The new European warehouse of Vegware, the plant-based compostable foodservice disposables manufacturer, celebrates a successful first six months in operation. A partnership with the Raben Group, Vegware’s Dutch warehouse is a central hub to better service mainland and Northern European clients. Vegware’s HQ is in Edinburgh; this new Eurozone logistics centre is part of the company’s Brexit-readiness.

Located in Brabant, near the Dutch border with Germany and Belgium, the Raben location offers strong transport links throughout mainland Europe. This new warehouse joins Vegware’s UK and US hubs already servicing Vegware clients in 70 countries worldwide.

A third of Vegware’s sales are to outside the UK, with other European countries accounting for 87% of exports. Vegware reported a 53% increase in sales from 2018 to 2019, with a 25% growth in European sales. “We’re delighted to be able to better support our clients with quick service, with many European customers getting orders straight from our Dutch hub,” tells Mark Badzmirowski, Vegware’s Sales Manager Europe. “It’s given us the opportunity to grow sales and allay our clients’ Brexit concerns. We’ve seen an increase in opportunities and sales, with new customers pleased we have a warehouse in mainland Europe.”

Alongside Raben’s approach to service, it was important to find a logistics partner with strong links all over Europe, as Vegware has well established sales in Eastern, Northern and Southern Europe. Helen Mathieson, Vegware’s Supply Chain and Customer Service Director, shares that, “as a company, Raben is 100% committed to delivering our customer promise, and their work in the first six months has more than proved this.”

The plant-based packaging manufacturer’s growth is in part due to public concerns about conventional plastic packaging. The forthcoming European Single Use Plastics Directive will ban polystyrene foam containers and oxo-degradable plastics, resulting in huge public demand for the alternative materials Vegware offers.

“It’s been an exciting development,” says Mathieson, “to truly understand the European demand for our products and meet our quality of service to customers. It also helps us have stock nearer to key strategic markets, which enables quicker delivery and better availability of our products”.

The Dutch warehouse was soft-launched in April 2019 after a considered selection process. Vegware are proud to join forces with the Raben Group as transport and logistics partner. The family-run business is keen to work and grow with Vegware’s European sales. Key members from Vegware’s Operations and Supply Chain team visited the Raben warehouse to ensure all processes proceeded as clearly and successfully as possible.