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During this period of reconstruction in the Netherlands, there was plenty of building, development and pioneering. Amidst this expansion, young Teun van Noort excelled as a broker in fruit and vegetables. The old wholesalers market on Noordplein in Rotterdam offered Teun van Noort a stand.

The Market
The market was a rather unsophisticated set up, where goods were displayed in stalls; there were no cooling facilities for products at that time. The range of vegetables at the time was very limited and consisted, amongst others, of spinach, endives, (butterhead) lettuce and cauliflower.

In the early 1970s, the Rotterdam wholesale market relocated to the Spaanse Polder neighbourhood. From this point, Van Noort’s focus shifted more to the supermarket segment: He saw the opportunities there and anticipated the significant developments that now seem so obvious.

Introduction of vegetables to the Netherlands
Vegetables that became popular and affordable to consumers in the 1970’s:

Aubergine | Origin: Probably India
Broccoli | Origin: Probably the Eastern Mediterranean.
Courgette | Origin: Mexico
Capsicum | Origin: South America

Karel van Oers established a mixed agricultural business in Heerle, where he specialised in bobby beans.

Due to the changing role of the auction, Karel van Oers took the decision to leave the auction business. Doing business directly with the end customer became the motto. As a pioneer in his field, Karel recognised the need for mechanisation to meet growing demand and he expanded the business with revolutionary harvesting and processing equipment.

The sorting process
Focus on sorting the beans and utilising the best equipment to provide top quality

Karel van Oers expanded his production sites to countries in southern Europe, such as France and Spain (in the 1990s) for seasonal extension and continuation of the supply of beans. In addition to bobby beans, Karel also included potatoes, leeks and other vegetables in the production programme. The concept of year-round supply of fresh produce started to take shape. Karel van Oers expanded his production sites to countries in southern Europe, such as France and Spain (in the 1990s) for seasonal extension and continuation of the supply of beans. In addition to bobby beans, Karel also included potatoes, leeks and other vegetables in the production programme. The concept of year-round supply of fresh produce started to take shape.

A space was hired for the packaging/sorting of pineapples at Handelscentrum ZHZ in Barendrecht (stand 15). During this period, Jacob started building a select network of growers around him. This strategy was driven by changes in the market and collaboration with the former auction. This partnership developed further in subsequent years and, coupled with in-house production, is a crucial part of the company’s current success.

Partnership with growers
By working in collaboration with growers, he guaranteed the supply of a wide range of vegetables to clients.

The number of clients continued to grow and there was confidence in the future; new premises were therefore constructed in Ridderkerk in 2002, right next to the former Handelscentrum. A functional surface area of 19,000 m2 with modern packaging equipment and cooling facilities provided a strong foundation for the organisation.

Karel van Oers, Peter van Driel and Bert van der Beek shared the vision that sprout production and sales could be far better. The new concept was based on shorter sales lines, coupled with year-round production. Overseas production sites, high- tech machinery and sophisticated logistics were employed to achieve this.

Heinenoord
They shaped the concept together with a number of sprout growers.
The home base was in Heinenoord, where the washed sprouts were also produced and packed.

Freshgroup International integrated with Freshwell. The addition of Menno Molenaar to the team bolstered operations in terms of professionalism and capacity. Facilities for producing small retail packaging formats such as flowpacks and extruded net packaging were established at the Heinenoord site in quick succession.

Van Oers United’s focus is to lead continually in terms of quality and availability. In 2008, production was expanded to Senegal, approximately 80 km inland from Dakar. A beautiful farm in beautiful surroundings where a great deal of work went into the necessary infrastructure for professional production and where the range was expanded even further.

2011 was dominated by a merger between T. van Noort and Van Oers to form Van Oers United B.V.
The merger between two unique companies, each with its respective specialisms and ranges, paved the way for a new decisive entity.

In 2012, VOU devoted a great deal of attention to further professionalising our organisation. We welcomed many new professional colleagues and sustainability was a central theme within operational management. Van Oers United signed up to the IDH sustainable trade initiative in this year.

Expansion of Van Oers United’s activities
The packaging department was modernised and there were also plenty of developments at overseas sites. The production acreage was extended by 200 ha in Senegal and northern Morocco.

Branding
Van Oers United launched two brands in 2012; Freshwell & Growing Excellence.

In 2015, Oers United was taken over by Agrial’s vegetable division. Van Oers United thus instantly became part of the European market leader in fresh vegetables, with the brands Florette for ready-made vegetables, Priméale for unprocessed vegetables, and Créaline for soups, sauces and purees.