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may 2014

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Table of contentNatudis, Kroon and Hagor... we like NatureThe changes at Natudis, Kroon and Hagor are happening one after

the other...

Natudis is growing in all areas

You must have noticed. Natudis Nederland B.V., including the fresh

produce wholesaler Kroon and wholesaler Hagor located in Bel-

gium...

Get inspired by...25 original types of packaging

25 brazen questions for...

Peter van der Schoot, Business Unit Manager at Kroon.

25 popular Natudis products

All the little treasures in a row...

You know it’s springtime when...

25 brazen questions for...

Damien de Breuck, Business Unit Manager at Hagor.

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Natudis, Kroon and Hagor...

we like NatureWelcome to the new Nature Magazine, a publication with which to share all kinds of

Nature news.

The changes at Natudis, Kroon and Hagor are happening one after the other. This is

yet another result of the changes. From now on, we will be regularly informing you

on what we’re working on; everything that moves us, inspires us and gets us going.

For over 30 years, we as a Benelux wholesaler have worked to promote healthy

food and a healthy lifestyle. Every day, we make efforts to improve our product

ranges even more and to introduce new products that fit in with our natural

wholesale trade. For over 25 years, our customers and business contacts have

known our Natuurwinkel formula, of which we have recently opened our 25th shop.

Reason enough for us to share this with you, our readers. To celebrate this together;

a celebration of growth and the future.

It’s important to us to shape a sustainable world with you by offering the best

products that nature gives us, including both groceries and our fresh product range.

To encourage natural nutrition and the use of natural food together with our (future)

customers and to achieve a balanced dietary pattern, but also to work towards a

more balanced Earth.

We are able to receive food from the cross-pollination between human and nature.

With that comes a certain responsibility for this nature, for our farmers and

manufacturers, for you as an entrepreneur and for our customers. Our dream is for

you to share these ideals with us so that everyone can make their own contribution.

Wouldn’t that be great?

In this publication, you will get to know us a bit better, and we would like to inspire

you with fun information and ideas. All connected with nature in a natural lifestyle.

Happy reading!

Petra van der Linden - Steenvoorden BrussenCEO of Natudis

Natudis is growing in all areasYou must have noticed. Natudis Nederland B.V., including the fresh produce wholesaler Kroon and

wholesaler Hagor located in Belgium, was officially taken over by the family company Vroegop Ruhe &

Co B.V. last April. There has been a lot of media attention surrounding the takeover and how we at Nature

experienced it. But how well do you know the Vroegop Ruhe & Co B.V. company? We expect that you are

curious about the history of our new shareholder. That’s why we’ve put together a brief history of how

Vroegop Ruhe & Co B.V. came to be.

The fortiesVroegop-Windig is a family company with a rich history. After a

few years of experience in his own produce shop, Piet Vroegop

started a wholesale business in 1940 in national produce at the

Amsterdam Food Centre. After a few years, his sons also joined

the business, giving the business the name P. Vroegop & Sons.

To accommodate changing customer needs, their product range

was expanded to provide produce from abroad.

In 1966 for example, the business merged with Ruhe, a specialist

in citrus fruits and bananas. Furthermore, the Windig takeover in

1996 brought in specific knowledge of exotic foods. In addition

to produce import and sales, logistics services took on a much

larger role. In 2006, an ultra-modern distribution centre was

opened in Bleiswijk, from which they could supply products to

mainly retail customers.

2014Apart from Natudis, Vroegop Ruhe & Co B.V. currently consists of

2 subsidiaries; Vroegop-Windig and De Kweker. Vroegop-Windig

is a produce wholesaler (in potatoes, fruits and vegetables)

and organic, sustainable produce selling nationally in the retail

and food service industries. De Kweker is a wholesaler in fresh

foods (produce, meats, fish, cheese, dairy and bread) and dry

groceries as well as non-food (kitchen and restaurant supplies)

with self-serve wholesale markets in Amsterdam and Purmerend

and delivery wholesale markets in Amsterdam, Wervershoof and

Texel for food professionals.

