"We distribute actually all brands the client wants to have," says Christophe Vandenbroeck who, together with Gregory Goemare, manages the company. They are the fifth generation in the family company and everything is done in cooperation with the older generation Ferdinand van Damme and Jean Paul Goemare.
The quantity of bananas has risen from 20 to 25,000 boxes a week to 65 to 70,000 a week. The most important brands are Chiquita and Fyffes. Other brands are Turbana, that makes part of Fyffes, Bonita and private label. The demand for private label bananas increases every year.
Also the Suriname Sweeties take a good share in the supply. And also the Fairtrade banana takes an ever bigger share in the supply. It increases every year with 15%, but no one supermarket on the European mainland only sells fair trade bananas, so there is still potential for considerable growth.
The competition in the branch grows too though and as such the volumes have to increase every year. Van Damme delivers besides in Belgium also in the Netherlands, France and Luxembourg and wants to grow in the international market.
The bananas are still packed in boxes. There have been trials with other boxes and cases, but the method has shown to be the ideal one.
For more information:
Christophe Vandenbroeck
Van Damme
[email protected]