Valstar Holland, part of the BestFresh Group, is a specialist in exporting fruit and vegetables. Valstar sources everything in the fresh produce department, specializing in greenhouse products. All operations are managed in the Netherlands where about thirty people oversee this fast-moving business.
The UK is an important market for Valstar. One of Valstar’s main strengths is the speed of delivery that the Poeldijk-based company offers. ”Thanks to our efficient sourcing and distribution systems, we manage to deliver from the Netherlands to London more quickly than a company within the UK could,” says Sales Director Edwin Vanlaerhoven. “When we receive an order in the morning, we are able to deliver the goods the same night, assuring the freshness of the products." Having a base in the Westland in the Netherlands, close to transport hubs such as the Port of Rotterdam and Schiphol Airport, gives Valstar flexibility to source the products the client needs.
Challenges and opportunities in the British market
“The UK market is extremely competitive”, explains Vanlaerhoven. ”The supermarkets are very well-organized, which is typical of the UK market. Besides the supermarkets, we also deliver to the food-service sector and to wholesalers. The wholesalers are very important when it comes to ethnic food suppliers. There are so many of those up and down the UK and they are becoming a serious competitor for supermarkets when it comes to fruit and vegetables.”
Every market is different, and what Vanlaerhoven finds unique about the UK market is not that it is typically British, but that you come across a large number of nationalities. ”The British market is characterized by many subcultures; it is very international. We work with packers, mainly for in retail. There are lots of Italians on that side of the business. In the food markets, you’ll find many Turkish and Pakistani traders and there are also, of course, British traders. It makes an interesting mix of clients.”
The UK market may have its challenges, but as a 2013 report by Promar (commissioned by the Dutch Embassy in London) reveals, there are still plenty of opportunities for the food and horticultural sector. The growing demand for different kinds of fruit and vegetables by different ethnic groups in the UK offers huge opportunities for Dutch companies. Vanlaerhoven has a tip for anyone wanting to work with the UK: “Be aware of the differences in language and particularly what it really means. It’s easy to think that success is around the corner when someone says that your proposal is “interesting”, when in fact they just don’t want to offend you by saying they think it is not really interesting at all!”
The Dutch Embassy: the first port of call when exporting to the UK
Valstar is an expert in exporting and has been exporting all over the world for many years. According to Vanlaerhoven, embassies can be useful for anyone who is exporting or thinking of exporting.
“It’s always a good idea to add embassies to your network. All embassies have a local network and it’s good to have access to that. Also, many British companies know Dutch products are of good quality, but they do not know how to reach these Dutch companies yet. That is where the embassy can help. Furthermore, the knowledge embassies have of the local markets is very useful too. In my experience, embassies are much more approachable than people think. You can just give them a call and they always are happy to help. My experiences with embassies, not just in the UK, but also in Russia and the Middle East are positive. It is one of the first ports of call when you think of exporting.”
