Within the entire scope of agriculture, the fresh herbs segment remains, to this day, the most delicate, sensitive and elusive of all. As opposed to other varieties of fruits & vegetables that are resilient, in nature, to weather fluctuations and can, when and if needed, cope with improper handling. Fresh herbs are still sensitive and react negatively, to say the least, to any minor instability or inadequate handling.
For that reason and that reason only, the trading of fresh herbs demands, necessitates and requires the highest level of both expertise and natural resources. By natural resources, the meaning is climatic conditions and proper growing environments. "Instead of waiting idly for more suitable growing conditions, we have decided to take a more aggressive approach and create an infrastructure that would include consolidation of Herbs via direct supplies from farms scattered in 3 major continents." Stated by Raymond Van Der Burg of ERP.
It goes without saying that today's arena is, by far, more professional and demanding than ever before. Clients know exactly what they want? When they want it for? And how they want it packed? Not only that, they do not wish to hear any excuses nor accept any disappointments. To go even further, Raymond of ERP goes on by stating that this sort of attitude characterizes globalization better than anything else. On the one hand it provides incentives to better ourselves and become more competitive but, on the other hand, it creates extreme challenges and obstacles that demand swift solutions and / or alternatives. As the book of life dictates, if it appears to be a weakness then it will remain a weakness unless transformed into a strength.
Customization:
At the end of the day, the more the industry grows and expands, the more it will demand and necessitates customization to best suit its needs. Therefore, Raymond of ERP has come up with different lines that should and probably would fill in this gap.
"We have taken upon ourselves the implementation of distributing Basil dedicated for Pesto and dedicated for Pre-Packs. This Basil is unique in the sense that first and foremost, it has the colors, flavors and texture needed for these categories and, equally as important, price is, despite its unique attributes, lower than the standard basil." A claim made by Raymond.
For the pesto basil ERP uses leaves only whereby for the cut basil, it offers only stems of 15 to 19 cm to fit any flow-pack / clam-shell. These implementations mark the beginning of a so called customized marketing.
Consolidation:
To cope with this reality, ERP has invested heavily on its infrastructure in Africa, Europe and Israel. The end-goal is to provide top quality herbs 12 months a year with steady supplies.
Raymond of ERP continues by saying that to ensure the company's philosophy doesn’t become just another slogan, ERP has developed a procedural system that entails the following:
Forecast:
It is hard and at times risky to predict what the near future may bring but, there are some indications that help us speculate potential outcomes.
This year in particular appears to shuffle the cards and surprise even the most experienced amongst us. The changes in weather are dramatic and the reaction of each plant from whichever origin is different and yet understood.
We have seen early flowering early fungi developments and even mildew at times where mildew is not expected to pay a visit. Therefore, no one really knows where these weather changes will take us.
"There is only a singly certainty, if we consolidate, keep our eyes open and prepare then, despite the outcome, we shall overcome", claimed by Raymond.
Implementation:
"This is where we come into play". Raymond of ERP stretches that direct sourcing from the so called golden triangle allows controlled quality, sustainability and unprecedented service that covers the entire range of fresh herbs.
"Our brand, 5 Senses, represents a product that undergoes strict QC standards and does not, like others, embodies one country over another. For us, the benchmark is McDonalds, we aim at uniformity, sustainability and steady supply."
For more information:
Menno Reijgersberg
Europe Retail Packing B.V.
Tel: +31 174 282 511
Email: Menno@europeretailpacking.nl
www.europeretailpacking.nl