September/October 2022 - 17

GREENYARD
FACILITY OPERATIONS
Fork-to-field
Melanie Epp
Contributing Writer
AT A TIME WHEN many processors'
bottom lines are stretched thin, global
fruit and vegetable processor Greenyard
has adopted a new strategy to strengthen
theirs. Headquartered in Belgium,
Greenyard Group is a global giant and one
of the world's largest suppliers of fresh,
frozen and prepared fruits and vegetables.
Their unique business model has not only
made them a global powerhouse, but also
helped them to weather the uncertainty
of today's marketplace.
Humble beginnings
Like many global companies, Greenyard
has humble beginnings. Founder and coCEO
Hein Deprez always dreamed of
being a farmer like his grandparents,
but had no experience and no land. In
1982, at just 20 years old, he decided to
start a small mushroom farm on just one
hectare (100 acres) of land in Belsele,
Belgium. The following year, when he
harvested his first mushroom crop he
was immediately confronted with a
new challenge: how to get his product
into the hands of consumers as quickly
and easily as possible. Deprez quickly
realized that he didn't like being in the
hands of traders, nor did he like being
so disconnected from consumers.
Deprez started to formulate a new
vision which he calls " fork-to-field. "
Rather than steering the market through
the creation of a product, he worked to
 Greenyard's vision " fork-to-field "
stems from the company wanting
more connection with consumers.
Photos: Greenyard
GREENYARD BUILDS ON SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS
MODEL WITH NEW PLANT-BASED STRATEGY
develop an integrated, production-driven
approach that started with consumers.
" Everybody still today talks about farm
to consumer, " said Deprez. " But no, it's
not field-to-fork, it's fork-to-field. "
In light of this new vision, Deprez
worked directly with retailers to supply
products that consumers want. The
integrated logistical chain he envisioned
starts with the consumer, represented by
the retailer, and moves back to the grower
instead of vice versa. Over the years, a
series of acquisitions - starting with
Belgium's largest mushroom trader -
allowed the company to strengthen
its model by creating a shorter, more
efficient supply chain, as well as by
growing the capacity to offer a full
range of fruit and vegetables. Today, it
PRODUCE PROCESS ING
17

September/October 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September/October 2022

September/October 2022 - 1
September/October 2022 - 1a
September/October 2022 - 1b
September/October 2022 - 2
September/October 2022 - 3
September/October 2022 - 4
September/October 2022 - 5
September/October 2022 - 6
September/October 2022 - 7
September/October 2022 - 8
September/October 2022 - 9
September/October 2022 - 10
September/October 2022 - 11
September/October 2022 - 12
September/October 2022 - 13
September/October 2022 - 14
September/October 2022 - 15
September/October 2022 - 16
September/October 2022 - 17
September/October 2022 - 18
September/October 2022 - 19
September/October 2022 - 20
September/October 2022 - 21
September/October 2022 - 22
September/October 2022 - 23
September/October 2022 - 24
September/October 2022 - 25
September/October 2022 - 26
September/October 2022 - 27
September/October 2022 - 28
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