Mitchell van der Geugten started working at Jami Trading in 2017. He has a background in retail. This Dutch company specializes in importing Kenyan haricot verts, peas, and fine beans. "It was not the easiest year to start. The long rainy season in Kenya that year made for a very bad situation until March/April. However, it was a very educational year", the importer says in hindsight.
The supply of these Kenyan vegetables is going a lot smoother this year. "We have a logistical partner in Kenya who is keeping abreast of the shipments. We have the entire chain - from the fields to the airplanes - under control. We make contact with each other several times a day. If the quality is not good, the vegetables are not loaded on the plane", explains Mitchell.
Last year, he also imported Kenyan avocado and passion fruit. This year, however, he decided to focus mainly on sugar snaps, peas, and haricot beans. "There is enormous competition with the other products. We also have 100% control over the quality of these vegetables", he continues.
Jami Trading is based at Schiphol in the Netherlands. They deliver these Kenyan vegetables on the principle of 'fresh to door delivery'. This means the clients get them fresh from the warehouse. "We are becoming more well-known. We are getting an increasing number of clients from within the Netherlands. We also supply a few Belgian wholesalers", he says.
With the festive season coming up, the importer is in for a good time. "Toward Christmas, our trade increases three to four times. So, it is going to become very busy. We try to already get a rough indication from our clients of what they will be ordering. At Christmas, we also have mini pineapples from Mauritius in our assortment. These sell exceptionally well during the festive season", he concludes.
For more information:
Mitchell van der Geugten
Jami Trading
Tel: +31 (0) 655 101 683
Mitch@jami-trading.com