Van Oers United begins operating under a new label: Primeale United. The seed to plate company

20 June 2022

Starting today, Van Oers United will combine all its activities under a new label: Primeale United. This change marks the start of a new phase for the company, complete with a new vision and mission and a refined strategic focus. The label also ties in better with Agrial, the international cooperative that the company has been an independently operating part of since 2015.

 

“Recently, we have been hard at work on our plans for the future,” says CEO Arno van Dongen. “Our mission is to find sustainable ways of keeping nutritious, healthy and delicious vegetables available and accessible to as many people as possible. Plant-based products are becoming increasingly important, as is shortening the distance from the farm to the plate, with attention to  traceability of ingredients and eating local products. In this dynamic environment, our challenge is to keep our promise of making the best vegetables available all year long, so people across Europe can eat as many healthy and delicious meals as possible. We are uniquely positioned to do this, because we manage the entire chain ourselves.”

The best of both worlds
The company was originally born out of a merger between Van Noort, a trading company dealing in fruits and vegetables, and the cultivation organisation Van Oers. To this day, that combination and the expertise regarding both facets is unique on the market. When the company joined the international cooperative Agrial as an independently operating organisation in 2015, it gained access to a vast amount of knowledge and expertise. Now, in 2022, the company enters a new phase under the label of Primeale United. All of the organisation's activities, including the business in the Netherlands and the cultivation activities in Senegal and Morocco, will be brought together under this label in the future.

Sustainable and innovative
In addition to a strategic focus on partnerships with customers, solutions for consumers, chain management and international collaboration, Primeale United is fully dedicated to innovation and sustainability to solidify its position as market leader. The company adds value by introducing innovations at every stage of the process. These range from smart ways of keeping the soil healthy and robotisation to making packaging more sustainable.
“We are a leader in sustainability and, as such, we want to be an example for the category,” says Arno van Dongen. “We challenge ourselves every single day to do even more for people and the environment. We focus heavily on organic cultivation methods and stimulate biodiversity. We also run literacy projects and provide microcredits and medical care to our colleagues in Africa.” When it comes to contributing to a healthy planet, the organisation's main focus in the years to come will be on reducing its ecological footprint and improving biodiversity. With regard to the theme of healthy and happy people, the focus is on integrity across the entire chain and engagement in the wellbeing, development and health of all employees.

About Primeale United
Primeale United delivers more than 126 million kilos of fresh vegetables to 630 million plates across Europe. With a workforce of 900 full-time employees and up to 5,000 flexworkers working at four huge farms in the Netherlands, northern and southern Morocco and western Senegal and sales in thirty countries, the company earns a revenue of €260 million. Its portfolio consists of thirty different types of vegetables, including such Primeale United icons as green beans, Brussels sprouts, corn, radishes and spring onions.