Through the years, Vroegop Ruhe & Co B.V. has proved to be

a solid business which can adapt well to changing situations

and can establish close cooperation with staff, customers and

partners through mutual dedication. The passion for the trade,

and market and product knowledge can be found everywhere in

the company.

Bright futurePieter Vroegop (CEO Vroegop Ruhe & Co B.V.): “This takeover is

very important to us, because we can learn from Natudis’

knowledge and experience with organic food. We already had a

focus on organic food, but with this collaboration, I expect to be

able to take some important steps sooner, giving Natudis even

more room to work independently in the organic market”.

We had already started our collaboration with fresh produce

wholesaler Kroon, but it too will be intensified. We also have a

very positive impression of the Belgian wholesaler Hagor. All in

all, the takeover has been an enrichment of the company.

Solid & PassionThrough the years, Vroegop Ruhe & Co B.V. has proved to be

a solid business which can adapt well to changing situations

and can establish close cooperation with staff, customers and

partners through mutual dedication. The passion for the trade,

and market and product knowledge can be found everywhere in

the company.

Our companies fit together very well. Therefore, we are very

happy with the takeover. We feel that Vroegop Ruhe & Co B.V.

supports our vision and can continue our set course.

“Our view is that joining forces between Vroegop Ruhe & Co B.V.

and Natudis Nederland B.V. will lead to a great collaboration,

further increasing the focus on a healthy Earth and healthy food”,

says Petra van der Linden - Steenvoorden Brussen

(CEO of Natudis).

page 5

Get inspired by...25 original types of packaging

Handy little olive oil for your salad to goEmpire State Spagetti!

A scoop of butter...

Seeing through rosé-coloured glasses...

Gnome crumbs…

Cupcakes, straight from

the oven

page 7

Source: Pinterest.com/pacegr/original-packaging/

Handige olijfolie voor je salade to go

Get inspired by...25 original types of packaging

What is the weirdest item in your pro-

duct range?Drunk cheese………

What makes it so weird?In Italy, they used to charge taxes on cheese. To avoid having to pay taxes, the farmers used to hide the cheese under the grape must: the little skins and seeds that were left over from making wine. After a few weeks, when the cheeses were taken out again, they found that they had developed somewhat of a unique taste. Nearby Venice, at the foot of the Alps, a certain cheese factory still makes “Drunk cheese” in the exact same way.

Which kind of service could you think of

that does not exist yet?A practical way of bringing the consumer clo-ser to the manufacturer, famer or grower the moment they make a purchase.

What is the most unusual request

you’ve ever got from a customer?A request to provide organic, edible little flo-wers for on a customer’s wedding cake.

And what did you say to that unusual

request?Of course we can.

What item from your product range

would you rather not eat/drink?Wheat grass juice.

Why not?You should try it, then you’ll know why...

Where would you like to work if you did-

n’t work for Kroon?I would probably open my own organic wine bar. It might sound like a dream, but I would love to let people taste delicious wines and tell them all about them.

What position would you most like

to have if you weren’t a business unit

manager?I would love to be a reporter for the Michelin Guide.

What is your least favourite thing about

your current position?Approving invoices!

Which item in your product range will

you get out of bed for?Our Demeter asparagus from the Watertuin. Our grower Gaveshi Reus really has the most fantastic asparagus; I always look forward to having them again. Whenever springtime comes around, I get that feeling again… and Peet de Krom’s strawberries; those are really just summer sweets for me.

What is your favourite professional

magazine?Bouillon, which is not really a professional magazine but a culinary magazine, with great culinary stories. It’s a real treat to read.

Which shop inspires you the most?Many different ones; I really like Eataly in Italy, where fresh products are prepared on the spot in the shop. Fresh & Wild in London, one of its first organic shops. I also went to an organic shop in Dublin, in the basement they had an organic wine bar, with an organic delicatessen

shop on the ground floor, where they prepare meals on the spot that you can take with you, and upstairs on the first floor they have an organic restaurant, where they use fresh ingredients to make delicious meals.

