current generation of ships can often only unload in the larger, deeper ports of Maasvlakte 2. A regular barge connection will be set up to transport the reefer containers from Maasvlakte 2 to Cool Port. Avoiding road transport of these containers will lower the CO2 emissions per container, as well as costs.

Motorway A15 Cool Port is situated right on the A15 motorway, the logistical artery connecting Greenport Westland and Greenport Barendrecht.

Rail The rail terminal of RSC Rotterdam offers a direct rail connection, a transport mode that is still underutilized, but looks poised to gain in importance in the future.

Greenport Westland Barge connection

Cool Port

Maasvlakte II

A15 Rail / Betuwelijn Greenport Barendrecht

15

Avocados from South Africa 16

martin gubitz

Avocados are more popular than ever today. World-wide avocado consumption is growing at about 3 percent per year, and in Europe it’s grown an average of 8% a year in the last five years.

The increasing demand for ready-to-eat and healthy produce is a major factor in the growing demand for avocados. In Europe, avocados are most often eaten in salads, guacamole and sandwiches. The Hass avocado’s good flavour and keeping qualities make it the variety we import the most.

As far as marketing and sales of avocados is concerned, Schrijvershof has worked for years with growers from Peru, Mexico, Colombia and Israel.

However, to keep our customers supplied with avocados all year round, there was a need to add another grower from another continent to the Schrijvershof list of partners, preferably one from South Africa. Although it’s not one of the world’s largest producers of avocados, the country has a strong position in the European market, and delivers a highquality product.

However, nearly all of the exports of South African avocados are controlled by just a few large exporters. And because of sharply increasing demand, these exporters are barely keeping up with demand from existing clients. What’s

more, the avocado plantations were badly damaged by severe hailstorms in early 2015. The effects of this damage will be felt for several more seasons, and will affect the available volume. So all in all, it was not easy to find a South African avocado grower who was in a position to serve new markets in Europe through Schrijvershof.

At least, not until May 2015, when Martin Gubitz contacted Schrijvershof. Martin, who comes from Letsitele in the north of South Africa, had heard that Schrijvershof was looking for an avocado grower.

Local citrus growers near Letsitele had told him about how open, engaged and approachable Schrijvershof is,and that really appealed to him. Nevertheless, it took some persuasion to get Martin’s relationship with Schrijvershof off the ground. For Martin, it would be the first time that he would be delivering directly to a destination market. That’s quite a big change, and of course any development that big always goes along with some nervousness. With the help of Kloosterboer South Africa as logistical partner, several test containers were shipped successfully to the Netherlands

in the summer of 2015. During Martin Gubitz’s visit to Schrijvershof in the Netherlands, they agreed that Gubitz and Schrijvershof would enter into an exclusive contract for 2016 for marketing and sale of avocados in Europe.

“ However,

nearly all of the export of South African avocados is controlled by just a few large exporters

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The Gubitz Family Gubitz is a family firm just like Schrijvershof, currently run by the fourth generation. Martin Gubitz left Germany as a young man in 1929, and came by ship to South Africa, since there was no commercial aviation at the time. He was an electrical engineer for AEG Berlin, working on the hydropower station in Lydenburg, a station still in operation today. After his contract expired, he returned to Germany, leaving again in 1935 for South Africa. This time his employer was Breassert, the company that founded South Africa’s first large steel plant, Yskor.

In 1939 Martin returned to Germany again, along with his new wife Coba and their two-year-old son Horst.

After the war, Martin left again for South Africa in 1948. This time it was permanent, as an engineer with a British company. In 1952 he left the company. With his bonus of 5000 British pounds, he bought a share of the Delhi farm in Letsitele in the province of Limpopo. He bought his first orange trees from the Rustenburg nursery, and then an uncle gave him 750 White Marsh Seedless grapefruit trees as a gift.

And so Martin Gubitz began his new career as a citrus grower.

The Gubitz family. Left to right: Father Horst Gubitz with his five sons Martin, Paul, Johann, Karl and Nikolaas Gubitz.

18

“ In 1952 Martin Gubitz bought

his first orange trees

After Martin’s death, his son Horst took over the farm. Horst had five sons, four of whom started their own farms. Now, 65 years after the Gubitz family planted its first orange groves, the family is keeping busy growing citrus, mangos, lychees, avocados and macadamia nuts. They do their own packing, as well as marketing and sales for the local market. Gubitz works with several exporters. Starting in 2017, they’ll work with Schrijvershof for the first time the marketing and sales of avocados in Europe.

