Slagerij Vogels rebuilds in record time

On March 21, 2024, a fire broke out at Slagerij Vogels in Elsendorp. Owner Gijs Vogels watched his family business nearly go up in flames. Thanks to the efforts of disaster recovery specialist Belfort and Sentho Hygienic Construction Projects, the Vogels team was back to work within four weeks.

‘Tasteful meat of the highest quality at a fair price for both farmers and consumers.’ That’s what Slagerij Vogels in Elsendorp stands for. “Our meat comes from local, trusted livestock farmers. We handle the slaughtering, deboning, and processing ourselves to create any product desired. Everything is vacuum-sealed and labelled to the specifications,” explains owner Gijs Vogels. Together with his wife, Petra, and their team, they run the butcher shop he took over from his parents in 2012. “In 2019, we added a shop to the business, which spurred growth in every aspect of our company, bringing it to where it is today.”

FIRE!

“On March 21, we were working on our private home behind the butcher shop in the evening. My parents had lived there for years, and now we wanted to live there ourselves. After a long period of hard work, Petra and I had started renovating. That day, the painter had been applying a monocoat. The cloths he used were put in a garbage bag. I didn’t know. I saw the bag and, unaware of its contents, tossed it into the butcher shop’s waste container,” Gijs recalls with a sigh. “Suddenly, our neighbour knocked on the window: there’s a FIRE! I saw flames shooting out of the butcher shop. The fire brigade arrived within 15 minutes. The entire building was filled with smoke.”

From left to right: Gijs Vogels, Petra Janssen, and Niels Burger.

Like a bad movie

After the fire, Gijs and Petra found themselves in what felt like a bad movie. Companies and agencies came and went while the business was at a standstill. Disaster recovery specialists Belfort from Uden quickly began clearing out and cleaning the premises. Gijs says, “It took three weeks with ten people working daily to clean everything. Our own team also helped tirelessly. Belfort even complimented us, saying we should be proud of them.” It was a tense time - not just because the butchery was at a standstill, but also due to uncertainty about insurance coverage. Damage from ‘spontaneous combustion’ isn’t covered, but a full-blown fire is. Gijs got ‘lucky.’

‘After the fire, we found ourselves in a bad movie - with a good ending.’

And on we go…

“We thoroughly cleaned part of the butcher shop that had been condemned so we could resume operations. BBQ season was starting, and we didn’t want to disappoint our customers. Our entire team, including us, was eager to get back to work. Luckily, we had an extra storage unit on-site. Together with the insurer, we made a plan to move out of the condemned section and into the storage unit as quickly as possible. We were able to move on!”

Rebuilding with Sentho

Gijs reached out to Sentho, a company he knew from Uden specializing in hygienic, insulating wall and ceiling systems for construction, renovation, and food industry projects. Director Niels Burger had already heard about the fire and acted quickly: “Together with Gijs and Petra, we discussed the best solution for Slagerij Vogels. Our team installed ceilings and walls in the storage unit, as well as a cooling and freezing unit. We refurbished the corridor and added swing doors, a rapid roll-up door, and renovation panels. We focus on fiberglass-reinforced polyester wall and ceiling panels because of their many advantages,” Niels explains. “They’re impact-resistant, get dirty two to three times less often than tiled walls, and are easy to maintain. We use two-component epoxy to seal seams and corners, as it’s long-lasting.”

Pride and relief prevail

Gijs is impressed by the speed of the transformation. “It’s amazing how quickly and neatly they work, and how smoothly we found solutions.” Niels shares a story about a challenge with the rapid roll-up door. After installation, the forklift wouldn’t fit underneath. “We cut part of the ceiling beams and made the cassette roll narrower. Details like these make the job fun.”
He’s proud of his team, from technicians to purchasers and warehouse staff: “I couldn’t do my job without them. They’re quick to adapt and work tirelessly to create impressive spaces.”

Gijs has experienced this dedication firsthand, is thrilled with the results, and most of all, feels relieved: “Everything will be fine. I was truly scared our life’s work would go up in smoke. Now we can keep building with our team.”

Slagervogels.nl
Sentho.nl

Photos: ©Bert Jansen