Research

Research

Research question: What are the differences and similarities in export and import of the Netherlands and Slovenia and what does that say about the culture?

Intro research:

In Holland there’re multiple supermarkets like Jumbo, Albert Hein and C1000. They compete with each other and have a large assortment. In every town there’s almost always at least one supermarket. They get their food mostly from a big distribution centre and some of the locals. But it is also possible to buy from a market or get from a grocer or butchery.

In Slovenia almost everyone has a garden where they cultivate food. There are not many supermarkets in Slovenia, but little shops who sells food and drinks.

We will research on difference groups as the student, the families and stores. We have done research at the school cafeteria ‘Enve’, at the supermarket nearby Udens College the Jumbo Drossaard and at a biologic food and drinks distribution centre.

School cafetaria ENVE (10-10-2012)

We have interviewed Frank Pansier from the ENVE.

The ENVE is fully controlled by scholars. They buy their products from ‘Van Oers’. They sell unhealthy food, with a long shelf life. The most popular food and drinks are kitkak, cola, monster and bueno. They try to do not make lose, but it is difficult because they can’t keep their prices very low like the supermarkets, because they buy in a lot. The benefit they give is that the cafeteria is at school, so you don’t need to walk to the supermarket. The prices they try to get them with round numbers so it’s easy for the accountancy. Most of the prices are the same. The ENVE has discounts on product that are over date. They also have a discount when the supplier has a discount. The menu is decided by the consumer, what they like and what the people who are working at the ENVE like. Both teacher as students buy food and drink at the ENVE.

Jumbo de Laak Drossaard

Ronald de Laak – “90% of the products come from the Jumbo distribution centrum in Veghel, the other 10% comes from individual manufacturers from surrounding areas. The most important products are the fresh products like meat, cheese and vegetables, the primary needs. The margin of our store is small, but we have a big volume. We lose money with the A-product, because we have the lowest prices, which sometimes are lower than the purchase prices. The prices of the store are made up by the market. The Jumbo headquarters decide what product are in the assortment of the store, but the Jumbo in Uden has a bigger assortment than the other Jumbo’s in the Netherlands. The main buyers of the store are families. De Jumbo has 24.000 customers a week. The products in the store are tested in the distribution centrum, the store only has to sell them. The typical Dutch food like stroopwafels, drop and herring aren’t sold more than the average. The Jumbo at the Drossaard is the best supermarket in Uden, because of the great service and the big assortment.”

Udea (10-10-2012)

This interview we have had with John Harskamp, the boss of the three bosses who control the three warehouses. The ideal of the company is that the company is good for the nature.

Udea is a distribution centre for organic food. They are the biggest distribution centre of Holland. Everything you can think of like beer, a toothbrush, and toilet paper. They also have fresh milk, dessert and vegetarian meat. They also have dry goods in a place of 7500 square kilometre. The vegetables are selling very well. They have 56 shops of Eko Plaza where they deliver their food. 26 shops they control themselves but their ones are in the hands of private individuals. First Udea sold to the PLUS and Lidle, but they are very strict and Udea stopped. They are filing containers and between 17:00 and 19:00 hour or 03:00 and 05:00 the trucks are taking the products to the shops.

The products are from all over the country, from farmers and from groceries. They also come from Italy, Spain, France, Belgium and Germany, but not in Slovenia. They search for new products by an agent. He searches for farmers in all of Europe if they want to sell to Udea. Udea is also going to conventions of biological food to get new costumers and sell products.

The price of the products depends on the availability of it. Udea also looks at the competition when they decide what the prices will be. Biological food is more expensive than normal, because the process of making the food cost more money. Every product must be certificated. A company tests every product of it is biological produced. Udea also sends samples of products to labs where it will be investigated. When something is not right, the product will not be sold anymore. If a product then is not biological, they will need to sell it to a normal distribution centre.

First inside there is the main office. Further there are warehouse where all the products are stored. Every place has another temperature because of the different kind of product. They have vegetables, meat and drinks inside. Inside Udea there is a company, who cut all the food in little pieces when needed. Furthermore, there is a logistic part that controls all the schedules of the trucks and keep the orders.

Slovenia

INTERVIEWS

We have made some interviews with people that are connected with food and drinks.

 FISH

Firstly, we went to a fishing market, where we talked with a fish-salesman.

-What is your main source of getting ingredients?

-Almost all European countries deliver us the fish, you can pick any country with see.

-How do you decide about prices? – who is deciding it? – what about discounts?

-The Director is the one who is deciding about prices, it depends on the market prices.

-How did the crisis effect your sells?

-The prices are fluctuating, but right now they are mostly the same as five years ago. People still buy expensive fish too…

-Which are the main buyers?

-We can’t imagine a main buyer, our customers are from all social classes of all age. However, older people tend to come more often.

-How can we know that your food is really eco? – are there any certificates, do you test it?

-Of course it is, it is from the see! We don’t have special certificates, but the inspectors are reviewing the fish almost every day.

-Which kind of food is the most popular?

-That is hard to say, but maybe sardines.

-What is your working schedule?

-My working day starts at 4am and ends at 4pm. That’s quite long, heh?

 FRUIT

Secondly we went to a open market, where we were talking with the seller of fruits.

-What is your main source of getting ingredients?

- We get the fruit from the bigger market, the wholesale market in Vižmarje. Fruit is usually not from Slovenia.

 -How do you decide about prices? – who is deciding it? – what about discounts?

- We decide it ourselves, but the market has a great influence.

-How did the crisis effect your sells?

- A lot, people are buying less and cheaper fruits.

-Which are the main buyers?

- Mostly retired people with lower salaries.

-How can we know that your food is really eco? – are there any certificates, do you test it?

-Our food is not eco, we don’t have any certificates. Growers of the fruit have it.

-Which kind of food is the most popular?

-Currently strawberries, pineapple… People have enough oranges and tangerines (laugh).

-What is your working schedule?

-Every day except Sunday from 6am to 6pm, at the winter to 4 pm. 

 Vegetables

Next we went to a saleswoman, who is selling the products from her home, produced on her field.

-What is your main source of getting ingredients?

- We got all our articles from our home field. The whole family are working hard that we can sell it here.

 -How do you decide about prices? – who is deciding it? – what about discounts?

-We decide about the prices by ourselves, we are actually lowing the prices, because of the crisis.

-How did the crisis effect your sells?

- Hardly. We feel the effect every day.

-Which are the main buyers?

- Mostly old permanent buyers, but we have more and more young costumers too!

-How can we know that your food is really eco? – are there any certificates, do you test it?

-Its not really eco, its just home-made. I do not have any certificates, people believe, that our food is natural

 -Which kind of food is the most popular?

-Right now beetroot and potatoes. However, people are buying everything we offer.

Meat

Lastly, we interviewed a horse butchery seller.

-What is your main source of getting ingredients?

- All our meat is Slovenian descent, from Slovenian farmers.

-How do you decide about prices? – who is deciding it? – what about discounts?

-The director decides it. The prices are the same for at least a year.

 -How did the crisis effect your sells?

-Not much, people still afford horse meat.

-Which are the main buyers?

- People of all age, from all social classes. We have a lot of regular customers. Some customers

-How can we know that your food is really eco? – are there any certificates, do you test it?

-We have all kinds of certificates.

-Which kind of food is the most popular?

-Everything is popular. Maybe the sausages are what we are famous for.

Here are the linksof the interviews:
Fishmarket
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz7SxvLJA8Y 
Vegetables
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wjCBSExPOY
Meat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdWVI0wB83k