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capacity,” Ton shares.“ On the farming side, we have farms that are 100 percent owned by our own people, but we also form partnerships with farmers who are external to the business. We invest in young farmers who might not be able to afford their own farm, and we form co-ownership deals over time. We also have two farms in Ethiopia, which is great because it generates money for the farmers, creates jobs for the communities and provides a sufficient food supply for them. In this way, we give people opportunities to take advantage of possibilities that would be almost impossible for them to achieve without outside help.
“ Without farmers, you don’ t have eggs; it’ s very simple. We’ re always looking into market areas where there are opportunities for us to grow. Advantageously, our owner is a multi-entrepreneur, so he constantly reinvests profits across his companies to generate growth.”
Robust relationships
As Hardeman continues to grow and prosper, it proceeds to nurture the working relationships it holds dear. The company views its partners as essential shareholders in many ways, extending appreciation to all those who help make Hardeman an industry leader – from its owner who reinvests in the business to the farmers that make it all happen.
“ Our company has several shareholders in many ways. One of our most important shareholders is the company owner of course, but our farmers are also essential shareholders. We have our own farms, but we also have relationships with farmers who work independently from us. It’ s important to maintain good relationships with farmers because they are the ones who can contribute to better animal welfare, as well as our own sustainability goals,” Ton explains.
One of the company’ s more recent partnerships has had a significant impact on its overall efficiency, completely transforming the business’ internal operations. Over the last twelve months, Hardeman has entrusted software company, Q3 Concept B. V., to provide cutting-edge programs to assist in the management of its maintenance processes, and the result? True innovation for the company.
Ton elaborates:“ We’ ve worked with Q3 Concept for about a year now. Maintenance is a very important part of our company, and so we wanted to improve the way in which manage our budgets; we had many new machines and technical installations that didn’ t quite go to plan, so it was essential for us to find a great partner to help us with this. Albeit a small company, Q3 is key to our efficiency; the team knows the industry inside and out and is very close with its customers.”
Sustainable solutions
Despite market challenges, Hardeman’ s future looks promising. Equipped with a robust network and an unbreakable passion, the company is well-positioned to remain on its current trajectory and continue to delight egg-lovers across the continent.
“ In both the UK and European markets, it’ s getting harder to grow your production capacities, particularly in the production of eggs. In particular, the breadth of available farming space in the North is getting smaller; because of that, we’ re investing in Eastern Europe and our own flocks,” Ton reveals.“ We don’ t want to be dependent on Eastern European farmers as we won’ t know exactly how the supply chain is being managed, but food protection is our absolute priority. However, we will continue to buy farms when the opportunities arise. For example, we don’ t have any farms in
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