Hago and Comé value open communication

Entrepreneur Marc Spreuwenberg first started supplying sliced mushrooms to the food processing industry in 2007. He has since become the European market leader. He outsources the cleaning activities to Hago Food & Industry. “I’m a stickler for detail. Hago does things precisely how I want them.”

‘By using specialists, you achieve a higher level of quality’

It’s now more than ten years since Marc Spreuwenberg took over the company Comé from his parents-in-law. Back then, the company supplied tubs of sliced mushrooms to foodservice clients. Marc wanted to take the company in a different direction and invested in a new production line which enabled him to produce sliced, pasteurised mushrooms for use in the food processing industry. It turned out to be an inspired move. Marc: “At that time, the market was dominated by three major players. They had a wide product offering and regarded pasteurised mushrooms in ecobags as a minor activity. We made it our core business. That enabled us to respond better to our customers’ specific needs, plus we could guarantee a one-month shelf life without adding E-numbers. We gradually grew into the European market leader in pasteurised mushrooms in ecobags.”

Specialists

The secret of Marc’s success is, among other things, that he doesn’t try to do everything himself. He leaves the sales activities to Scelta Mushrooms and the quality assurance is in the safe hands of Haasen Consultancy. “I’m quite a perfectionist which means that I can find it difficult to delegate things, but that’s ultimately the best approach. ‘Every man to his trade’, as they say. By using specialists, you achieve a higher level of quality.”

Marc chose Hago Food & Industry to take care of the cleaning. “I was advised to do so by our Quality Manager Twan Haasen, who regularly conducts audits including at Nestlé, for example. He’d noticed that companies that outsourced their cleaning to Hago had good standards of hygiene. Moreover, Hago has experience in cleaning at mushroom-processing companies so it has the right expertise.”

Next level

Comé has been working with Hago for two years now and Marc is happy with his decision. “Before making the switch, my own employees used to clean the factory themselves but it became too much for them as production increased. They did what they needed to do well enough, but I couldn’t ask them to do anything extra. Together with Hago, we’ve taken hygiene to the next level. They also tackle extra jobs, such as regularly cleaning equipment on the walls and ceiling. That’s not strictly necessary in terms of our product quality but I like the idea of my employees being able to work in a completely clean environment.” Marc is satisfied with the standard of quality the company achieves. “Every Saturday, I walk around the factory to check the cleaning. I’m a stickler for detail so I immediately notice if something isn’t up to scratch. But we work with regular employees from Hago so there are hardly ever any problems. It gives me peace of mind so that I can enjoy the rest of my weekend.”

Open communication

If Marc has any feedback he makes a note of it in a logbook, to which he can also add photos. The cleaners themselves can add their comments to the logbook too. “It’s important to have open communication like that,” says Jan van der Heijden, Account Manager at Hago. “You have to learn from one another. For example, sometimes the cleaners can’t reach all the areas they need to because the space has been left untidy. If they make a note of it in the logbook, the problem will be solved ready for the next time.” Marc agrees: “I tend to get annoyed by the minor details, such as a hose that hasn’t been rolled up tidily. I only have to show the regular cleaners how I’d like it to be done once, and then they do it precisely how I want it done.” 

Audits

Furthermore, Marc is happy with Hago’s flexibility. “We don’t always finish at the same time every Friday, so I send the foreman an app every Thursday to inform him of the exact time we’ll be stopping the next day. That way, he can start cleaning straight away. It doesn’t give dirt the chance to become caked on, plus it’s ideal for me that the factory is clean by Saturday. It means that I can plan maintenance for Saturdays.”

Last but not least, Marc explains that the auditors are also pleased that he now outsources the cleaning activities. “We used to do our own cleaning and perform our own checks too. That’s like a butcher grading his own meat. The auditors were always very critical when checking that we’d been right to tick all the boxes. Now they know that we work with a professional partner, they can complete the ‘hygiene’ part of their inspections more quickly.”

www.hagofoodandindustry.nl