The Gubitz farm in South Africa, around 1960.

It’s a nice story from an every-bit-asnice family firm, one that has become an important producer of a highquality product over the years.

The Gubitz farm in the 1960s.

The harvest is being prepared for transport.

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anamaría mendieta

At Schrijvershof, we believe that a good personal relationship is the foundation of every business relationship.

But what makes a personal relationship “good”? When we start doing business with someone from another country, the way we behave towards them is often based on only a general knowledge of their country, or even of some larger region that country is in. Is that really the right way to go about it?

Anamaría Mendieta in one of the colourful streets of Bogotá.

20

Business and Culture in Latin America To find out, we sought out Anamaría Mandieta of Colombia. Anamaría advises the private sector and the government about negotiation and conflict management. She also participates frequently in cross-cultural negotiations in teams composed of different nationalities, and in addition, she lived in the Netherlands for several years. From this background, she tells us a bit more about how business is done in South America, and about the stereotypical images we Europeans have of it. And of course, whether or not our stereotypes are accurate.

Whenever I travel abroad I come across people interested in Latin America. As soon as we start talking they mention their perceptions concerning Guatemala, Mexico or Argentina. And there I am, a Colombian from the Andean Region, wondering how can I let them know that there are significant differences among those countries and mine. This is particularly interesting to me, especially when being a Latin American usually means to have a very strong national pride.

Yes, I am aware that we share some cultural traits. But the fact of thinking of Latin America as a single supra-national entity is like considering that a person coming from any European country should be expected to behave exactly in the same manner as any other from the same continent.

Even if most of us speak Spanish, our accents and slangs are different. Also

our social behavior normally differs to a large extent. For instance, foreigners frequently expect all Colombians to have an exuberant and tropical behavior, as it would be assumed in anyone from the Caribbean. In my case, I come from Bogotá, a city that’s 1,069 kilometers away from the ocean and 2,600 meters high up on the mountains. The weather in this city ranges between 4 and 20 degrees, all year round. Nothing can be farther from a tropical environment.

Many are unaware that the concept of Latin America encompasses 20 different countries, and 7 adjacent territories (such as Puerto Rico, French Guiana, Guadalupe, and Martinique). There are eight official languages, which include four native dialects. It goes without saying that Latin America neither includes countries that speak non-Latin languages, like Surinam, Belize, and Trinidad and Tobago, nor those belonging to the Dutch Caribbean (Aruba, Curacao and Saint Marteen). So how is one to tackle culture when doing business in Latin America? As a consultant on Negotiation and Conflict Management, it often strikes me that experienced international executives and teams think of cultural traits only as those that are most evident. These normally incorporate the following: to try and speak Spanish or Portuguese; getting interested in local objects and artifacts; appreciating musical rhythms or observing common conduct in social gatherings. Indeed, those elements may give you some hints as to how people perceive the world. Nevertheless, the most important

aspects and the ones that are critical when it comes to doing business are those that are not visible or tangible.

These traits are those behavioral norms, values and beliefs that underlie every basic assumption when it comes to making decisions, leading a team, confronting conflicts, communicating or being an effective member in a working group. All the above means that in order to successfully interact with Latin Americans it would be expected that foreign entrepreneurs should take the time to identify and understand the most relevant differences in each nationality as compared to those of neighboring countries. This is particularly true in a region where culture is based to a large extent on personal relations.

It is true that Latin Americans may appreciate the fact that visitors learn some local words. But in order to master our way of thinking, the visitor must set aside stereotypes and abandon cliché-type of ideas concerning a homogeneous Latin America. Certainly, each country is diverse in terms of trade agreements, banking and court systems, foreign-exchange controls, legislation, and subsidies granted to certain local industries. Most importantly, the first thing anyone should know when coming to this part of the world is its permanent evolution characterized by constant political, legal, and social changes.

So be ready to unexpected variations in almost everything, and discover how that affects each Latin American nation in the invisible way of doing business.

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Like father, like son

22

maarten schrijvershof sr.

Our native Dutch has a saying that’s equivalent to the English “Like father, like son” – “De appel valt niet ver van de boom”.

Translated literally, it means “the apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree”– very appropriate for a family firm like Schrijvershof, where the family has put its own signature on the way they do things for many for years now.