In short: it’s inspiring. I find it generally inspiring to visit shops; it is often the smallest details that make the shop more than just a location where you purchase your products.

What would you like to see change right

away in our branch?I would like to shift our thinking to one that fo-cuses more on the entire chain, valuing all the components of the chain. That also includes the wholesale market, which is often seen as a redundant part between the farmer and the shops. In my opinion, the wholesale market can help to reinforce the chain and functions as the oil between the cogs of the chain. That way, we can achieve efficiency, coordination of supply and demand, and of course the whole logistics circus.

Which Facebook or Twitter accounts do

you like to follow?None; to be honest, I actually can’t stand Facebook and Twitter. I don’t really feel the need to constantly tell the world where I am. I

Peter van der Schoot, Business Unitmanager at Kroon

“Why I prefer not to drink wheat grass juice? You should try it, then you’ll know why...”

Most of us know Business Unit Manager Peter van der Schoot. We see him at trade fairs, in shops, at branch

meetings….. But how well do we really know him? In this interview, we’ll get to know Peter even better as a

professional, but especially as a human of Nature.

25 brazen questions for...

also have the feeling that people tend to only put out positive images of their lives, making it a one-sided medium, so I guess it’s more of a Fakebook. I realise this may make me old-fashioned.

How do you keep up to date on the

newest developments in business/ma-

nagement?Mostly by talking to a lot of people in the industry.

Which development in the previous

question do you agree most with?It’s more of an insight than a development. It’s from the book by Stephen Covey, about the 8 habits of effective leadership. According to Co-vey, effective leadership and change are best done in three steps. The first step comprises three habits, geared towards personal and individual development. They enable you to establish yourself as an independent person. The next three habits are about effective col-laboration and constitute the second step. The seventh habit is about developing and maintai-ning the other six habits. This habit constitutes the third step, together with the eighth habit: people’s ability to live up to their own potential and to inspire others to do the same.

And how have you put that development

into practice?By working on the company together with the Kroon team, with an enormous passion for organic products. In this process, everyone has their own individual qualities which contri-bute to the total result. Everyone is incredibly important in this, as we are all dependent on each other. This togetherness has given our people pride and great drive to develop Kroon even further.

Which item would you like to add to

your product range that you don’t al-

ready have?Buratta; we found a fantastic manufacturer in

Italy. Buratta is cream-filled mozzarella. I had some when I was in Italy. Tomato carpaccio with buratta, a bit of sea salt and delicious olive oil. It was really amazing. I would love to import it. It would be quite a challenge since it can only be kept up to 14 days, is made by a small-scale Italian farmer and is unknown to many consumers. I do, however, hope that we can start importing it before summer starts, as it’s too delicious not to.

Where will Kroon be in five years?In five years, it will have both feet on the ground. We always keep working hard to pro-vide the service and quality we have had until now. You’re only as good as your last achie-vement, which means that you have to offer quality day in day out, and always do your best to find new products, making our customers and consumers happy.

How do you want your customers to see

Kroon?As an innovative, collaborative wholesaler. One who’s capable of connecting manufac-turers and shops/consumers. So that the products we sell are not anonymous and thus have added value for consumers. If a product has that added value, it’s not about the lowest price, but more about the right price.

What other player in the organic foods

industry do you respect a lot?I respect many players in this industry, inclu-ding De Groene passage. That collection of entrepreneurs has been around for over 15 years, and is still a role model in sustainability, innovation and collaboration. Not only in its story, but also in day to day operations.

What other player in the non-organic

foods industry do you respect a lot?Daphne Schippers; at the World Champion-ships in Moscow she won the first women’s bronze medal in Dutch history. A year ago, my daughter got to train with her at the Olympic

hall in Papendal. It showed me just how much you have to train to reach your goal. And that willpower alone is not enough; you also need to have enormous passion for what you’re doing.

What is the best promotion campaign

you have ever led?Red de Rijke Weide Kaas [Save the Rich Pas-ture Cheese]. That was a great project we set up together with Henk Pelleboer and the Dutch Bird Protection Foundation. It was a prime example of how you can involve consumers in societal issues with a product and make it vi-sible in their living environment. The money is directly invested in Rijke Weide [rich pasture].

