________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
putting our efforts into reducing our energy consumption as much as possible , reusing energy , and encouraging our employees and peers to switch to electric solutions .”
Sustainability strategy
Somewhat echoing the evolution of CONO , Jerry ’ s career has been through some developments of its own . After a brief stint of working in logistics management , he decided to study for his MBA in Hull , UK , before moving back to Rotterdam to join Van Rees , a tea-trading company . He moved from tea to coffee , by joining Douwe Egberts where he remained for eight years , before coming to CONO in 2012 as a sales manager .
“ I was immediately attracted to CONO ’ s ethics and structure ,” he says . “ I love how we ’ re simultaneously financially secure and small enough to move quickly when it comes to decision making . I ’ m hugely excited to have the opportunity to lead us into the future , regardless of the uncertainties that it may present us in terms of unclear government policies and the changes within consumer behavior and sentiments towards dairy products . There is no farmer within our cooperative that doesn ’ t wish to be more sustainable , but most of them are going to require clear policies that span the next ten to 15 years to fully commit .
“ We have addressed every step of the process , in our support for decarbonizing the entire cheese chain . From the animal feed for our farmers ’ cows to the transportation of milk and whole cheeses , cheese production , slicing , and packaging too . We recently introduced the first electrical milk truck that collects milk from each of the farms , where the owners are continuously on the lookout for ways to improve their best practices . Like I say , our main issue is our usage of natural gas , but we ’ ll get there .
72