Postuma AGF pushes forward

The reorganisation of the current business park by the municipality was the reason for Postuma AGF to consider new construction. It came at a great time for the fruits and vegetables wholesaler, because it was outgrowing its home.

Postuma AGF is a wholesaler that specialises in potatoes, fruits and vegetables from IJsselmuiden, near Kampen. An area that traditionally has strong horticulture and was even home to an important vegetable auction until just before the turn of the century. Postuma AGF owes its existence in part to this vegetable auction, as it took care of the supply of bananas and oranges. Today, Postuma has grown to become a market leader in wholesalers for specialty stores. Postuma AGF delivers to quality specialty stores in fruit and vegetable products, farm stores and market vendors throughout the country. “The supermarket channel only benefits from major batches. A grower with a special product, of which ‘only’ a few hundred boxes can be delivered per day, is not interesting to the many stores of a supermarket chain”, Gerald Voorinholt explains. As quality controller at Postuma AGF, he is responsible for the new construction. 

All corners filled

The products arrive fresh from the growers every day. “We get out fruits and vegetables from growers who love their business, people who make an honest product and care about what they do”, Gerald elaborates. “Full Taste products, which are grown with care and often in a sustainable way.” And according to him, it is precisely this product group that forms a growth market. Since the beginning of this century, Postuma’s sales have increased fivefold, and they believe this growth will continue in the coming years. Because of the growth of the company and the resulting lack of space at the current location, the wholesaler was looking for suitable new construction. “All nooks and crannies have been filled, we have truly outgrown out home”, Gerald states. 

Better building

However, the initiative for the move and new construction came from the municipality, which is reorganising the business park where Postuma is currently located. The first plans were made as early as 2012, but it took until 2017 before the land for the new construction definitively became available. “We first made plans with local parties for new construction and elaborated a programme of requirements, but due to all sorts of procedures, the land did not become available”, Gerald reflects. “Evert Veerman from Aan De Stegge then recommended a consultant that could help us approach the municipality.” The final building will be much larger than originally intended. “The first plan became obsolete in just two years, but that means the delay also paid off in the end. We will be moving to a better building than we were originally going to”, says Evert Veerman, commercial project manager at construction company Aan De Stegge Twello.

‘We engaged in many reference visits together’

Transparent and accessible

In order to build the optimal building, Aan De Stegge and Postuma worked together intensively and engaged in many joint reference visits. “That brought us both a lot”, says Evert. “It gave us better insight and allowed us to further tighten the programme of requirements.” The fact that Postuma AGF chose Aan De Stegge had to do with the specific expertise of this construction company, but also with the implementation of their wishes. “Postuma is a special company. Everyone, customers and staff, must pass through the same front door. Postuma wants to be transparent and accessible to everyone. And they want to be in contact with each other. That requires an extra touch for the design of the different functions, such as offices, warehousing and logistics”, Evert explains. “So you need to integrate a representative zone into your warehouse, creating a joint area where everything comes together. This is not incredibly difficult, but it is how we distinguished ourselves.” Gerald confirms that. “That is something Aan De Stegge understood very well. I would definitely recommend them to any colleagues that are considering new construction.”

‘The delay also paid off in the end’

Empathising with the customer

Everyone speaks proudly about the collaboration. “As a construction company, you need to be able to empathise with the customer. Finish everything neatly, so that it is still undamaged and easy to clean 10 years from now.” You will not catch Aan De Stegge Twello building an apartment complex. “We work for companies in the food industry, the chemical industry, logistics and general trade. We try to have added value in those fields.” Later this year, Postuma AGF will be moving to a modern and sustainable new building just a few hundred metres away. They will be able to make good progress there in the coming years. If the growth exceeds their expectations, they can easily realise an expansion of 5,000 square metres at the rear of the building without any loss of functionality. “All thanks to Aan De Stegge”, says Gerald.

www.postuma.nl
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Photo: Gerard Voorinholt (left) and Evert Veerman