BelOrta and The Greenery have taken a significant step towards a mutually beneficial and growth-oriented future. The Board of Directors of BelOrta and the Board of The Greenery have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore collaboration within a Union of Producer Organizations (UPO). This collaboration aims to leverage strengths in product offerings and services, aiming to enhance their competitive position in the European market.
The Greenery Logistics
With the consolidation and internationalization of demand, aligning the supply side is a strategic move. The initial exploratory discussions between BelOrta and The Greenery began in early 2023. Both organizations share a common goal: to maximize value creation for their growers now and in the future. Following significant advancements within each organization independently, they are now prepared for collaboration. Through this planned partnership, the cooperatives aim to ensure long-term availability and certainty of their products, providing growers with access to European markets to achieve the best possible prices and maximize value.
Benefits for Growers and Customers
The collaboration presents opportunities for growers of greenhouse vegetables, field vegetables, and both hard and soft fruits in Belgium and the Netherlands across several key areas: market opportunities, procurement, logistics network optimization, investment in knowledge building, innovation in new varieties, sustainability, digitalization, and flexibility in response to market changes. For customers, the partnership offers an expanded range of fruits and vegetables directly from the source, accompanied by tailored services in quality, logistics, sustainability, and category development. Given their geographical proximity, both organizations complement each other well.
Step-by-step
The intended collaboration is founded on mutual trust and a complementary product offering. The initial step in exploring this collaboration involves establishing a Union of Producer Organizations (UPO), followed by a phased approach to further develop the partnership into a growth trajectory. This approach aims to achieve economies of scale, ensure optimal product availability, and enhance value creation for growers. The ultimate goal is to establish a strong, leading player in the Benelux region.
David Markowski, Chairman of The Greenery Board: "We believe that our organizations and the market are ready for this collaboration, and we are eager to shape and implement it with great enthusiasm."
Marc Smets, Chairman of BelOrta: "This collaboration presents several opportunities for growth in cultivation and market access, including broader entry into European markets. There are also benefits in terms of knowledge sharing and operational efficiency."
BelOrta is Belgium's largest fruit and vegetable cooperative, offering a wide range of greenhouse and field vegetables, both hard and soft fruits. With over 1,200 growers, BelOrta achieves an annual product turnover of approximately 626 million euros. The Greenery is one of the largest cooperatives of vegetable and fruit growers in the Netherlands, with over 150 affiliated growers, achieving an annual total product turnover of 743 million euros.
For more information:
BelOrta
Glenn Sebregts
Tel: +32 15 565272
[email protected]
The Greenery
Harm-Jan Eikelenboom
Tel: +31 6 50 214 605
[email protected]