Over the years, Schrijvershof has gone through some big changes, from running the local fruit & veg stall to being an importer of overseas fruit. This is literally and figuratively a world of difference. Yet not everything has changed in all that time. There’s one thing that has always been the same at Schrijvershof through all the years: it’s all about relationships between people. It was true then and it’s still true today.

We are talking with Maarten Schrijvershof (70), the father of the youngest Schrijvershof generation in the family firm. Maarten left school at the age of 17 to help his father, Henk Schrijvershof (1921 - 2008) sell fruit and vegetables in and around Rotterdam. The door-to-door territories were first replaced by open-air markets in the 1970s and 80s, and then in the 1990s by the specialist greengrocers’ shops.

Maarten has fond memories of those years, even though they were long, hard days. “Back then, if someone asked how you were doing, you always answered, ‘Working hard, but never complaining’.

It was hard work from early morning until late in the evening, and often outdoors in bad weather. But they were mostly wonderful years. The hustle and bustle of

Maarten Schrijvershof sr. in his office in Oud-Beijerland.

a day at the market, playing the game of trying to bet against the clock to get the best price [through the “Dutch auction” system, ed.] and all the different people you worked with – I really enjoyed it all.

You run into everyone at the market, rich and poor, young and old, customers, colleagues and competitors. It’s the best place to learn how to get along with people. All day long, really, you’re surrounded by people. And speaking of getting along with people, we always had two important rules: ‘the customer is king’ and ‘not satisfied? money back, no questions asked’. It’s how we attracted a lot of satisfied customers, and sometimes three generations – mother, daughter and granddaughter – would come to our stall to do their weekly shopping. There’s no better compliment than that!

But we also had good ties with the growers around Oud-Beijerland. We worked with dozens of them for many years. And you can only create those relationships if they’re based on ‘give and take’. In those days that was normal. If I look at the business world today, then ‘give and take’ isn’t something you can take for granted anymore. Of course money’s important, but it seems like it’s only about money today. “Watching my

boys do their work these days, I’m really astonished at all the changes compared to how it was to work in my day.

Especially with the arrival of automation, the Internet and overseas trading – it doesn’t look anything like the market stalls of the old days. But you do see that something has remained the same: it’s still about the relationships you have with people, whether you’re dealing with a Dutch potato grower or a citrus grower in South Africa. And it will always be that way. So the foundation my boys got at the market turned out to serve them well after all. And of course as their father, I’m rather proud of them …”

“ Business is

about people and it will always be that way

23

On to new adventures together 24

yu dehai

International business is fascinating in many ways. You see a lot of the world, you find yourself in unexpected and sometimes surprising situations, and you encounter all sorts of customs and ideas that are different from what you’re used to at home. But the very best thing about doing business in other parts of the world is the contact with all those different people.

The tale of Yu Dehai and Willem Schrijvershof makes it clear just how far those contacts can take you.

Yu Dehai has worked selling fruit from his native China since 2000. From the beginning, he focused on exporting from China to Europe. One day in 2006 he ran into Willem Schrijvershof in the lobby of a Rotterdam hotel. They had a brief chat exchanging some experiences and ideas, and decided to work together selling Chinese products on the European market. Initially, this relationship started with just a few containers, but quickly grew to involve weekly shipments and hundreds of containers.

than 1,000 growers of the province of Guangdong. After a traditional Chinese ceremony, Willem gave a speech to everyone in the plantation’s new warehouse. That moment was a turning point for the collaboration, one that everyone involved would remember for a very long time. From then on, not only did the production and quality of the product improve, but the bond between Yu Dehai and the Schrijvershof family also became stronger and stronger. If things went bad, they learned from it and grew stronger, and when things went well, both parties benefitted. And that’s the best way to maintain a strong relationship.

Willem and his brother Alexander went to see Yu Dehai in China in 2007, seeking a more intensive and wider form of collaboration. There they met an associate of Yu Dehai’s, who owned a large pomelo plantation. Plans were made and expectations were high. The disappointment was just as great when the next season’s harvest failed. Still, the relationship felt good. The two decided to carry the loss together and use this setback to put a better product on the market.

Business has gone well since then, and Yu Dehai hasn’t been sitting around at all.

He’s opened several new offices in Asia, and his attention in the last four years was primarily directed towards setting up a new company in Dubai. Now that the company is standing on its own two feet, Yu Dehai is ready to take the next step in his life, and … he and his family are moving to the Netherlands!

