25 years of Snijpunt - Talking to all the links
“All great minds think alike.”
Having spoken to Marco Romein earlier in this anniversary year and Mark already being featured in several articles in the media, it is time to let others have their say. We talked to people from other links in the fresh produce chain about 25 years of Snijpunt. After all, without them there would be no Snijpunt. How do Arco van Gaalen of Koos van Gaalen Transport, Frank van Weerdenburg of VersCombi and Marco Bergman of Harvest House look at 25 years of Snijpunt? How long have they been working together? What does this collaboration mean to them? And what important changes have stayed with them?
For many years
Marco Bergman is a salesperson at Harvest House and has known Snijpunt since he himself was a salesperson of bell pepper at The Greenery. "That is actually 23 years ago! I clearly remember Marco Romein back then always having tough questions and demands just to meet his production process. The cooperation intensified when we gained some understanding of what Snijpunt wanted and purchases became more regular." When Jeroen joined Snijpunt, who Marco Bergman already knew, the cooperation only intensified. "We got more and more mutual contact and the sales numbers increased enormously. Especially when Snijpunt eventually became part of Harvest House."
"I first got to know Snijpunt when we took over another transport company in 2007. Snijpunt was a customer there from the start", Arco van Gaalen of Koos van Gaalen Transport explains. "The people from back then are still working here. So, they also know Snijpunt for 25 years!" The company transports fresh vegetables from the grower to Snijpunt and processed products from Snijpunt to the customer. "Call now and deliver in an hour, that is what regularly happens", Van Gaalen says. “We can do that! Just let us do what we do. We started driving for Snijpunt 25 years ago and we still do." Meanwhile, both Snijpunt and Koos van Gaalen Transport have grown considerably. "We have grown together with our customers." The transporter has contact with Snijpunt mainly by phone and e-mail. "We only see each other in person a few times a year, other than that we talk to each other daily by phone and e-mail. They are super nice guys, but the contact is simply business. We are very aware of what we can gain from each other and that we are seen and appreciated by them. That makes working together very pleasant", says Van Gaalen.
One of the customers Snijpunt is producing for is VersCombi. The currently retired Frank van Weerdenburg owned the company until 2004 and then remained involved until the end of 2022. He has known Snijpunt since 1999. The early days of Snijpunt, but also the time when VersCombi was founded. Originally, Frank was a trader in potatoes. From that profession, he was approached by CêlaVíta to bring their products to the Dutch market. His customers asked him to add peeled onions and carrots to his product range. Marco Romein and Karel Vromans saw this happening and suggested to Frank: "Could you not also add bell pepper?" Frank clicked well with Marco and Karel and the two companies appeared to be a good match: "We started with 1 x 10 crates of halved and cleaned bell pepper and some doubts whether our customers wanted this. This grew to an average of 120 pallets per week on order", Van Weerdenburg says.
Growing together
"Snijpunt's growth has been very gradually", Arco van Gaalen tells us. "Partly because of the people who work there. Since Jeroen worked there and became responsible for transport, among other things, they have been doing huge volumes. It is also nice working with him. Jeroen is always very clear. If he is pleased with you, he lets you know, but also when he is not. There are never any question marks. Meanwhile, Adem has taken over Jeroen's daily transport planning and that contact also works very well. We can do the maths with each other and know what we can expect from each other."
When Snijpunt decided to further expand its range by adding broccoli, cauliflower, and radishes, VersCombi also included these products in its range. "Freshness is very important to us and we do not keep stock ourselves. Being able to load everything at one address saves a lot of time, where time is pretty much the main issue", says Van Weerdenburg. Where there was some doubt in the early stages, the market appears to be ready for it. Especially in recent years, the numbers have increased enormously. With the current quantities, there is now even transport twice a day between Snijpunt and VersCombi. Every morning the order is placed, picked up for transport around noon and in the evening VersCombi delivers the total order to its customers. "The expansion of the range has also been very good for us. We have been able to strengthen our position with our customers as a result."
According to Marco Bergman, the growth of Snijpunt has certainly also been accompanied by becoming part of Harvest House. Bergman himself has seen a huge change in the contact between them as a result. "All restrictions were dropped. Where we spoke to each other occasionally before, we now find ourselves talking to each other all season. Together we find out exactly which bell pepper the Snijpunt customer really needs. We look for the best matching variety and acreage. Before then, I never knew what volumes Snijpunt could manage. It was just one of the slicing facilities, without me really realising what was going on in that blue box along the highway."
Reliable reputation in the industry
According to Arco Van Gaalen, Snijpunt has become a benchmark in the industry in recent years. "These are the customers we as a company are proud to be an active partner for. They give us energy. They are a benchmark in the industry, but also the trust we get to operate for such a client for such a long time is invaluable to us." As for the 25th anniversary, Arco van Gaalen closes: "A great achievement by a great company and a great group of people! Congratulations!"
Merging with Harvest House gave Snijpunt access to a much larger acreage. "With this, the chances of finding suitable batches increased and, because of Snijpunt's added value with growers, there is also much less product being thrown away", Marco Bergman explains. "In the beginning, what they did was just a bit of fiddling on the margins. Those few crates were costing more effort than they were bringing in. Meanwhile, it is no longer 75 crates a day, but 75 pallets."
According to Frank van Weerdenburg, the long-standing cooperation between VersCombi and Snijpunt is not so hard to explain. "We stand for 99.9 percent reliability in delivery. We work with suppliers who are reliable, deliver quality, are punctual and resolve problems together. Snijpunt is very good at this!" When asked who was here first, Snijpunt or Verscombi, he replies with a wink, "No idea. All great minds think alike!". Even now that he himself has retired, he still loves sparring with Mark. "That continues to be interesting and is just in the blood", he says.
Marco Bergman describes Snijpunt's 25 years as growing from a little ugly duckling to a very beautiful swan. "They have a wonderful leading role in the market. Especially given the creation of added value for the bell pepper acreage, but certainly also in reducing food waste. Congratulations on this beautiful milestone!"