Which business decision for Kroon will

you never regret?The collaboration we entered into with Vroegop 3 years ago, which has now resulted in the most beautiful organic company in the Benelux, with a new entrepreneurial zest, with a focus on service, quality and involvement with our customers and suppliers.

page 9

Founded: 16/09/1993

In the group: 22/04/2010

Location: Food Centre in Amsterdam

• Approx. 1000 products; all organic

• Fresh and frozen products

• Delicatessen brands like PUUR

25popular

natudisproducts

3. 4. 5.

BioNutWalnuts

6.

Green & BlacksDark chocolate 85%

25.

ProvamelDrink

VivaniDark chocolate 85%

24.23.

BioNutBrown almonds

LimaRice drink original

20.

15.

EkolandAppleconcentrate

1.

BioNutMixed nuts

FertiliaMild olive oil

2.

11.AllosAgave syrup

TerschellingerCranberry juice

10.

MorgaVegetable broth1 kilo

17.

MorgaVegetable broth400 gram

SchärRustico multigrain

7.

HorizonMixed nut paste

EcoMilAlmond drink

9.8.

SchärCiabatta Rustica

VivaniDarkChocolate92%

12. 13. 14.

SchärPain Campagnard Dr. Karg

Spelt with seeds

16.

SchärPan Carré

18.

Omega & MoreCoconut oil

De HalmOatmeal

SchärErthasourdough bread

HorizonAlmond paste

22.21.

page 11

You know it’s springtime when...

you wake up in the morning and you hear birds singing

cafés have put their tables outside and you have to wait for a seat

it’s too cold for skimpy spring clothes in the shade

your cheeks get sunburned

the smell of freshly mowed grass is in the air

the cows are dancing in the meadow!

buds and blossoms appear in the trees

meadow larks are returning to the Dutch meadows

rosé tastes like rosé again

you can get on your bicycle in the morning without putting gloves on first

you can hang up your clean laundry outside again

you see the first little lambs of the season out in the meadows

freckles that had been hiding during winter time come out again

you don’t need your blush and bronzing powder anymore

doors to the backyard can stay open all day, which pleases the pets

you can walk outside in your pyjamas without freezing

you get less disciplined in making appointments, deadlines etc.

you stay outside much longer, because you want to keep the feeling of that first sun on your skin

you feel like eating delicious salads as a main course

you refill the flower pots and get the garden furniture outside

it’s still just the right amount of nippy out to order a hot beverage

bare legs!

you wake up on Sunday from the neighbours rinsing their backyard terrace

the sun doesn’t go down until late

you can order iced tea instead of hot tea

2.

1.

4.

3.

6.

5.

8.

7.

10.

9.

12.

11.

14.

13.

16.

15.

18.

17.

20.

19.

22.

21.

24.

23.

25.

page 13

What is the weirdest item in your product range? Snail syrup.

What makes it so weird? The name. When I first discovered the product in our range, I wondered whether it really had anything to do with snails. And yet, this syrup really does contain extracts from vineyard snails. The product has a healing effect on coughing… so there you go.

Which item would you like to add to your product range that you don’t already have? There are many products of which I would like to introduce an organic version. An example is organic yeast, to name one.

Which kind of service could you think of that does not exist yet? I don’t really have an answer for that off the top of my head. But I can imagine that new technologies could play a part in it.

What item from your product range would you rather not eat/drink? Peanut butter. That may not be the answer our neighbours to the north want to hear, but I really don’t like the taste. I have had the opportunity to try lots of delicious products.

Why would you rather not eat it?It has a very strong, quite unpleasant taste. I can’t really describe it; it’s been a long time since I last had it.

Where would you like to work if you didn’t work for Kroon/Hagor?Probably for an NGO or at another organic company.

What position would you most like to have if you weren’t a business unit manager/country manager?I would certainly be interested in a position as project manager. I would enjoy setting things up and guiding them to a good ending. This may not always be easy, but it’ll certainly keep you busy and often has lots of variety due to its multidisciplinary nature.