In 2009 both Schrijvershof brothers went to China again, this time accompanied by a pesticide and food-safety specialist.

A training course was given to the more

In the car with Willem Schrijvershof setting off for new adventures.

Yu Dehai thinks it’s important that his children study in Europe. Working so intensively with Schrijvershof was certainly a factor in his choice to come live in the Netherlands. From here, he aims to explore new markets and new opportunities in the fruit business,

working with Schrijvershof. In December 2016, he arrived at Schiphol Airport, and who could be a better welcoming committee than his friend from the start: Willem Schrijvershof. It sounds just like a classic boys’ book: on to new adventures, together!

Yu Dehai arriving with his family at Schiphol Airport, December 2016.

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The value of the supply chain 26

s u p p ly c h a i n m a n a g e m e n t

A student working part-time at the outdoor market saw how many flowers were being sold every Saturday, and asked a grower friend, “Why don’t you grow flowers? It looks to me to be a pretty good business”. His friend answered, “Look, I can’t eat flowers if they don’t sell.”

What the grower didn’t have was a good supply chain. From a grower’s viewpoint, a supply chain is what turns the harvest into money. Without a good supply chain, a harvest is actually worthless. Of course, growing flowers for the local market is just a simple example of a supply chain.

Growing fruit and shipping it fresh to a destination market many thousands of kilometres away is a different story.

in hand, modern consumers have all the information they need, and more.

Accordingly, it’s more than ever the consumers who make the decisions now, simply by making their choice from what’s on the store shelves…or now, increasingly on the “virtual” store shelves.

Western consumers have many and varied requirements that went beyond simple “value for money” a long time ago.

Speed, a range of options and flexibility are self-evident today. Consumers are also growing increasingly interested in the other side of the coin: a product’s environmental and social costs. This development is making the picture of the grower clearer and clearer in consumers’ minds. Even if that grower is on the other side of the globe, modern technology makes it possible.

Supply chains are becoming more and more transparent these days, and shorter as well. That can lead to tension between actors within the same supply chain.

Competition between two companies, however, is currently making way for chains competing against other chains.

In the last few decades it was all about maximising an individual enterprise’s profits, but the modern supply chain is about creating value together and delivering that value to the final customer: the consumer. Smartphone

The developments in the agri-food sector are forcing every actor in the supply chain to consider his or her own role on the global playing field, where things are continually and rapidly changing. It’s also not easy to make choices today that affect tomorrow and the day after. And yet, that’s exactly what drives Schrijvershof.

The move to Cool Port is one of these choices. The choice for this new site is not only because of its efficient logistical handling of the product. Most of all, Cool Port leaves Schrijvershof

In fact, the grower was putting his approach to the market in his own words.

He only wanted to grow what customers were asking for, and what he was sure he could sell. If he wasn’t sure if he could sell the flowers, he didn’t want to take the risk. It wasn’t that he didn’t think he could grow flowers, he just didn’t know if he could sell them.

In an optimal operating supply chain, each link is vital.

free to concentrate on its task as the commercial “better half”, allowing growers to get the maximum value from their harvest. With “the harvest”, we mean the entire harvest – every variety, every grade and under every market condition. Working side by side with the growers, Schrijvershof is ready and willing to provide customers with quality products and creative solutions. We are convinced that there is still a world to win out there with regard to the use of new opportunities offered by ICT in the supply chain. Not only can we play our own role in the chain more efficiently, but we can also connect growers and customers with each other.

We believe that this is the supply chain of tomorrow – a partnership that revolves around common interest, the human scale and openness. That’s how we aim to work. And we won’t settle for less.

“ A supply chain

turns harvest into money

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The many faces of South Africa

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country in the picture

Few countries are as diverse as South Africa. In every way, it’s a land of beauty, surprises and contrasts, from its illustrious history to its varied and changing landscapes, and from its rich cultures and bustling cities to its astonishing and colourful flora and fauna.

South Africa is a land with many faces.

These many faces primarily are due to the different landscapes and their varying climates. South Africa has dry areas where the temperature can drop below freezing at night, while other parts of the country get quite a lot of rainfall and the mercury can rise to above 40 ºC. There are sandy beaches, arid grasslands, high plateaus (with 3450-metre Mount Mafadi as the country’s highest peak), fertile lowlands, green hills, savannah, tiny villages and huge cities. With 2800 km of coastline, the country has both windswept coastal areas and sweltering-hot hinterlands. This diversity of landscapes and climates has given rise to an equal diversity of plants and animals.

