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.
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.
Who are the men and women of Waterman?
In this column, we introduce one of our employees by asking them a few questions about themselves. Why? Because we’re proud of our team!
Red Light soil blocks
In early March, growers Kuunders and Derikx in South Holland planted 1.5 million red onion soil blocks. The blocks are laid out on a machine by hand, and the machine plants them neatly in the ground.
The plots are located in Deurne and Ysselsteyn, where the soil is warmer and the crops can grow faster. The soil blocks with Red Light onions by De Groot en Slot were first allowed to germinate in a greenhouse. Waterman Onions hopes that this method will allow growers to bring the new harvest of red seed onions to market even earlier.
All of the seeds germinated, and the crop has reached a nice even height, so the plot already looks very promising. The project is very labour-intensive, however, which makes it somewhat more expensive. Each hectare will have to produce several kilogrammes to make it break even. It is important that the onions have enough nutrients to achieve a good yield, so that the grower can harvest a healthy product.
Grower in focus
Meirink Akkerbouw in Oosternijkerk, Friesland, started using a Steketee camera-controlled hoe this season. The tractor is guided by GPS, and the camera ‘sees’ the onions and steers the tractor towards them. Meirink farms around 21 acres of seed onions under the PlanetProof seal of approval. PlanetProof is a sustainable method for growing onions that allows you as a grower to stand out from the competition. The onions are mainly sold to retailers. Meirink grows red and yellow onions for Waterman.
Yme Meirink explains: “We use the hoe because it allows us to control weeds with less GBM, which makes our crops even more sustainable. We also hope that the market will see the added value of the PlanetProof seal of approval. It also has the benefit of putting a bit more oxygen into the soil.” The loamy sand of the Meirink farm can form a crust after heavy rainfall.
Photo: The tractor of Meirink is guided by GPS, the camera ‘sees’ the onions and steers the tractor towards them.
Waterman Onions overseas
Nicaragua is one of the many countries to which Waterman Onions exports its onions. The onions are traded from August to November, before the local harvest is collected.
Kenia Zeledon is the purchasing representative for a Nicaraguan cooperative. She found Waterman Onions simply by searching Google.
“I sent an e-mail and we had our first contact. The collaboration with Waterman Onions is very pleasant. The contact is close. They simply offer the best quality onions and precise measurements. Plus, the people who work there are responsible and reliable. That’s a blessing for our business in Nicaragua. Waterman Onions is simply one of the leaders in the sector.”
Steady business
Waterman Onions Sales Manager Erik Waterman underlines the good relationship in the distant country. “In countries like Nicaragua people work with cooperative, and within the cooperative everyone is treated like family. You can definitely sense that. They are a team and really help one another. That also means we can rely on them, and of course they can rely on us. All of that has resulted in a steady business. Together we’ve managed to achieve some major growth.”
