Greenyard has a turnover of almost 4 billion Euro and a total workforce of more than 8,000 people. Worldwide the company is the biggest player in the Fresh Produce sector. During the Pinguin and Noliko 50th anniversary celebration, Hein Deprez said that growing a business goes hand in hand with blood, sweat and tears, "The present is a result of the past, but certainly not the picture of the future," he started his speech with. "Our past and present form a strong foundation upon which we will build our future."
Hein showed an impressive film about Greenyard Foods and its divisions, Univeg, Pinguin, Noliko and Peatinvest, "If you saw this film then you could conclude that we are doing well, that we know what we want, that we know everything and that no one can tell us how to do it. But this is not true."
Success does not say anything about tomorrow
He says that the successes of the past and the present are no guarantee for the future, "When I started 25 years ago we were at the beginning of a race. Next to me on the starting line there were marathon runners. There I stood, untrained. The people next to me were top companies that knew what they were doing. They told me that I could not touch their customers or suppliers. They also indicated that they had no debts on their balance-sheets. In addition, they had cash in the bank. After the marathon started I had to create a vision and build the strength and choose a direction. After a few years I saw that there were just a few around me. Some people went back or in another direction, and I couldn't see them anymore. The more cash a company had in the bank the faster that company would run itself into the ground. My point is that at some point you can be the best in the sector, but if you don't know which direction certain things will develop, then you won't make it. Young companies with the right vision can work hard to become better. That chances are available. As long as you have the right vision, you don't have to be the best player."
Learning to dream
"With all the knowledge we have gathered we have to continue to work on the future. We must learn to dream. Dream of how the world will be in 20 or 50 years. Building a vision and developing a strategy from that vision. This needs to be gradually rolled out in all our operations. The stronger our operations are, the more successful our new strategies in the future will be."
Looking back
How did we reach 3.9 million Euro in revenue? "Market conditions were not growing, but the companies still developed because of the concept we had. Together with our retail customers we took over the market. I call this concept 'vertical logistics funnel' with all its added value in the system. The added value goes to an entire series: packaging, logistics (speed and efficiency), and the ripening of fruits and vegetables. Through this system we have only had limited growth in consumption, unfortunately. We have, in particular, taken the market share and organized the supply chain in a more efficient manner."
