Fifteen years ago, the fresh produce exporter from the Westland was sold to The Greenery. At the initiative of Anton Rutten, a reunion took place at tomato nursery CombiVliet in Maasdijk on Friday 17 February. That team spirit was still fresh was obvious from the number of former colleagues in attendance, about 80 people showed up, many of whom are still active in the fresh produce sector.
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Adri Minnaar. who left the fresh produce sector after selling his business, looked back on the Minnaar years in his welcoming speech. A number of anecdotes were told: the struggle to meet the boat to the UK every day, the first cars that went to the UK, the first cucumber sealing machines and speculating with sprouts, which did not go entirely well.
Adri Minnaar looks back
The then manager thanked his colleagues for their dedication. “Team work was the secret. From the office to the people in the warehouse, from the auction — at some point the entire Voskamp family was printing — to the administration. It was thanks to your dedication that we had a well-oiled machine! When I hear the stories, it was a good period for many of us, and we look back on that period with satisfaction. That makes me happy.”
“The period with Minnaar was truly unique,” Frank Mosterd, who works for Gilad Produce nowadays, looks back. “The staff was always number one. The lunch cart came round with fresh-made soups daily. We had a good mix of people, both experienced and young people, and the solidarity was unprecedented. We were strong in the export to the UK, Canada, the US, Russia, France, Africa and Spain. For many former colleagues, Minnaar was a very good school.”
Marcel van der Pluijm and Frank Mosterd look back on a fantastic time with Minnaar.
“In the end, everyone went to The Greenery when Minnaar was sold, but over the years, many people went on to other companies,” says Marcel van der Pluijm from Global Green Team. “But many former colleagues found each other again over the years. For example, the TNI - Rainbow - Global Green Team - Harvest House group employs various former Minnaar colleagues. But if Minnaar had still existed, we would still be working there!”