"Wholesale business and cutting kitchen combination ideal"

Eussifruit made a comeback in Kerkrade in April 2013 as a fruit and vegetable wholesaler. The new location suits manager Xavier Meijers and their own new cutting kitchen is also going well. "The cutting kitchen has really been set up as a service to customers, but it is now attracting new customers. We cut up fruits and vegetables according to the customers' wishes. I understand that the combination of a wholesale business with a cutting kitchen is rare, but I wouldn't want it any differently."

Xavier and Chantal Meijers

Eussifruit foresees a wide customer base in a radius of 150 kilometres around Kerkrade. "We are distributed across the market and supply specialities, market workers, traiteurs, franchise supermarkets, festivals, amusement parks, but also old folk's homes and companies. Recently, we have added a lot of Chinese restaurants from Belgium and Brabant to our customers base, and due to our cutting kitchen we now also foresee a lot of catering. Basically, we never say no. You can't permit that as an up and coming company, based on spreading risk," says Xavier. "Recently we foresaw the campings around the Pinkpop festival of fruit and vegetables. 60,000 people come to this and it great if you're able to supply the oranges, salads and watermelons to this event."

Since the move from Heerlen to Kerkrade the German clientèle has increased greatly. "More and more German market traders come to pick up their fruit and vegetables here. That wasn't the case in Heerlen," says Xavier. Eussifruit gets the product straight from growers, but also buys from auctions and trading estates and imports himself from France, Spain, Italy and Germany. As of recently the wholesaler has connected to AGF-Parteners. "It has its advantages in the areas of purchasing and you can also talk about certain problems with trusted colleagues."

On average around five people are active in the Eussifruit cutting kitchen. "We supply a complete package of fruit and vegetables, including cut fruit and vegetables. Of course, we're competing with the wholesale companies, but we are more flexible. We define ourselves with quality, reasonable prices and we listen to the demands of the customers and not the suppliers. We look towards the future with faith. The catering is reviving. We started out in economically difficult times, so we can only do better."

For more information:
Xavier Meijers
Eussifruit
Spekhofstraat 6-8
6466 LZ Kerkrade
Tel: 045-5234261
Fax: 045-5234371
info@eussifruit.eu
www.eussifruit.eu