Fresh Connection handles 10,000 containers per year

The office in Stabroek

Connection and Warehousing
"When I started up the company, I was purely a shipping agent," says Wouter. "I took care of the testing, declarations and supplied containers from 'door to door'. 2005 was the year that the Netherlands couldn't export to Russia, and began doing it through Belgium. There was a lot of demand from the Netherlands at that time and we still serve many of these customers. Over the course of the years we have grown step by step. For Fresh Connection the main business is still shipping, but with Fresh Warehousing we supply a complete logistics service, including quality control and storage and overhaul." Fresh Connection has another two locations: in Stabroek and in Meer. "We also had a location in the Netherlands for a number of years, but we moved away from it last August. We wanted to focus completely on the activities in Belgium."

Everything has to be faster
Fresh Warehousing is AEO, BRC and BIO certified and Fresh Connection has a AEO certification. "At the start there wasn't that much demand for it but nowadays it's more commonly a necessity for the customer," explains Wouter. "The client has more demands in general: it all has to be faster. Of course, this is extra important in fruits and vegetables. Speed can make the difference. We can reload the banana that arrive in two hours. Even big parties. The run through time is short. 50-60% of what comes in every day, leaves the same day."

More price competition
According to Wouter defining yourself is increasingly becoming more difficult than it used to be. "The margins are smaller and there is more focus on price rather than service, whilst the costs are higher. Before the crisis in 2008 no one thought it was a problem that the prices increased year by year. Now there is more bother and it is becoming more of a challenge to convince customers. But you can make the difference through optimisation." He has an awarding vision in the area of competition: "We shouldn't compete in order to knock each other down. It's not the right attitude. If you give in every once in a while, there will be a better atmosphere in the market."

Despite the price pressure in the market Wouter notices that the clients remain loyal. "We have added various customers in recent years, but the 'old' continue to appreciate our activities. We are also seeing a nice annual growth in the volume within the current customer base." Fresh Connection supplies the containers to various places in Europe. 



Optimising
At Fresh Warehousing in Meer, bananas are trade, among other things. "We want to invest in our buildings at this location by optimising a number of things. This way we can trade a larger volume in the future. We are also investing in knowledge and courses for our staff."

Wouter looks towards the future positively. "The fruit and vegetable sector is a challenging branch. Every day is different. You have to make sure you do business quickly and well. if there is a problem there has to be a solution in no-time. That's the great thing about this branch." Besides fruit and vegetable, Fresh Connection also trades in frozen fruits and vegetables, meat and fish. "There is certain growth in the frozen sector, but the fresh fruit and vegetable import will also stand tall. People continue to eat oranges and bananas all year round. They're used to it."

For more information:
Wouter de Koning
Fresh Connection Bvba
Port of Antwerp
Abtsdreef 10 - 135
2940 Stabroek - Belgium
Tel. + 32 (0)3 575 58 00
Fax.+ 32 (0)3 575 58 10
wouter@freshconnection.be
www.freshconnection.be