Wim Isings proves that you're never too old to make a career switch. Wim - now 82 - still works with visible pleasure and passion for his company Explotaciones Fincas Iberia, which he set up two decades ago near the Spanish town Alicante. Under the Associated Growers Iberia initiative the business facilitates the export of fresh fruit and vegetables to various European countries, including countless leafy vegetables. "There is a lot of demand for endives in Belgium. They can't get enough of the coarse Frisée in particular."
Method of work
"When the company had just started it mainly organised the sales of fruit and vegetables for customers abroad. We acted like a commission agent. Our earning model was set so that we received a certain percentage per transaction. The growers in turn were ensured of a set government minimum price for their products. There is tight control of this in Spain. Now our focus has shifted to a overwhelmingly grower focused approach. Under the initiative 'Associated Growers Iberia' the company closely collaborates with 16 growers from Murcia, which collectively take care of around 600 hectares of cultivation ground. This group is expected to grow in time," starts Wim.
Frisée popular among Belgians
Explotaciones Fincas Iberia exports various leafy vegetables to European countries. All lettuces varieties grown in Spain are part of the assortment: iceberg lettuce, lettuce, Trocadero lettuce, oak leaf, Lollo Bionda, Lollo Rosso, Batavia. Endives, such as Frisée are also offered. "The lion's share of the export now goes to the United Kingdom, the Benelux and Denmark."
"Endives and the coarse Frisée in particular do very well in Belgium. There is a lot of demand for this product from the processing industry - the cutting companies. The cost price is relatively low, the leaf is naturally quite strong and remains good for a long time. This makes it a desirable product among Belgians. Headed lettuce is also popular. In the Netherlands on the other hand iceberg lettuce is more popular. The Dutch want to be the first in a lot of things. They are often therefore looking for products that aren't yet as integrated in other sales markets. The prices for iceberg lettuce in the Netherlands are very low at the moment, that you can't really grow there."
Professional business
According to Wim the Spanish growers have caught up a lot in terms of business, which has greatly improved their competitive position on the international playing field. A healthy market development, he believes. "Over the course of the years the businesses of growers of leafy vegetables among others have become a lot more professional. A grower used to start with a piece of ground, grow a crop and hope that the price on the auction was profitable. In practice this often didn't make enough for many growers to live on. Thankfully, this is over."
"Now you can see that growers won't plant until they know their products are being bought. They sign contracts with traders or agencies for this, which ensures a minimum price for them, so that they never have to produce under the costing price. The growers are avoiding risks. The disadvantage is that, if the global market price is higher, their margins are proportionally smaller. Traders in turn spread risk by using as many cultivation locations as possible. In extreme weather conditions, such as hail damage or heavy rainfall, you can still fall back on other cultivation."
Geraniums
Many pensioners like to winter on the Iberian Peninsula, but sitting still isn't for Wim. He would prefer to stay as active as possible: "As long as I feel good I will continue to work for the company heart and soul. I no longer have the ambition to make it a global company but I still do it with pleasure. I am privileged to be allowed to do this. But my time to sit behind the geranium has not come yet," Wim laughs.
Geraniums
Many pensioners like to winter on the Iberian Peninsula, but sitting still isn't for Wim. He would prefer to stay as active as possible: "As long as I feel good I will continue to work for the company heart and soul. I no longer have the ambition to make it a global company but I still do it with pleasure. I am privileged to be allowed to do this. But my time to sit behind the geranium has not come yet," Wim laughs.
Wim (left) will travel with his colleague Pedro Rodriguez (right), grower and agricultural expert, to the Netherlands and Belgium to visit his buyers.
For more information:
Wim Isings
Explotaciones Fincas Iberia
Las Bayas Bajas Pol. 1 Nº 28
03292 Elche (Alicante), Spain
T: +34 9 6542 4241
E: info@agiberia.com
W: www.agiberia.com