"It has to happen in practice!"

More than two years ago, Kiwa strengthened itself with AQS, which specializes in the inspection of fresh produce. In addition to quality inspections in the fruit and vegetable sector, Kiwa AQS also trains inspectors and quality controllers. For Growers United, one of the larger suppliers of greenhouse vegetables in Europe, these training courses are very important in order to be able to deliver the desired high quality level. Quality control team leader Caby Flaton tells more about it.

Growers United is a cooperative of and for fruit vegetable growers. With five brands, more than forty affiliated family businesses and approximately 600 hectares of greenhouses, Growers United is one of the larger players in the cultivation, packaging and sale of greenhouse vegetables in Europe. The Dutch company not only supports affiliated growers with sales and marketing, but also guides them in making cultivation more sustainable, quality assurance and various certifications in that area.

Which training courses does Kiwa AQS provide for Growers United?

In our organization, inspectors are trained to become inspectors of greenhouse vegetables. At Growers United, this mainly concerns tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers and sweet pointed peppers. These vegetables can be found in the inspector modules P1 and P2. In addition, we followed the courses Communication (A1) and Calibration at Kiwa AQS. In the latter, our people learned everything about the trading standards that apply to our products and any associated customer specifications. In the Communication module, bad news conversations, among other things, were discussed. Conversation techniques are practiced on the basis of role plays and our inspectors learn everything about verbal and non-verbal communication.

What does such a training look like?

These are usually multi-day training sessions that consist of both theory and practice. In the inspector modules P1 and P2, cultivation companies are visited during the training to gain knowledge about how products are grown.

How does Growers United benefit from the training?

If we have well-trained inspectors, we as an organization can guarantee the quality of our products and ensure that they meet European trade standard quality requirements.

What does the training mean for your customers?

Growers United stands for the highest quality. By training our inspectors at Kiwa, we can continue to guarantee quality and deliver the quality that is expected of us.

How do your inspectors look back on the training?

Our employees think it is a good training with the right balance. Sufficient theory is covered, but the emphasis is on practice. And it has to happen in practice.