Cobbler; stick to your last

By Pieter de Jong – Area Manager Spanje

Using our product knowledge for our growers and customers every day: that is our drive. We believe that we are the perfect partner for our growers and customers. But that is quite a promise... Of course, we take that extra step, a step that other companies might not take, but how do we do it? And even more important: how is it reflected?

When I set up the company together with the three other owners of Chainn (Everjan, Leo and Kees) in 2018, we had one common denominator: we are experienced product specialists. But when you set up a company, you don't succeed with only product knowledge. How are we going to grow and manage our company and our employees in a sustainable and good way? We therefore started looking for an experienced managing director who could help us with this ambition. We found this in Michiel Bontenbal. Michiel has extensive experience in managing within the horticultural sector and is a perfect match with our ambitions and culture. With his enthusiasm and personal drive, Michiel is working every day to let the Chainn team excel and to conduct the chosen strategy.

Full focus
It is important to critically evaluate what you are good at as a person, and what not and based on that you choose the right division. This way, we as product specialists can remain focused on the business and can give full attention to our customers and growers. And these close relationships ensure that we also receive a great deal of knowledge from growers in the various cultivation areas. Think, for example, of climate conditions that influence production. We can pass on this information to our customers, so they always know what to expect.

Knowledge and experience
Important customers regularly invite us to discuss certain issues. For example, product innovations, supplier choices and product specifications or certifications, marketing and risk spreading. Because we have such short lines of communication with our suppliers and have spent years focusing on specific product groups, we know exactly how to make the right match between supply and demand. Our job is to be the right advisory partner for buyers and growers and to do our utmost to ensure that the right product, from the right area, is available at the right time.

Win-win situations for everyone
As mentioned earlier, we always take that extra step. Dealing with unforeseen circumstances in procurement or cultivation is what we are good at. Thanks to our extensive network, we always find a solution. For example, we once received a question from one of our customers about supplying a special hand-harvested kale with extremely specific product requirements. This might seem impossible, but not at Chainn! In our network, we found an innovative grower who could fulfil this wish. Grower happy, customer happy. Win-win for everybody!