Our suppliers are very important to us. Ball Seed Gold Service Suppliers set us apart from the rest by delivering top-quality assistance that makes all the difference. Here, we introduce you to Van Wingerden Greenhouses based in Blaine, Washington.
Van Wingerden Greenhouses has been in the young plant supply business working closely with Ball Seed as a Gold Supplier since 1990. According to current co-owner, Tom Van Wingerden, his dad built up the business with Ball Seed as a partner. He says, “They really helped us get started and built the business for us.” There are now five owners of Van Wingerden Greenhouses.
This company approaches growing for their growers, like they would for their own business. “Our goals align with our customers’ goals in that we want a quality plug, well-rooted, compact top that can transplant easily,” says Tom. Their attention to quality is their top priority. They always try to have somebody’s eyes on all of their products at all times. With a well-rounded team, they can make sure that although it can be a challenge at times, it’s really all about getting the product to the customer without the product freezing, tumbling, or out of its package before it arrives to its destination.
It is because they’ve spent the time thinking and working on the amount of time product is in a box, on a truck, outside of a greenhouse. Van Wingerden’s approach to logistics is always truck delivery first. “If we can deliver it on a truck, preferably our own truck, we will do that,” says Tom.
They’ve also invested on the software side of the company. As several pieces of software within their system have been developed specifically to control the flow of product through the greenhouse, this in turn improves traceability providing data to help improve efficiency in shipping.
Investing in their employees is also important. According to Robert Chavarría, Young Plants Manager for Van Wingerden, “We focus on hiring the right people for the right positions. We invest in training people so we can pass the knowledge to everybody that is working across the [supply] chain.” Getting them into the greenhouse with the product is key on getting the best quality.
Their connection with Ball is that it’s also a family business. Tom says, “They treat us like we’re family and we treat them like they’re our family. It trickles down to both Ball Seed’s customers and our customers, and it reflects on how much we care for each other as well.”
Find out more about Van Wingerden Greenhouses in our video series at our YouTube playlist.
Ball Seed Gold Service Suppliers are the easiest to do business with! They provide you:
-
Accurate inventory
-
Timely order confirmations and shipment tracking
-
Priority service on shortages and substitutions