In South Africa there are about 20,000 different species of plants, comprising about 10% of the known species on Earth.

There are few places in the world with

Chapmans Peak Ryklaan, South Africa.

a greater diversity of plants than South Africa. The country even has 6,000 plant species not found anywhere else in the world. One prime example of the amazing nature in South Africa is the baobab, which occurs in only a few places in the world, among them South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

The Kruger Park is one of the world’s most famous wildlife reserves, and one of the many reserves in South Africa. With a total area of 20,000 square kilometres, the Kruger Park offers one gigantic sea of natural beauty. The park is famous for its diversity of animal species. The best known are the “Big Five”: the African elephant, the lion, the rhino, the Cape buffalo and the leopard. The term comes from big-game hunting, when these were the five most dangerous animals to hunt on foot. The Kruger Park is home to the

largest population of African elephants in the world. Besides the Big Five, other species found in the Kruger Park are the giraffe, hippopotamus, gnu and impala.

Despite the fact that South Africa is officially a “Third World” country, it is not poor. However, there are huge contrasts between rich and poor. The country has many mineral resources, such as gold and diamonds, as well as various other metals and minerals. And because of its diverse climates and fertile soils, there is a lot of agriculture in South Africa. In general, South Africa gets a lot of sun, but it’s not very dry, since there are heavy regular (though not frequent) rains. The agricultural sector, including the agroindustry, accounts for about 20 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

Moreover, the sector supplies virtually all of South Africa’s food.

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Over the years, the tourism sector in South Africa has grown into an extremely important economic factor, and not just because of the wildlife reserves. Cape Town, for example, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, according to many world travellers. This imposing city is splendidly situated between Table Bay and Table Mountain. Curving along the most southerly point of South Africa is the “Chapmans Peak Ryklaan”, a scenic toll road that offers jagged rock formations and fantastic views, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean. And the region around Stellenbosch is also a worthy holiday destination.

Its world-famous wine country has chateaus with fairy-tale names like

“Allesverloren” and “Altydgedacht” (“lost it all” and “always thought so”).

And this is only a modest selection all the wonderful things to see and do in South Africa.

“ The Kruger Park is

home to the largest population of African elephants in the world The Kruger Park is home to the largest population of African elephants in the world.

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“ This country has around 6,000 plants

native only to South Africa

The South African baobab tree.

The Kruger Park is one of the world’s most famous wildlife reserves. The climate is warm, but it’s not very dry: ideal conditions for abundant flora.

South Africa has some world-famous wine regions and vineyards.

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No such thing as waste “ Fruitleather is a

natural, animalfriendly leather substitute

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fruit leather rotterdam

It’s a Saturday afternoon in the spring of 2015. Hugo de Boon and Koen Meerkerk, two students at the Willem de Kooning Art Academy, are doing their shopping at Rotterdam’s Blaak market hall.

Their eyes are drawn to the dozens of boxes and crates of discarded fruit piled up behind the market stalls. Apples with bad spots, brown bananas, mouldy kiwis and squashed oranges and mandarins, all of it just waiting to be thrown away.

There had to be another way …

Over 40% of all the fruit harvested worldwide never reaches consumers, because it’s thrown away before it even leaves the farm. The majority of it goes straight into the bin immediately after harvest, because it’s not attractive enough to sell on the market. During transport more of it goes bad, and then the middleman and the retailer throw out a few more that don’t look nice enough to display. Of course this is a waste, and of course there ought to be a way for this fruit to be used as a raw material, instead of being rejected and thrown away. But how?

Hugo and Koen went looking for an answer to this question. Initially it was an art project for school, where they had been assigned to come up with a useful product that met the requirements of the circular economy. The question prompted Hugo and Koen to think up a way to use fruit pulp as a basis for a natural and animal-friendly leather substitute.

Although the idea’s potential became clear during their study at the academy, the two weren’t able to actually perfect it into a finished product. They decided instead to form their own company, which would keep developing their product Fruitleather, once they finished school.

Their company now has its office in 'Blue City', an experimental lab for startups in Rotterdam that explores new opportunities in the circular economy.

