Agrafresh has been supplying various ready made salads and vegetables to the retail for fifteen years. This year the company is introducing something new: precooked vegetables. "They have a longer shelf life and can focus more on export," says Jan-Pieter Blanckaert of Agrafresh. Agrafresh also has plans to expand this year, at the moment there is construction in the French Arras.
New production facility
"The first expansion took place in 2005. Our location in Pittem became to small to grow any further," explains Jan-Pieter. "We are going to start a new production facility in Arras, which is almost completely automated. This way we can continue to supply a constant quality. Certain parts, including the quality control, remain manual." He believes vertical integration is one of Agrfresh's strengths. "We have the entire chain in hand from production to supply. Using our own distribution network we ensure everything is supplied to the customer as freshly as possible."
Growing
Compared to ten years ago the production volume at Agrafresh has grown sixfold. "We now grow around ten percent each year and we want to maintain this healthy growth." The estimated production volume for 2016 is 7,500 tonnes, of which over half is lettuce. In the area of turnover Agrafresh expects to realise an amount of 15 million Euro in 2016. Agrafresh buyers are mainly in Belgium and France. "We also supply small volumes to the United Kingdom. In the coming years we would like to focus more on the Netherlands, Germany and Scandinavia. We see export opportunities for precooked vegetables in particular."
Cooked vegetables
A longer shelf life is an important pillar for Agrafresh. "We are always looking for the newest varieties of lettuce with a long shelf life. This is also a huge advantage in the introduction of precooked vegetables. These vegetables were cut after the harvest, washed, vacuum packed and cooked in their own juices. We have single packages with one cooked vegetable, but combinations are also possible. The precooked products are 100% natural and have no added sugars or additives. It only has to be heated up. "Convenience will rise over the years and the Agrafresh team is completely behind this. We can do this together."
Innovations and new markets
Agrafresh is IFS and BRC certified and the family company's values are respect for each other, the environment and the product. "In the future we will focus on various innovation, sustainability and new markets. Salads, new mixes, ready to heat products. We are also often in conversation with the customer. In the area of processed vegetables we offer a huge amount of possibilities and continue to develop. Investment in quality is a constant factor and we are also looking forward to the realisation of our new building this year."
