The Greenery expands with two joint ventures
operations with two compatriot groups, giving it a greater share of
the European organic sector and strengthening the market position
of its farmer suppliers.
The Greenery, Dutch fruit and vegetable supplier, has signed agreements with two of its domestic counterparts which it claims will help expand both its product offering and its geographical spread.
The first agreement is with Fruitmasters, and will see the two companies combine their respective fruit ranges, including hard, soft and stone fruit. The merger will help strengthen the market position of both companies' supplier farmers.
The 50-50 joint venture will be called Fruit-NL and will be headed by Rian Verwoert, director general of Fruitmasters. Responsibility for the day-to-day management of the company will fall to André van Tuil, who has a proven track record with various trading companies in the fruit sector.
The primary objective of Fruit-NL will be the optimisation of turnover in the fruit sector. The first stage of the company's development will involve the introduction of a single auction timetable for fruit, the co-ordination of the two firms' various marketing strategies and improving logistics.
The second agreement focuses on the organic fruit and vegetable sector, with The Greenery joining forces with Naturelle, a subsidiary of Dutch potato group Jansen-Dongen.
Over the past few years, Naturelle has become a major player in the Benelux organic market, while The Greenery has until now, mainly focused its organic activities on the British market.
The combination of both companies' expertise, backed by The Greenery's extensive logistical network, should lead to a strong position in the organic area, the two firms said. The joint organic activities will operate from Barendrecht in the Netherlands.
The Greenery is one of the leading European fruit and vegetable suppliers, with a turnover of nearly €2 billion and operations in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy and the UK.
