After more than 20 years at the forefront of the fresh produce and packaging industry, Bart Triemstra took the plunge two and a half years ago to start his own company. Two months ago, Tri-Pack established its own office at the Honderdland business park in Maasdijk.
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"At the start of Tri-Pack, I thought I would mainly be offering consultancy, reviewing packaging at fresh produce companies, and exploring whether sustainable alternatives were available. I still do that, but the trade in packaging materials has become a much larger part of the business. It turned out there was strong demand," Bart says.
"My advantage is that my years of experience in the fresh produce and packaging world have given me broad expertise. I also offer an independent perspective on what truly adds value to business processes, and I notice that companies especially appreciate personal attention. When you call Tri-Pack, you get me directly, and we can respond quickly. Thanks to my own inventory, I can work flexibly, so customers get the best of both worlds: honest advice and fast service!"
Tri-Pack's core business involves supplying net packaging, including related products such as clip wire, winding ribbon, and wine glass labels. "I can supply these especially to companies that pack citrus, avocados, and onions. For example, I supply the net packaging for onion sets to Top Onions in 's-Gravenpolder," Bart explains.
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"I work with a factory in Spain that is the largest cellulose net producer in Europe. They are very innovative in developing solutions and, importantly, they work in a way that suits me, fast, flexible, and solution-oriented," Bart says. "For example, we've developed innovative alternatives that replace extruded nets with knitted nets. This sometimes leads to a material reduction of up to 50%. Moreover, this net can also be produced as a compostable cellulose version. With the European PPWR packaging law in mind, this is a highly relevant development."
"In this way, I help companies prepare for a sustainable future. The new EU legislation has real implications for businesses. Some companies are already very proactive, while others still take it a bit lightly, in my opinion. There's a lot of talk about recycling, but the real question is how much gets recycled instead of incinerated. Companies are now being forced to confront that reality."
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For a major pepper packer, he collaborated with the factory to solve the issue of pepper flakes getting stuck in the mesh. "We solved it by using a finer mesh. This was already a proven solution for shallots and ginger but hadn't been used for peppers yet. I find it incredibly satisfying to help a fresh produce packer solve a problem so concretely. You can always look at price and weight per net, but if production speeds up significantly, the benefit is much greater."
When asked where he sees Tri-Pack in five years, Bart replies, "At the start, I said I wanted to have five staff members by then, but that's not a goal in itself. For now, I want to grow the business, add new products and partners, and maintain the flexibility to seize new opportunities. For example, I bought a machine to punch paper bags for grapes and tomatoes into the shape the customer wanted. This gives me much more flexibility compared to Far Eastern production and also allows us to produce in a socially responsible way. These are exactly the kinds of things that make my packaging heart beat faster!"
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For more information:
Bart Triemstra
Tri-Pack
Honderdland 157
2676 LT, Maasdijk
Mob: 06 488 655 35
[email protected]
www.tri-pack.nl
