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7 years ago

The Partnership no. 9

  • Text
  • Enza
  • Partnership
  • Zaden
  • Varieties
  • Consumers
  • Herbs
  • Breeding
  • Cultivation
  • Organic
  • Crops

New transaction models

New transaction models recipe boxes have gained a firm foothold, and the companies that take the lead in this sector may rightly be termed game changers.” boxes, and the websites of chain partners can be ideal instruments for telling end users all about the products’ backgrounds and inspiring enthusiasm in them. That’s an intrinsic part of the added value.” “We focus entirely on organic and fair trade, for which we are also certified,” he says. “Our customers and prospects are mostly in the slow food segment. We distribute our products primarily via local franchise holders so that we’re close to the consumers. Our range is best described as ‘locally sourced global cuisine’. Our exotic products such as quinoa, sweet potatoes and yacon are also grown in the Netherlands. That’s good for innovative growers, and also good for our subscribers, who get to consume products that are really fresh. And we’re able to offer them that at an attractive price because we have no retail losses and because we also include products of less common grades in our range.” Stroeken concludes with an appeal to breeders all over the world: “Shelf life is no issue for us, so please focus more on taste and healthy nutrients. That will help us win the hearts of even more people and boost the consumption of fruit and vegetables. And that’s something from which we’ll all benefit.” And yet the great majority of the suppliers have one thing in common: they’re all free riding on the success of the new transaction models underlying online shopping. Searching and comparing, choosing, adjusting or (temporarily) stopping a form of subscription and paying – they have all become everyday routine for a constantly growing group of consumers. In some branches, such as clothing and shoes, online shopping has become so rampant as to force many shops to close, with the resultant sorry sight of boarded-up windows along formerly bustling shopping streets. Interactive In this modern, technology-driven playing field visibility is all-important. High rankings in search results and apps for smartphones are essential for growing along with the market. “At the same time this technology offers interesting starting points for market research, segmentation and further professionalisation,” Verwegen continues. “Who are my customers and what do they like to eat, and what not? How do they respond to new ideas and product introductions? All this has completely altered the dynamism in supplier/consumer relations. Producers can also benefit from this development, by acting proactively and entering into a dialogue with their buyers. Many consumers are interested in the backgrounds and origins of the products they consume. Fresh food and recipe Global cuisine, local sourcing Jack Stroeken, Director of Beebox, fully agrees. Since he joined this company in early 2014, the supplier of organic food boxes has successfully secured 5,000 Dutch subscribers. “We’re quite a bit smaller than the supermarkets and will presumably stay that way. However, as number two in the foodbox market, after HelloFresh, we have managed to double our clientele and turnover every year. We’ll be doing that in 2016 too.” “Things are not yet that bad in the food industry, but specialist shops and supermarket chains that hope everything will continue as it is now are bound to face hard times,” says Enza Zaden’s Marketing Specialist Hans Verwegen. “The same holds for other links in the chain, such as wholesalers and primary producers. Fresh food and With more than 25 years’ experience in market research and fresh marketing, Stroeken knows the importance of making clear choices. “A box full of new surprises every week” It’s now more than a year ago that the Groot Kormelink family in Rotterdam (the Netherlands) took out a subscription to a meal box. “My wife and I visited a food market where we were approached by a representative of HelloFresh,” says father Richard. “The concept appealed to us and we were won over by an attractive introductory offer. We’re still very satisfied with the boxes.” Although his wife Marjan and their two daughters Menke and Welmoed are keen cooks, Richard himself also regularly prepares meals from the boxes that are delivered to their door every Monday evening. “We chose the option of three meals a week: one with meat, one with fish and one vegetarian meal,” he explains. The box contains all the ingredients you need for each meal, from fresh vegetables and herbs to small packets of mixed spices, rice, pasta, potatoes and eggs. Fish and meat are delivered in cool bags that you can transfer straight to your fridge. “The recipes are also included, so you don’t have to do any experimenting yourself. The instructions are really easy to follow and the result is usually very tasty.” Fresh and surprising The many separate ingredients that are to be combined into three complete meals make unpacking the fresh food boxes really exciting. And not in the last place because they often contain products and recipes that are new to the family. “It’s a box full of new surprises every week,” says Richard. “The past year we’ve eaten quite a few vegetables that we’d never tasted before and that you can’t buy at our local supermarket – both 'forgotten' vegetables grown in our own country and exotic vegetables from entirely different eating cultures. The fresh food box offers us healthy, varied food; that’s something we very much appreciate. What’s more, the fresh products really are fresh, and that can’t always be said of food bought via other sales channels.” 26 | The Partnership The Partnership | 27

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