BUSINESS CASE
Belgische Fruitveiling (BFV)
Quality
Short transit time
Flexibility
Exporting TRUVAL Conference pears
from Antwerp to China
Belgische Fruitveiling (BFV) is the
largest European fruit growers’
cooperative, with an annual
production volume of 230,000
tonnes and a turnover of 145
million euros. BFV is the European
market leader in different types
of fruit, in particular conference
pears. The Port of Antwerp is
a key partner in the overseas
supply chain of BFV.
www.bfv.be
www.portofantwerp.com
Thanks to the good collaboration
with the various players in the
port, BFV is able to transport its
pears in a fast and flexible way
to China.
COMPANY PROFILE
BELGISCHE FRUITVEILING
(BFV)
 Cooperative of 1500
members
 Sorting, packaging and
distribution of fruit
 Market leader in
Conference pears
Thanks to the
flexibility in Antwerp
our pear exports
have never missed a
ship
 Annual production
volume of 230,000
tonnes
 Turnover of 145
million euros
 85% of all products are
exported all over the
world
BUSINESS CASE
Belgische Fruitveiling (BFV)
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Challenge
High quality
requirements from
Chinese consumers
Solution
Short transit
time and flexible
handling
Result
Tasty pears
for Chinese
consumers

STRICT QUALITY
 FAST TRANSIT
 HIGH QUALITY
REQUIREMENTS
The conference pear is firm
and well suited to export, but
short transit times are nevertheless very important. The
faster the pears reach their final
destination, the better the taste
remains.

STRONG FOCUS
ON COST CONTROL
The cost of transport plays an
important role, as it makes up
some 10% of the retail price of
the pear.

LESS PAPERWORK
Exporting Conference pears
to China requires a whole lot of
paperwork.
Thanks to its location, the
Port of Antwerp is geographically
close to our fruit auctions.
Moreover, the transit times
within the port are shorter than
in other European ports. Products
can still be delivered to the port
only 18 hours before the ship
sails. BFV also makes frequent use
of the flexibility afforded for late
arrivals.
 FLEXIBLE PLANNING
AND HANDLING
The Port of Antwerp is a key
partner in the overseas supply
chain of BFV. Thanks to the good
collaboration with the various
players in the port, BFV is able
to transport its pears in a fast
and flexible way to China. As a
result the TRUVAL Conference
pears have an assured place on
the Chinese supermarket shelves
while keeping their great taste,
straight from the Belgian fruit
valley.
BFV calls upon the specialist
logistics service provider foodcareplus for the entire logistics
challenge, from transport to phytosanitary inspections. Foodcareplus guarantees flexible planning:
after conditioning the pears are
loaded on board ship as quickly
as possible. Moreover foodcareplus measures the performance
of all players involved, so that the
logistics process can be constantly
fine-tuned.
 REGULAR LINER SERVICES
The availability of many
regular liner services in Antwerp
offers a lot of advantages and reduces the variability in the supply
chain.
Supply chain
BELGIUM
PORT OF ANTWERP
SHIPPING COMPANY
DESTINATIONS
Vrasene / Sint-Truiden
DP World (Q 1742)
Antwerp Gateway (Q 1700)
PSA Noordzee Terminal (Q 913)
Yang Ming Line / Hanjin
Cosco / Maersk Line
Hyundai Merchant Marine
China (Xingang, Shekou, Shanghai)
Hong Kong / Singapore
Vladivostok / Surabaya / Port Kelang
FOODCAREPLUS
FOODCAREPLUS
BELGISCHE FRUITVEILING (BFV)
Marc Evrard, Manager Business Development, T +32 011 69 34 11, E [email protected]
FOODCARE PLUS
Steve Alaerts, General Sales Manager, T +32 3 242 91 54, E [email protected]
PORT OF ANTWERP
Wim Dillen, Sr. Business Development Manager, T +32 (0)3 229 65 92, E [email protected]
Responsible editor: Port of Antwerp — Pictures: © Port of Antwerp — May 2013 — 600101