Along with other young entrepreneurs, Hugo and Koen are looking for technologies and ways to optimise their product. They’re now at the stage where they can produce a material from mango and other fruit pulp that’s almost as strong as leather, and what’s more, looks just as stylish. The material is sturdy, can be stitched and is 100% organic. It’s already being used to make products like handbags, lampshades and seat covers.

Since the material isn’t yet completely waterproof, it’s not suitable for clothing or shoes, but they’re working hard on developing the technology they’re using.

The two aim to develop their product into something that can completely replace leather. That would serve two worthy goals: not only could discarded fruit be used as a raw material, but it would also provide an alternative to leather, which is clearly unfriendly to animals.

Hugo and Koen’s plan fits in perfectly with the idea that it must be possible not to produce waste, and instead to use all leftover materials to make other products. In any case, these two tenacious young men from Rotterdam are certain that Fruitleather has a promising future. At least they have no lack of raw materials.

If you’d like to find out more about this initiative, go to www.fruitleather.nl

Hugo de Boon (left) and Koen Meerkerk at work in their studio in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

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Explore our world

The Netherlands

Morocco

Mexico Guatemala

Colombia

Peru

Brazil

Citrus Grapes Mango Avocado

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Chile

Argentina

OUR BRANDS

South Africa, citrus

Peru: citrus, mango, avocado Colombia: avocado

South Africa, citrus

South Africa, grapes

South Africa, grapes

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South Africa, citrus, grapes

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South Africa, avocado

China

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South Africa

Go to www.schrijvershof.nl for our stock and daily fresh offers.

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Our experts

I. Piet Hoek I see expertise as my best quality.

I literally grew up surrounded by fruit.

That’s given me a lot of knowledge and experience, and that’s expressed in the work I do for my associates.

2. Willem Schrijvershof At Schrijvershof everyone has the same goal: we want to provide both our growers and our buyers peace of mind. You want to take the worry out of your relationships. If you succeed in that … I think there’s no better service you can give.

3. André Gielen Fruit is simply the best product there is. It’s a living thing, it’s authentic, it’s healthy, it brings continents together … I wouldn’t want to work in any other business.

4. Hans Blaak Actually, I don’t see myself as a salesman at all. I’m more of a relationship manager. I want to know exactly what my customers need, and do my best to give them that.

5. Maarten Schrijvershof We stand for quality, and we’re passionate about our work. I like working with growers who think the same way. That has to be the basis for working together.

6. Ad Toet I don’t work with only the interests of the grower versus those of the buyer.

I see it as my role to connect these interests to each other. Because ultimately, you get the farthest by being transparent.

7. Henk Schrijvershof Our commercial team will go to the ends of the earth to serve our customers. It’s my job to ensure that the logistics all run smoothly.

And I do. All the time!

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Nuestros expertos

I. Piet Hoek Para mí, mi principal cualidad es mi pericia. Me he criado literalmente entre la fruta. Gracias a ello tengo mucho conocimiento y experiencia, que ahora puedo aprovechar al máximo en el trabajo que hago para mis relaciones.

2. Willem Schrijvershof En Schrijvershof todos perseguimos el mismo objetivo: queremos que tanto nuestros productores como nuestros clientes se queden tranquilos. Quiero solucionar las preocupaciones de mis relaciones. Y si lo consigues… creo que es el mejor servicio que puedes ofrecer.

3. André Gielen La fruta es el producto más bonito que hay. Es un producto vivo, justo y sano, que conecta a diferentes continentes... no querría cambiar este sector por ningún otro.

4. Hans Blaak La verdad que no me considero a mí mismo un empleado de ventas. Me veo más bien como un gerente de relaciones. Quiero saber exactamente lo que necesitan mis clientes y dirigir toda mi energía a conseguirlo.

5. Maarten Schrijvershof Somos sinónimo de calidad y sentimos pasión por nuestra profesión. Me gusta trabajar con productores que comparten esta filosofía. Esa tiene que ser la base de la colaboración.

6. Ad Toet No solo sirvo a los intereses del productor o a los intereses del cliente.

Mi papel, como lo veo yo, es vincular esos intereses. Porque a fin de cuentas, la transparencia lleva más lejos.

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7. Henk Schrijvershof Nuestro equipo lo da todo en lo que se refiere al servicio que ofrecemos a nuestros clientes. Mi tarea consiste en asegurar que la logística se adapte a este servicio. Y lo consigo. ¡Siempre!

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