Our goal at Zandbergen World’s Finest Meat is to make great food that is safe and satisfying. And it’s also crucially important to us that we do this responsibly. Our local representatives, veterinarians and animal well-being specialists routinely visit farmers and all suppliers to ensure animals are cared for properly according to the highest standards. We comply with national and international regulations on animal health and welfare.
Great food starts with good and passionate people. Our relationships with our partners are the cornerstone of our business. We’re proud to partner with only the major leading companies around the world. Some of them have been successfully working with us for decades or even generations. We rely on them and work closely with them to provide healthy animals that have been treated properly and raised using modern, proven animal care practices.
Zandbergen has a clear philosophy with regard to our role in creating a sustainable environment for our and future generations. We live by a set of values in everything we do worldwide: respect everyone’s family, work, customs, cultures and religions. We furthermore ensure that we meet the needs of the animals and the lands they live on because they are our livelihood and legacy.
The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) is a global, multi-stakeholder initiative developed to advance continuous improvement in sustainability of the global beef value chain through leadership, science and multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration. The GRSB envisions a world in which all aspects of the beef value chain are environmentally sound, socially responsible and economically viable.
We have made the storage facility more sustainable by installing a record-breaking (5,800 solar panels) energy system on the 10,500m² roof. This also enables us to positively influence the environmental impact of the total production chain.
The system has a capacity of 1,577 MWp that produces 1,388 MWh every year. This would be sufficient to meet the average annual energy needs of 300 four-person households, significantly reducing the carbon footprint by 950 tonnes per year. Zandbergen’s Frigomundo uses around 2,915 MWh of energy a year and the solar panels will meet around 50% of this requirement. When the cooling systems are not running, the excess power will go back into the local electricity grid.
We are convinced that our sustainable approach gives us a competitive edge and will attract clients who share our sustainable view of the future.
Since commencing the modernisation of our installations (cold equipment, chargers and isolation) in 2012, we have reduced our energy consumption by at least 25%.
We also put our vision on sustainability into daily practice. For example, we use LED lighting and FSC certified paper and wood. In addition to the solar panels, our warehouse Frigomundo disposes of a modern energy-efficient cascade cooling/freezing unit on the basis of ammonia and CO2. The residual heat is used for the underfloor heating of the cold storage rooms. By means of double door systems and insulation sluices, the flowing off of cold air from the cooling and freezing rooms is kept to an absolute minimum.
We recognise that each team member plays an important role in our success. We challenge our employees to apply their skills, education and insight to help improve company performance.
We see protecting and respecting human rights as a given and recognise the critical role all participants within the beef value chain play in their community with respect to culture, heritage, employment, land rights and health. We are committed building a team from a diverse range of backgrounds who have skills, talents, ambitions and strong work ethics.
We know that our hard-working team members are integral to our success and this is why we believe in fair compensation. We offer employees competitive pay and benefits because we appreciate everything they do. We want Zandbergen World’s Finest Meat to be their employer of choice.
While we are today one of Europe’s leading food import companies, we have not forgotten where we come from. Zandbergen began as a small butcher shop in Leiden over 90 years ago. We still hold to our founding core values, while embracing new innovations and technology. Discover all the benefits of a large, internationally- orientated company with a small family business feel.
