Strengthening a broad range of fresh fruit and vegetables

Greenyard Fresh Belgium will become the supplier of potatoes, unprocessed fruit and vegetables and cut vegetables for all Sligro, Sligro-M and JAVA activities in Belgium. With this new agreement, Sligro Food Group is taking an important step in further strengthening its position as a leading wholesaler in the Belgian food service market.

By partnering with Greenyard, the company is resolutely opting for high-quality, sustainable and as much as possible locally grown products, with an important focus on short supply chains. Fresh fruit and vegetables are a crucial category in the stores, and at the same time the result of a highly complex supply chain. Greenyard Fresh Belgium will now unburden Sligro by streamlining the entire process from sourcing the products until the delivery to the individual stores. The collaboration will cover more than 5,1 million items annually, including apples and pears from Belgian origins, as well as lettuce, chicory and strawberries supplied by Belgian growers.

Koen Slippens, CEO of Sligro Food Group, explains the choice of the new partner: ‘We want to respond to the needs of Belgian hospitality professionals and offer them the best possible range. The collaboration with Greenyard fits perfectly within that strategy. Thanks to its scale and strong Belgian roots, Greenyard can follow the market closely, helping us to ensure that our customers pay fair and competitive prices. Moreover, Greenyard has its own companies on every continent, enabling it to purchase directly from growers worldwide, which directly contributes to the consistent quality of our products. For our customers, this new collaboration means a shorter chain and therefore greater freshness, a wide range that always reflects current market prices and a maximum focus on local products where relevant."

Francis Kint, CEO of Greenyard, adds: ‘We are very happy with this collaboration with Sligro Food Group, which fits in perfectly with our vision of integrated partnerships and customer relations, which we call Integrated Customer Relations (ICR). This partnership is a perfect match between two companies with a shared passion for quality, sustainability and an efficient supply chain. We supply a wide range of fresh produce and, thanks to this agreement, we will reach even more catering professionals. This is a long-term, transparent and vertically integrated partnership in fresh fruit and vegetables. It emphasises Greenyard’s commitment to implementing tailor-made cooperation models and to working sustainably with all our customers. Our focus is on unburdening our customers in every fruit and vegetable category, so that they can fully concentrate on providing maximum service to their end customers."