What is your least favourite thing about your current position?I don’t like administrative work. It needs to be done, but it really is far from exciting.

Which item in your product range will you get out of bed for?That might be going a bit far... But there are lots of products I really love. I really love Fior di Frutta mandarin jam.” Then I would also enjoy a glass of Pizzolato Prosecco. Truly refreshing and pleasant. The LunaeTerra standard tree apple juice is

top quality. And I could go on.

What is your favourite professional magazine?I can always learn a lot from retail magazines. They provide insights on the

upcoming retail evolutions and product trends. The French magazine Linéaires is a good example. Linéaires also distributes a version about the organic market in France.

Which trade fair inspires you the most? In our industry, I find Biofach the most inspiring. It’s more because of the contacts than the products.

What would you like to see change right away in our branch? I would like to have all orders come in digitally, allowing them to be processed more quickly and more accurately. At the moment, we spend loads of time simply entering orders, which can result in mistakes due to lack of time.

Which Facebook or Twitter accounts do you like to follow?

Damien de Breuck, Business Unitmanager at Hagor

“I really love Fior di Frutta mandarin jam.”

Damien Breuck is our Business Unit Manager at Belgian wholesaler Hagor. Not everyone knows about our opera-

tions in Belgium and that’s why we’re giving you an inside look in the professional life of Damien, our Nature

manager.

25 brazen questions for...

To be honest: very few. We are bombarded by so much information/messages as it is that I spend little time doing targeted searches through social media. When I do need specific information, I surf the web until I find something of value.

How do you keep up to date on the newest developments in business/management?Through the internet on websites like De Tijd. I also find that the business magazine CXO is worth looking through. Furthermore, I find that conversations with people from this industry or other industries are a source of inspiration for your activities.

Which development in the previous question do you agree most with?The evolution of online shops and their implications for the retail trade. The ways in which consumers are kept up to date through communication technology on promotional offers, innovative products and services. There’s no stopping it.

And how have you put that development into practice? We are still far-removed from all of that. But the fact is that we have to be alert and mustn’t ignore this development.

Where will Hagor be in five years?Unfortunately, I don’t have a crystal ball, but I do think that the development of various technologies will have influence Hagor’s development.

How do you want your customers to see Kroon/Hagor?I want our customers to see Hagor as a reliable, high-quality, customer-friendly and service-oriented partner. A partner who can also provide added value in service and

product range. We are still far from perfect and are aware that there are still steps we can and should take.

What other player in the organic foods industry do you respect a lot?Not one company in particular. I do, however, respect entrepreneurs who had the courage to start their company and turn their vision into a success story. I take my hat off to them.

What other player in the non-organic foods industry do you respect a lot? I respect starters who put products or services on the market using good, innovative ideas and then turn out to become very successful. Facebook is a good example. Companies who take societal aspects into account also deserve a pat on the back.

What about working for a Dutch company took the most getting used to? I had to get used to the culinary side of things. Meat croquettes and milk for lunch was quite the odd combination. But in the meantime, I’ve very much come to enjoy the delicious organic salads at Natudis. Besides that, I suppose the Dutch are a bit more direct. That took a little adjustment as well. But it has been very pleasant working with them.

What kinds of products do you market in Belgium that don’t do so well in the Netherlands?Let me think for a moment... I can’t think of anything.

Is there a reason for it?I think it’s because the Dutch and Belgian markets are very similar.

Do you think there’s a clear difference in your product range sales between French-speaking and Dutch-speaking consumers?First and foremost, languages on packaging play a role. French-language brands do bet-ter in proportion in the south of the country than they do in Flanders. Taste makes a big difference as well.

page 15

Founded: 29/06/1963

In the group: 30/06/2000

Location: Wijgmaal, Belgium• Approx. 6000 products

• all organic• Grocery products

walk over your twinkling thoughts dance among whirling splashes of colour look through the mirrors of your dreams

grow and feel the light smiling at you