Van den Heuvel Dairy and Food Equipment (Van den Heuvel) specializes in supplying production lines for the dairy and food industry.
The company started 50 years ago as a supplier of milk processing machines. Over time, the machines have become larger and more complex. In addition, they now also make machines for other food industries.
The breakdown of machines is about 70% dairy and 30% other applications. Meanwhile, about 60% of the turnover consists of exports, especially to emerging markets, The customers are mainly from the SME segment.
Every machine they supply is unique. For each order, the needs are inventoried together with the customer and then the machine is adapted accordingly. This can be a completely new design, but often a combination is made of existing (revised) parts together with new ones. Van den Heuvel can supply the entire production line, from processing the raw materials to finally filling the packaging. Of course, they provide a warranty and supply replacement parts if needed.
The deal that Van den Heuvel insured with Atradius Dutch State Business is the delivery of a production line for mango juice to Rahma in Gambia. The transaction was financed by Invest International and OHV Vermogensbeheer, which discounted the bills, providing Van den Heuvel with working capital.
Rahma was founded in 2016 by Alasan Gent Ceesay, who studied in London, and is also the manager and the sole shareholder. The company has 60 FTE staff and started as a food importer and distributor. Raw materials are purchased in bulk and then repackaged into smaller packages. These are mainly agricultural commodities such as rice, sugar and milk powder.
A mango juice production line is now going to be added to that. Alasan noticed that many mango trees grow in his region, while little is done with the yield. They are largely rotting away on the ground. Until now, there was no need for the farmers to have a good yield from the mango trees, but if they can bring the mangoes to the factory, that will change. Therefore, the idea is to start helping the farmers increase their yields. The underlying idea is to give the entire region an economic boost in this way. The juice is initially intended for the local market and, in the longer term, also for export.
The machine supplied by Van Den Heuvel will be put into operation in the fall. The mangoes will be mechanically stripped of their pith and skin and then processed into juice to finally be stored in 0.5 liter bottles.
In addition to the mango factory, Alasan's ambition is to help women in the region who are responsible for growing tomatoes. He wants to do this by setting up a processing production line for tomatoes.
For Van den Heuvel, the future looks bright. Applications continue to come in steadily. Moreover, adjustments to existing production lines have to be made regularly. This is partly because new variants are constantly being developed in the dairy industry, for example protein drinks.
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