On 1 December, Europe Retail Packing (ERP) will celebrate its 25th anniversary. The company run by Dolf and Menno Reijgersberg began as a dedicated greenhouse vegetable packer at ABC Westland in Poeldijk, but has since grown into a full-service provider within the fresh produce chain with multiple locations. In this interview, Dolf and Menno look back and ahead. "We intend to continue operating as a family business," they say.
© Europe Retail Packing
Dolf and Menno Reijgersberg
It was in the run-up to the turn of the century when Dolf Reijgersberg, then managing operations at A. van Geest in Westerlee, took the leap into entrepreneurship. "I wanted to start for myself one more time. Several people were willing to invest in a Reijgersberg, so we started with two machines and six people in an 800 square metre shed," Dolf recalls.
Packing peppers and tomatoes and sealing cucumbers were the main activities, and demand was high in the early years. "We had a good year right away. For example, we did a lot of sticker work for America," Dolf says. After about eighteen months, his son Menno joined the company. He started as a machinist but soon made it clear to his father that he wanted to become a pilot. "Be my guest, I told him, and that is how we started running things together."
After gaining momentum in the early years, a turning point came in 2010. "That was when many grower associations were receiving GMO subsidies and started packing themselves. That battle could not be won. So we had nine or ten difficult years. Customers dropped off, and I was out of action for almost a year due to a heart attack. We then decided to reorganise and downsize from 10,000 m² to 4,000 m². That step was necessary, and from 2011 onward, we rebuilt the company into what it is today," says Dolf.
Dolf and Menno have jointly managed the company since 2010. "With two captains on one ship, tempers can flare, but it always works out, even though we still have healthy discussions," Menno laughs. Dolf adds, "You love each other, so you always find a way through."
Switch from greenhouse vegetables to overseas fruit
Father and son decided not to give up and gradually shifted from greenhouse vegetables to overseas fruit. "We packed a lot for Jaguar, but we were driving so much product from Barendrecht to Poeldijk that Kees Rijnhout suggested we use part of his shed for our packing activities. That is how the Barendrecht location started." Menno kept running the Poeldijk site, while Dolf took responsibility for the Barendrecht site and later the repacking station at the Port of Rotterdam.
A clear strategic shift followed in 2015 when Menno went to study at Wageningen University and wrote a strategic plan outlining where the company should be five years later. "That is when we radically changed our operations. In the early years, we still did a lot of our own trading in greenhouse vegetables, but we decided to phase that out completely, keeping only the herb trade as a separate business unit and focusing fully on services."
Menno's strategic plan also identified great potential in services around exotics. "We had been successful with packaging for 14 years, but by limiting ourselves to packing, we were too small a link in the chain. As you can see now, the companies that focused solely on packing are barely around anymore. We shifted towards ripening avocados and mangoes, with all associated services. Taking that step has proven to be the foundation of our success over the past ten years, although we have to admit that the Corona years also gave us a boost."
Dolf found a sideline in a Christmas hamper trading company he ran with the family. "Q4 was always our weakest quarter, and we filled it nicely with Christmas hampers. After three years, this 'hobby' was sold, but we continued the service and still pack around 100,000 Christmas hampers a year."
Takeover of Varekamp Coldstores
In 2022, the acquisition of Varekamp Coldstores followed, greatly expanding ERP's conditioned storage and handling facilities. Recently, the cold store opened a renovated site in Maasdijk. "I am proud that we now have the entire package in-house. We started as a packer, but we have grown into a full logistics service provider with a wide product range from sweet potatoes to grapes, citrus, mangoes, and avocados," says Menno. "When I see how we have built ourselves into a large, neutral player in just a few years, not only in ripening exotics but also in packing sweet potatoes, grapes, citrus, ginger, and blueberries, then we have truly become a mature company, able to offer customers a complete service package."
Asked about the biggest challenges for ERP, Menno says, "All the legislation from the Dutch government concerning low-skilled labour is a major challenge for us, combined with the sharp rise in costs, which you cannot fully pass on in the chain. Ultimately, that does not benefit the Netherlands, because other countries are becoming cheaper for basic operations, and work shifts abroad. Of course, we are fully engaged in efficiency gains through automation and robotisation, but that costs money, and you have to choose investments carefully."
Flat organisation
Meanwhile, Dolf remains involved in the business in a more background role. "I am here every day, but not full days. My job now is to connect, to listen to staff, and make sure they enjoy their work. I enjoy doing that, and it allows me to support Menno well, because I do not want to stand in his way. I think ERP's strength is that we are a flat organisation, so you can always steer directly. I always worked that way, and I see Menno doing the same. Customers appreciate it because we can respond and anticipate quickly."
"But we have also made a professional step with a strong management team and a tight management information system," Menno adds. "This puts us in a strong position for the future. Thanks to our loyal customers, like long-time partner Best Fresh Group, which has been with us for 25 years. We do not want to act on the delusion of the day, but stick to our three pillars: Healthy people, healthy planet, and healthy business. We intend to maintain that in the coming years, because we truly want to continue operating as a family business."
The workforce now consists of 168 permanent employees. "I am proud of our team. Dolf and Klazien Zomer have been with us for 25 years, and another 40 people have worked at ERP for 15 years or more. At the same time, we have welcomed many new colleagues in recent years, creating a good mix of young and old," says Menno. Dolf concludes with a classic: "You do not work at ERP, you are ERP."
Europe Retail Packing celebrated its anniversary throughout the year. On 1 December, the anniversary was marked with a speech, champagne, and cake. There is also a podcast with Dolf and Menno reflecting on 25 years of ERP. A major anniversary celebration is planned for next year on 13 and 14 June 2026.
For more information:
Menno Reijgersberg
Europe Retail Packing
Tel: +31 (0) 6 21832400
[email protected]
www.europeretailpacking.nl
