More space, more opportunities for Synergy Food

What started in 2002 with blanching 200 tons of almonds for a bakery ingredients company has grown into a leading business under the leadership of Pieter Mulder from Schiedam. Today, Synergy Food Ingredients & Processing B.V. supplies approximately 10,000 tons of blanched almonds annually to industrial bakeries in Northwest Europe for fillings, pastries, and marzipan.

As the Rotterdam-based company outgrew its premises, a new facility was built last year in Berkel en Rodenrijs. With the expertise of Willy Naessens Nederland in concrete industrial buildings, they were entrusted with the development and construction of the new site.

“With over 7,300 square meters, it’s twice as large and three times as high as our current building,” says financial manager Hans van der Plas. “This gives us much more room to operate, both literally and figuratively, as we’re completely boxed in at our Rotterdam location. This new facility allows us to double our production capacity. It also opens up more possibilities for developing new products, such as organic almonds or adding new processes like roasting almonds.”

A preference for concrete

Space constraints aren’t the only challenge Synergy Food faces in Rotterdam, says Hans. “As we expanded, additional buildings were added. This made internal logistics inefficient. In terms of maintenance, we constantly had to make adjustments to meet the stringent HACCP food safety standards. That’s a thing of the past now. We’re renting a robust and solid building that effortlessly meets these standards.” Building with concrete was a deliberate choice. “We need to cool our products. The advantage of concrete is that external temperatures have less influence on the interior climate. In addition, the processing installation is equipped with heat recovery systems and solar panels, which will enable us to produce more sustainably in the future. This will also positively impact our energy bills.”

Efficiency

Willy Naessens Nederland also handled the construction, development, and investment, leading to efficient project planning. Van der Plas is pleased with the process: “The first pile was put into the ground on March 28, 2023, and the building was delivered on February 19 this year. Everything was completed on time. The construction process went smoothly, which shows that Naessens has its logistics in order and sticks to its agreements. We’re very happy with that.”

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