In 1916, the Netherlands introduced summer time, Albert Einstein presented his theory of relativity, and men in the British army were no longer required to have a moustache. And that isn’t all: trade company G. Sevenhuysen VOF was founded. This year, the company will celebrate its centenary and being issued the prestigious Royal Warrant. “We have always stuck to the basics,” says Teun Paarlberg.
In the very north of North Holland, in Warmen huizen, Pieter Sevenhuysen started trading cabbage in 1916. The wealthy gentleman farmer with his visionary mind named the company after after his son Gerrit, and was mostly active in the export of cabbages to Germany. One hundred years later, G. Sevenhuysen VOF still exports cabbage, but potatoes and onions have become the most important products by now. These, and other outdoor vegetables and garlic, are shipped all over the world.
The management, consisting of Niels and Jan van der Ben and Teun Paarlberg.
Teun Paarlberg joined the company in 1989, and he has been in charge with Jan van der Ben since 1996. Four years ago, Niels van der Ben also joined the management. Although the company is actually not one for attention and making a fuss, they do want to commemorate the centenary. How do you keep going for one hundred years? “Do you know what,” Teun starts. “We always stuck to the basics. That can even help you through the difficult times.” Because, despite that sober, positive attitude of the entrepreneurs, things did not always go well during those one hundred years. “I remember we had some tough times in the 1990s. We lucked out with some customers who didn’t pay. But we always looked after the cents, and we don’t do anything strange. We managed to pay everyone on time even then, and no one ever noticed.”
Changing world
In those one hundred years, the world in which the company operates has completely changed. “A hundred years ago, we were an exporter, because we sent cabbage to Germany and Belgium. Now, that would almost be considered a domestic market, as a wholesaler’s job,” Teun explains. “The arrival of containers made the entire world accessible. While we used to ship conventionally, we have now switched to cooled containers. And while we used to work with every kind of container, from conair and ventilated to open-side, we now only work with reefers.”
The most important markets for Sevenhuysen are now global, although Europe is naturally not forgotten either. Does Teun have any other countries on his wish list? “We have to fight hard enough to keep these markets every year. The market is becoming more and more competitive, because of other countries. It is still the case that we remain a bulk exporter with the Netherlands, with all due respect. Other countries might have nicer products on the market. Because of the climate, but also because of the possibilities of manually harvesting at competitive prices. The strength of the Netherlands is its logistics. We can switch very quickly: order today, ship tomorrow. With that, we remain in a leading position.”
Jan Sevenhuysen with a photograph of his great-grandfather, founder Pieter Sevenhuysen.
Digitisation
Another important change was the arrival of the internet. “The world is much faster now, as is trade, because people are better accessible. While we used to call and fax people, now we send text messages and e-mails.” It also means trade continues 24/7, and that traders have to be available 24/7. “People are always saying that, but I disagree. It’s your own responsibility. In principle, we don’t bring our business e-mail home with us. Of course, we are always available for emergencies, but if you contacs us after six, we’ll reply the following morning,” Teun says. “If we wanted to, we could work 24/7, but you also have to be happy with what you have.” That wisdom came to him with the years. “In the past, I was at the office on Saturday mornings. But when my son started playing football, I stopped doing that. If you can’t earn it in eight hours a day, you should be doing something different.”
Future of the desk-exporter
Despite more players arriving on the market in recent years, Teun also believes in the future of desk exporters, and in that of Sevenhuysen in particular. “Absolutely, I know that many self-packing exporters think differently, but there definitely is a big part for desk-exporters. In general, we are more flexible, do more products and we are able to buy more accurately. If the market is in a slump, self-packing exporters are left with the product. We don’t have to take that loss, we can wait until things pick up again.” They do not like the sound of own cultivation. “We have close cooperations with packing stations and growers. No contracts, but good agreements.”
During the celebration of the centenary, Sevenhuysen was granted the Royal Warrant. To be granted the Royal honour, the company should not just be 100 years old, it should also have a good reputation in the region. They are proud of that at Sevenhuysen, because for years, they have personally seen that there is more to the market than just price. “A large part of it is relationships and possibilities.” And those relationships are the cause that Teun does not think the work has changed all that much, in all those years. “Customer contact might’ve become a bit more professional, generally speaking. But we have very good relationships with our customers, which go much deeper than strictly professional. That is in the core of the business.