“In a nutshell, I provide support to my colleagues in Logistics Planning, giving them the information they need to make decisions and do their job. They are the spider in Bakker’s web. It can sometimes be a challenge to arrange everything in the best way possible for everyone, but that makes my job even more special when we all succeed in getting everything in the DCs so the products are ready for delivery to the shops.

During my traineeship I learnt that Bakker is very open to new people and new ideas - even when they’ve been working for the company for several years. I really like this about Bakker. You can be open and honest here. Just say what you need. Bakker always listens. You can also take the initiative yourself and claim ownership - the management of Bakker and your colleagues appreciate this. People sometimes say, ‘there’s so little change’ and I always find myself wonder, yes, but what did you do? While my job is not always easy, it does suit me perfectly. I would be bored if my job wasn’t challenging.”

“After spending six months in production in Packaging, I recently went to work for Marketing and Quality. You switch jobs every six months, enabling you to get to know the company and the people better. Currently I'm actually working in two departments. You always spend at least one project day working in another department. I like the variety. The culture at Bakker is very informal. The people here are approachable, open-minded and have a no-nonsense approach.

I also really appreciate the coaching. Every month I meet with a member of the management team to discuss my experiences and what I did or could do. In that sense, I find it all very personal. The idea is to understand what suits me and hopefully find a permanent job here. I already have responsibility and my salary is in line with the market. I don’t feel like a trainee. This is a great springboard and you don’t have to be a career tiger. What I enjoy is the broad scope. And that is the main strength of this traineeship. They are always on hand to help. They even helped me out with a small amount of fruit and vegetables for my football club even though this meant additional work for one of our employees.”

“I am a strategic buyer of stone fruit, winter carrots, onions and garlic. I really love my job. I see and hear a lot, have plenty of opportunities to travel and have a lot of responsibility. I work on developing the product group, try to increase sales, improve quality and am really sharp when it comes to procurement. I started out as a trainee working as a team leader in the Ripening Facility. I then moved to the commercial departments, where I felt like a duck in water.

That’s why I stayed there, although the initial idea was that I would move on to other departments. I do think it’s an advantage that I’ve worked in other company departments. You have to be aware of the fact that you start out doing a very hands-on job. You learn a lot and grow by doing things and because of the responsibility you get. A point for improvement is more attention for long-term projects and activities. The emphasis in an operational company like ours is to solve problems here and now and ensure that everything continues to run seamlessly. Bakker is a nice place to work with an interesting company dynamic. On the one hand you have the growers and the international suppliers, and on the other hand you have the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands. A nice place for a first job.”

“I focus on sustainable crops and food waste with our Dutch growers, working on a product like the Buitenbeentjes soup among others. Within R&D I'm also responsible for tomatoes. Which is fun, because I get to spend a lot of time with our growers and get to see first-hand how passionate they are about what they do. It’s really sad that all our departments cannot visit our growers as regularly as R&D does. Regular visits and discussions about ongoing matters with growers help foster a connection. While I understand that some other departments don’t have enough or no time for this, I think we can all benefit from mutual understanding and shared passion.

Understanding the entire chain, seeing how something makes it to the supermarket shelves is really interesting. You get to work in a lot of different departments during your traineeship. This really gave me an opportunity to see what worked best for me. I had no idea where I wanted to work. You learn all about the ins and outs of the company, things that may be useful in your career. I found out relatively early on that there was a job that ticked all the boxes in terms of what I liked during my studies. And that is the job I'm doing now! Bakker feels like a small company. I believe that everyone will help you if you have a problem. During my traineeship, I met with a member of the management team every month. I would discuss my work with them, as well as other things, like how I could grow in the company. I found this traineeship a very valuable experience. I would definitely recommend it.”