‘In 2004 I took over Mouw Maalderij from my father. A genuine family-owned business, where I liked to hang around as a young boy, often doing some work as well. Thanks to that experience, I am familiar with both the products and the machines. I was also involved in the construction of the production lines and I am still fond of using a spanner and trying things out. In fact, I want to be able to meet all customer requests. It should be noted that we at Mouw have shifted our terrain of operation; going from dried vegetables mainly, I have lately intensified my focus on spices. These are fine products, providing new opportunities, and also because of that I have managed to realise ongoing growth of the business, with more international customers. My challenge lies in extending our capacity and developing innovative product potential.’

‘As quality manager, it is my job to ensure that our products meet the prevailing quality standards. I monitor and assure the entire process for our customers, from raw-material purchase up to and including final product. I also supervise the safety of working conditions, as well as occupying myself with legislation and regulations in the domain of environment and sustainability. “Quality is not a department but a mentality”; that’s my maxim!’

‘I am responsible for the control of our machines and lines. The essence of my work is to plan the spice or herb for the appropriate mill and to have them processed correctly, timely and safely. Of course, I am always working in consultation with my colleague operators. Deploying no fewer than eight lines, we have multiple options for the efficient processing of multiple batches. I have been working with Mouw for four years now and meanwhile I have gotten the hang of how much time a treatment requires and how you can ensure optimal machine settings. Quality, however, always remains the starting point. In that respect I am also responsible for intermediate checks on coarseness and colour while I also take care of sampling.’

‘I have greatly enjoyed working at Mouw Maalderij for eleven years now. In addition to the collaboration with my colleagues, I retrieve satisfaction from the work itself. The challenge that I still see lies in the product. Even though it may be the same spice, the grinding of each batch is specific and so is each product; in point of fact, we distinguish ourselves with the craftsmanship that is involved in the processing of spices. I go for quality and I enjoy the freedom to give shape to that responsibility and control as much as possible. I feel it is really exciting to grind our way towards customer requirements with our young and passionate team. By that I mean to process a product in such a way that it totally meets customer specifications.’