Jacco Wagelaar, general manager of GI-OVO, speaks to African Farming on how the company is improving the egg industry in the region
How have you positioned the brand to serve African markets?
In Africa, we are selling our EggsCargoSystem® with the help of partners as well as dealers and agents. It helps in transporting eggs from the farm to grading and processing, with less than 3% crack. Less breakage means more profit for the companies. We have already made some successful sales in the countries in Africa and hoping for more.
What are the latest innovations of GI-OVO? Is the company planning some new initiatives?
We are working on the transportation of day old chicken which is mainly popular in Europe. The project concerns the method of early feeding which means birds from hatcheries and farms have access to drinking water and feed from the moment they are born. CEEP is one of the latest innovations concerning circular economies. Nowadays, egg packaging is almost always used once. After use, they throw away the packaging, which is not very sustainable. With CEEP, people bring back the packaging to the store, pick their own eggs and recycle the packing.
How do you keep the eggs safe for consumption?
To avoid contamination as much as possible, we add an additive called biocide in our plastic, which reduces the chances of contamination to almost zero. We prevent the instances of contamination at farms and hatcheries, to processing and grading plants, and the spread of diseases and bacteria in general.
What distinguishes your company from others?
Our global presence, in terms of marketing, sales and production. We always try to be as close as possible to our customers. We are focused on the egg industry - for chicken – duck – geese and turkey. Our unique transport systems are one of the safest ways of transporting eggs, ensuring less cracks, which in turn means less waste, and more profit!
