“It all started with two flowpack machines, a mango line and a weighing machine,” Harry van der Hout of Trofi Pack reminisces. He’s talking about October 2016. Almost three years later, Trofi Pack started renting their neighbour’s building on Westerlee, and a new building of 40,000 square metres is being constructed in Den Hoorn, the Netherlands, on the A4 motorway in cooperation with Van der Helm.
Harry van der Hout
“I absolutely didn’t expect things would go this quickly. In fact, we were supposed to take things slow,” Harry says. “But my experience in the exotics business combined with Trofi’s expertise on the grape market turned out to be an excellent combination. Besides, the exotics category’s showing a rising line, and we’re growing along with our customers. In the past, summers were a lot calmer for exotics, but those days are truly in the past.”
The current location
Regarding those customers, Harry mostly means a discounter, for whom they mostly take care of the exotic range for a large part of the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland. “My vision is that it’s better to have three major customers than 50 small ones. People sometimes look at me strangely for that, but that’s my conviction. When you have 50 customers, 48 of them will always think you’re not paying them enough attention. I mean truly serving your customers from A to Z, from sea cargo, transport and clearing, packing and order picking. Thanks to our cooperation with Van der Helm, we have our own customs clearance. Our range of services is becoming increasingly more extensive as a result.”
In the new building, which will be ready on 1 November, Trofi Pack will have 16,000 square metres at their disposal, with 3,000 pallet places in cold store, and ripening chambers with a capacity of 500 pallets. “As yet, we’re only packing for Trofi, but we’re launching a new company, Europe Retail Packing, in the new building, separately from Trofi Pack, and we’ll pack for third parties with this new company,” Harry says. Late March 2020, the packing company should be settled in the new building. He doesn’t consider the fact that the new building isn’t located in a trade centre as a disadvantage. “We barely buy additional product. That’s why I see more advantages than disadvantages. Logistically, we’ll be at a perfect location, close to the port and not far from Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht.”
Impression of the new building
The assortment of exotics packed by Trofi Pack primarily consists of mangoes, avocados, physalis, passionfruit, limes and pomegranates. In the winter months, the grapes are supplied from Brazil, Namibia, South Africa and Egypt, in that order, and stored in a building in Honderdland in Maasdijk. To meet the demands of supermarkets for a reduction in plastic, the company invested in flowpacks without punnets. “We’ll continue to invest in that. We’re working on buying three top-seal machines, for example. However, I don’t think it’s feasible to go completely plastic-free. If everything has to be packed in cardboard, there won’t be any forest left in five years.”
Limes in flowpack without punnet
Trofi Pack permanently employs 40 people, and they also employ between 40 and 70 temporary workers. “I see it as one of the biggest challenges to attract and retain good workers. That’s not done just by giving a 100-euro raise. That’s why we try to do that more with little extras, such as a gym at the office where staff can work out. Our workers can also use a personal trainer,” Harry explains. He doesn’t believe robots will be an alternative for packing exotics. “That might be the case for certain fresh produce products, but not for exotics. Consumers pay slightly higher prices for exotic fruit, so they’re expecting quality. That requires attention, and that can’t be automated.”
The company’s gym
Football fans will see Trofi Pack more often in the coming season, because the left leg of the match kits of Sparta will feature a logo of Trofi Pack from now on. “We already had our own box with four other companies, and last year I was positive Sparta would be promoted to the premier league, where they belong. I renewed our contract in time, and I’m very happy with that now,” explains Harry, who, in conclusion, says he’s very proud of the development of Trofi Pack. “We’re very thankful for that as well with our workers, our customers and our relations. Fortunately, we’ll also have the option to continue growing in the coming years in the new building. As I always says: We’ll do the impossible right away, but miracles take a little longer!”
For more information:
Harry van der Hout
Trofi Pack
Jogchem van der Houtweg 9
2678 AG De Lier
Tel: +31 174 26 61 00
h.vdhout@trofipack.nl
www.trofipack.nl