Robbert Blok, Purchase & Sales Manager at Green Organics:

“I’m originally from the mainstream fruit and vegetable trade. Now that I’m working in the organic sector, I wouldn’t want to go back. Organic companies go into more depth and personal relationships. The organic movement is based on the principles of taking good care of each other and interacting with each other.
On top of that, it is a different game of supply and demand. The mainstream sector sees a lot of overproduction, which is not the case in the organic sector.

In the traditional sector the conversation was always about the price, whereas nowadays I talk to growers and customers about anything that can improve the products on offer. Think, for example, of new concepts, products and packaging. We also discuss current issues, such as the discussion on plastics; natural branding, laser marking of fresh produce, is a possible solution.
I travel a lot for work, both locally and abroad. I visit customers and growers, learn about their working methods and explain what Green Organics is doing. By visiting our clients on their turf, I also get to know the culture of these countries and companies. This helps me understand how they operate and what their approach to life is. Sometimes I also take growers to visit customers abroad. Green Organics believes it is important that the parties meet.
My starting point is that I work together with people I trust, who could also be my friends, as it were. If you surround yourself with decent people, you will be positively energised. I see that feeling reflected in the work that we do at Green Organics.
Our customers and growers choose Green Organics because of our knowledge. Our team members are hired for their service orientation. We believe it is important that our partners can get prompt and professional answers to their questions. Our team is driven by passion, diligence and knowledge.

And the beauty of it is that organic products have plenty of potential for development in the future. Organic products form an emerging market; we are building this market and it makes us feel energised.”