Last weekend, the Global Green Team celebrated its tenth anniversary. Commercial director Sebastiaan Hogervorst shares the plans for this Dutch company specializing in distant destination exports. "We'll increasingly participate in our existing sales countries' local cultivation projects."
Celebrating ten years.
"We've become big thanks to Harvest House cooperative's growers' fruit vegetables, and we've added many other fresh products. We can mix these well with different products on pallets, but we also supply full pallets with a single product type. We, thus, now supply a complete fruit and vegetable range," says Sebastiaan, who took over as Global Green Team's commercial director in March last year.
Market conditions
"So I've only been around for a small part of the last decade. However, figures show we've grown substantially from the start. The pandemic hit exports to far-off destinations hard, but fortunately, since last year, we've regained much growth. This year we're again expanding so fast we can barely keep up. Market conditions obviously play a role. In particular, air freight rates and the current dollar exchange rate have rejuvenated exports to North America."
Still, I wouldn't be remiss if I attributed that growth solely to market conditions. Thanks to our team, we already started expanding last year when market conditions were far tougher. And we've surely grown as a team too and, thanks to better cooperation, everyone's using their strengths more. I'm very proud of the team and have great confidence in the next ten years," Sebastiaan continues.
"North America, and the Middle and the Far East are our top markets, and there have been developments within those. For example, the share we supply to retailers in the Middle East has increased significantly. Sales to North America aren't yet where they used to be, but they've recovered from the pandemic dip. That's contrary to the Far East, which hasn't really recovered yet."
This winter, there will be considerably fewer Dutch fruit vegetables because of less lit cultivation. That's challenging. We can, of course, buy more produce from Spain, but that supply will also shrink. That reduces your competitive edge compared to having local cultivation," explains Sebastiaan.
Growing demand for high-tech horticulture
A new development is that Global Green Team is focusing more and more on locally high-tech greenhouse cultivation in its existing sales regions. "High-tech greenhouses' biggest growth markets are in North America and Asia, which are working on their self-sufficiency. Also, logistical challenges make it increasingly attractive to produce locally."
"The cooperative has growers with international ambitions. That's very interesting because we can offer local partners a complete cultivation support and sales package. We have projects in initial phases in both the Middle East and America with tomato and strawberry cultivation. Next year we'll be marketing the first of these crops on the local market," the commercial director continues.
Sebastiaan
Sebastiaan is not afraid to try new things. "The danger lies in not participating because local cultivation keeps expanding regardless. Countries like Canada and Mexico are also becoming more competitive in the U.S. market, while in the Middle East, local cultivation, in particular, is on the rise."
"When you take part in such cultivation projects, you can make chain agreements with your end customer. That fits perfectly with Global Green Team's mission: to provide the best products year-round, sourced from the best growing areas and at the best price," concludes Sebastiaan.
For more information:
Sebastian Hogervorst
Global Green Team
Tel: +31 (0) 174 519 103
Mob: +31 (0) 610 105 767
Email: s.hogervorst@globalgreenteam.nl
Website: www.globalgreenteam.nl