Who are the men and women of Waterman?
In this issue, we’ll introduce Phensri Schouten. The cheerful 47-year-old mother of three has worked at Waterman Onions as a full-time sorter for 16 years.
Introducing our new buyer, Harmjan Hospers
On Monday, 13 September, the Waterman Onions purchasing team was strengthened by the addition of Harmjan Hospers. The 23-year-old from Nagele was born and bred in the agricultural sector. He grew up on his father’s farm, where they grew seed potatoes and onions, carrots, winter wheat and grass seed. That’s where he acquired his enthusiasm for farming. “The harvest is the best time of year when you can finally see the result of a year’s hard work to give your crops the best possible care. Watching the whole plot come out of the ground, that’s the icing on the cake.”
Harmjan became acquainted with the trade side of agriculture during his senior internship at uienhandelonline.com. “What interests me the most is helping growers decide on the best onions for their farm.”
Are you interested in the new season?
Growers can already contact us for onion seeds for the third season via our website, uienzaadonline.nl. Or, if you’d rather have personal contact, buyers Jelmer and Harmjan would be happy to share their advice.
Get to know Harmjan: +31 (6) 30 00 27 12 Hj.Hospers@waterman-onions.nl!
Flevoland Groeit event – 30 September
On Thursday, 30 September, entrepreneurs will drive around the province of Flevoland to visit three municipalities and gain knowledge, inspiration, and enthusiasm for the next step in their entrepreneurial journeys. This unique business event is being organised by Horizon, the Province of Flevoland’s regional development company.
Two routes have been laid out for participants to travel from the general assembly to the three sessions on location. During the opening assembly, participants will have a chance to hear from economist and journalist Mathijs Bouwman and entrepreneur Nasima el Bachiri-Ouamar. The sessions on-site will deal with current circularity, export, innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurship after the coronavirus.
A ‘Rij mee met Horizon’ (Ride Along with Horizon) app has been developed especially for this event. The app displays all the routes and session locations in an interactive map, and participating entrepreneurs can network through the matching and chat functions.
Want to ride along with us on 30 September?
Entrepreneurs can already register at Horizon Flevoland Events.
Fruit Attraction 2021: Hope to see you there!
“It’s finally open!” That was the reaction of sales representatives Henri Hendrikse, Rudie Ensing and Michel Veltman when they heard that the trade fair in Madrid wasn’t going to be cancelled again this year. From 5 to 7 October, Waterman Onions will be present at the Fruit Attraction fair, the international fair for everyone active in the fruit and vegetable sector.
Our sales reps are finally able to travel again after a year and a half of working from home, and they’ve been looking forward to it. Rudie Ensing posted his thoughts on travelling again on Waterman Onions’ social media channels – from Schiphol, appropriately enough. Henri Hendrikse: “I’m mainly looking forward to talking to customers again.” For sales rep Michel Veltman, the trade fair is one of the first times he’ll be able to meet his customers in person. “We’ve mainly had contact over the telephone, WhatsApp and e-mail until now.” That’s because Michel started working at Waterman just as the coronavirus pandemic hit the country. “My colleagues have told me that the fair in Madrid is one of the fastest-growing fairs.” That’s why Waterman has joined with partners to create a surprising stand for Fruit Attraction. Henri Hendrikse has a hint for us all: “Pay attention to the colour black: that’s all I can say for now and enjoy the surprise!”
