According to its website, Ardo, a family owned company, began its activities in the world of vegetables in the 1950s, growing and trading vegetables at the family farm near the village of Ardooie in Belgium. The village gave the new company its name, and the farm provided the site for Ardo’s first vegetable freezing factory, built in 1977. Now, Ardo keeps 14 production units in operation, in 8 European countries. It ships to over 50 countries.
The company is managed by the Haspeslagh family. Bernard Haspeslagh, Chief Operations Officer, has seen two major developments in recent years. The first is the advance of sustainable development, the second is the formation of unions.
About sustainability Haspeslagh says: “This has become increasingly important with us. It’s about production, waste disposal, water, energy consumption, all those things. Even matters like cooperation and logistics fall into this category. We produce 67 varieties of vegetables, and each of them has a unique story or issue. Then you have things like the climates in different countries, the regulations, local customs and so on. That’s why it’s important to stay in touch with the growers, to have direct communication.”
A small part (3%) of the assortment is now organic. “We were a little sceptic about this initially, but now this business has matured. We mean to increase the percentage a little each year.”
Haspeslagh’s second observation, about unions, is also a positive one. “In the past, every grower had his own problems, his own way of doing things. When growers started joining forces, you saw the formation of unions. These really provided the framework for how we operate today, they optimised the business. That’s why sustainable development is such a success: everybody is talking.”
In the frozen food sector, competition is stiff. “We’re in a relative lull at the moment. But people seem to prefer fresh food these days, so you never know what the future will bring. Our advantage, of course, is the durability, the shelf life. Furthermore, we are close to our buyers. We can anticipate demands.”
For more information visit: www.ardo.com