Fruit and vegetable wholesaler Wim Tanghe who is located in Blankenberge, specialises in supplying a complete range of potatoes, vegetables, and fruit to the catering industry, commercial kitchens, and food stores. Wim has been active for years, together with his wife Ann, but he has officially become the owner of the business in the last five years. "We are the third generation of Tanghe. When my grandparents started in wholesale, our clients consisted mainly of greengrocers, but as the years went by, these stores disappeared. There are more and more supermarkets nowadays," says Wim.
Freshness and quality
"Our main focus is on supplying fresh products of the highest quality. In light of the ever increasing demands of our customers, we really need to go with that. We sell our products in various locations, and we also have our 'own' growers. The main reason we started working in that way, is that the auctions introduced block sales. We find it important to know who our growers are." Tanghe has a wide range of products, including many brand names. "Some examples of quality brands are La Fleur Magique and Tomabel. You know you are selling quality and superior flavours to customers with products from these brands. Our clients appreciate that we sell special and prime products. For example, we are strong in supplying the best peeled asparagus during the season. It is great to be working with top Belgian products.Bond of trust
Another pillar that is important to us, is maintaining a good relationship with our customers. Through the years, we have established a bond of trust. We also anticipate on demand, and we can be reached every day. It is important for the catering industry to be prepared for certain weather conditions which change from day to day. In addition, there is an enormous difference between demand in summer and in winter. We supply the coastal triangle of Bredene, Knokke, and Bruges. Our products are transported with our own delivery vans. In the last few years the trend has shown that the catering industry is using more and more sliced vegetables and fruit. They often cut down on staff, so then they spend more on pre-cut products. When the weather is nice, the sangria sells like crazy on the beaches and they need a lot of fruit salad for that."
"Our location in Blankenberge is excellent," according to the owner. "We are in town and that has its pros and cons. We have noticed for some time now, however, that it is actually too small for things to continue to run smoothly. That is why we are looking for a new company premises at the moment. We expect to find it close by, but this time just outside of town."
Below are some pictures from one of Tanghe's
main customers: Food specialist 'Grappe de Raisins' in Knokke
For more information:
Wim en Ann Tanghe
Groothandel Wim Tanghe
Evendijk-West 42
8370 Blankenberge - België
tel 0032 50/41.45.59
fax 0032 50/41.50.09
Wim: 0032 496/52.58.58
Ann: 0032 496/52.61.61
www.wimtanghe.be
[email protected]