For the second consecutive year, ZON organized a Buyer and Grower Day. "No more Royal ZON, Veiling ZON, or ZON fruit & vegetables. From now on, we're simply ZON," CEO John Willems said at the opening. Many customers and growers from across the country gathered in Venlo, the Netherlands, where various ZON growers showcased their products.
John reflected on 2023 with satisfaction. "Our acreage and volume grew significantly. Partly through existing members expanding, but we also attracted several great new companies as members." Growers and employees were surveyed in 2023, and a client satisfaction survey is scheduled for next month. John is committed to the outcome. "Our recently formulated core values of relationship and result orientation and professionalism determine how we operate at ZON every day and how we deal with growers, buyers, and employees."
Brief opening with Jørgen Snoijink, Wouter and John Willems ("as far as we know, unrelated"), and Gerard Sproncken
Finance Manager Gerard Sproncken had reason to be satisfied, too. "Last year was a top year for us. Ancillary income from real estate used to often drive profit, but in 2023, for the first time, we achieved more than a break-even result for the core business. Members like that we deal in real estate. We make it easier for them to access capital, which is increasingly difficult with banks in these times of high-interest rates," he says.
Also, the investment in auction sales has paid off itself, according to Sales Manager Wouter Willems. "Despite all the supply and sales forecasts, they can never be perfectly aligned. Our auction as a digital platform for day trading lets us attract more customers with an ever-growing assortment," he explains. Wouter also mentioned that more than half of ZON's volume is sold via fixed contracts to retailers, food service, processors, and exporters.
The Sales Manager had another piece of news: ZON has invested in the quality control application QC One. "We can, thus, give our growers and clients quality inspections with well-founded reports."
After the opening, there was ample opportunity for networking and the chance to attend short pitches. For example, strawberry grower Michiel Penninx talked about innovative strawberry cultivation, which deviates from traditional fertilization methods. Tietje Beckedorf of Beckedorf Frischgemüse explained the how and why of German lettuce on ZON's digital platform. Stop the Food Fight's Hidde Boersma spoke, and there were presentations from GroentenFruit Huis, Brightlands, BASF | Nunhems, and Syngenta.
Visitors headed home with full stomachs and well-filled goodie bags.
Click here for the photo report.
For more information:
ZON
102 Venrayseweg
5928 RH, Venlo, The Netherlands
Tel.: +31 (0) 773 239 999
[email protected]
www.royalzon.com