On 1 July, Ridderkerk, the Netherlands, gained a fruit and vegetable exporting company - Gaast BV. Sergey Geraskin founded it. He's been working in the Dutch fruit and vegetable trading sector for 20 years already. With his own business, he's now focusing on exports to Eastern Europe. His son, Anton, has joined him in this venture.
"I've worked for Niels Stolk companies since 1999. I've always focused solely on exports to Eastern European countries. I know companies in Moldovia, Ukraine, and Belarus like the back of my hand. I've been doing business with some of them for 20 years. I also have Russian clients, but that's only for overseas products. And then, also only with the correct documentation. They do, however, have to be cut from the same cloth - they must do what they promise," says Sergey.
"We specialize in sending mixed loads. Sometimes there are between 80 and 150 different products in one truck. We buy 95% of our goods from Dutch companies." The exporter wants to thank several suppliers. They supported him in the first weeks. They supplied products to Sergey, despite him not having credit insurance yet. "Places like Nature's Pride, Versland Selection, and FruitMasters supported me wholeheartedly, from day one. That's based on our longstanding relationship."
"On 6 July, we really got started. In the first three weeks, we did good business. Last week was a little quieter. But this week, trading's picked up again. I think business will increase again once it gets a little cooler. That led to a turnover of €400,000 for our first month. That's what we expected. That's a good thing - we're ambitious," says Sergey.
Finally, the question of how the exporter decided on the name Gaast for his company. It has no reference to a former Frisian fishing village. "My surname is Geraskin and my daughter's Anita. My son's named Anton, and I'm called Sergey. Then, my wife's name is Tatjana. We're self-employed, so it shows we're a true family business."
For more information:
Sergey Geraskin
GAAST BV
35 Handelsweg
2988 DB, Ridderkerk, NL
Tel: + 31 (0) 180 447 220
Mob: +31 (0) 655 138 744
Email: info@gaastbv.nl