Limiting stock, working on a just-in-time basis, keeping shelves attractive while controlling logistics costs: this is the daily reality for many of our customers, both in France and abroad.
To meet these challenges, we have made the mixed fresh vegetable pallet a real working tool, available all year round for all our products. Over time, our teams’ ability to assemble these mixed pallets, while respecting budgets and deadlines, has become a real in-house skill, shared between sales and logistics.
Haven’t taken the plunge yet, or not with us? Here’s how we approach mixed pallet management in very concrete terms.
To meet these challenges, we have made the mixed fresh vegetable pallet a real working tool, available all year round for all our products. Over time, our teams’ ability to assemble these mixed pallets, while respecting budgets and deadlines, has become a real in-house skill, shared between sales and logistics.
Haven’t taken the plunge yet, or not with us? Here’s how we approach mixed pallet management in very concrete terms.
Why do our customers choose mixed fresh vegetables
pallets?
Our mixed pallets are of particular interest to:
- wholesalers who redistribute to high-end supermarkets and selective retailers in France and Europe;
- customers focused on the hotel, restaurant and catering sector (hotels, restaurants, commercial and collective catering);
- more broadly, all customers, French or international, who want to combine product requirements and logistical agility.
What they have in common:
- differentiated rotation depending on the vegetable family;
- the desire to limit stock on slower-moving items, such as mini vegetables, heirloom vegetables or certain more specific varieties;
- storage space and cash flow that need to be optimised;
- the desire to test new items with an initial order in limited volumes.
In these situations, Pouliquen’s mixed pallet of fresh vegetables becomes a tool for fine-tuning supply management, but also a means of commercial development.
And of course, these mixed pallets can be combined with full pallets for fast-moving products. Flexibility and customisation: the two go hand in hand.
A pallet designed product by product
At Pouliquen, there is no such thing as a standard mixed pallet. Each mixed pallet of fresh vegetables is built to order, according to the customer’s needs and the reality of their market. For example, it is entirely possible to stack nine tiers of one product and one tier of another. We generally include 5 to 20 different products on a single pallet, combining different product families.
How does this work in practice?
As soon as an order is placed, our sales and logistics teams work together until it is shipped. Our sales team liaises with the customer, refines the assortment and calculates the possible volumes to be combined on each pallet in order to keep transport costs consistent. Our logistics team then takes over to prepare the pallet, respecting the desired composition.
To guide our customers, we provide concrete benchmarks based on the quantity of vegetables desired, according to their package sizes (most often 40×30 or 60×40) and make recommendations on the number of packages to be included on each pallet.
This advice enables our customers to optimise their transport costs.
When sales representatives and preparers assemble the pallet together
Behind every mixed pallet of fresh vegetables, there is a real daily coordination effort between our sales representatives and our preparers.
1. On the sales side, the sales representative communicates with the customer, builds the assortment, checks the consistency of volumes/transport and ‘thinks for them’:
- reminder of ordering habits,
- suggestions for additional references,
- highlighting new or seasonal products.
2. On the logistics side, our preparers focus on assembly. They receive the detailed composition and then build the pallet, taking into account:
- the weight of the packages,
- their size,
- and the fragility of the products.
‘With experience, we have become real experts at “Tetris”: columns, stacks, grouping boxes for certain items packaged in bags… The goal is to create a stable, compact pallet that protects the products until they reach their delivery point. For example, we would not place packages of potatoes on top of those containing strawberries.’
David, Logistics Manager
In terms of responsiveness, our teams are able to process mixed pallet orders until late morning (around 10-11 a.m.) for early afternoon departures. This organisation allows many customers to work with 1 to 3 deliveries per week, depending on their seasonality and market.
Double quality certification: Prince de Bretagne and Pouliquen
At Pouliquen, all our pallets, whether full or mixed, undergo double quality control. In fact, all the vegetable parcels we sell have Prince de Bretagne certification, applied at the station, as well as a second certification, provided by the Pouliquen team, when the pallets are received and assembled in our warehouses or at the station.
In addition to this double level of control, we also offer batch traceability, which allows us to trace the products back to their station of origin and date of purchase: an essential requirement for our most demanding customers in terms of quality, food safety and regulatory compliance.
In addition to this double level of control, we also offer batch traceability, which allows us to trace the products back to their station of origin and date of purchase: an essential requirement for our most demanding customers in terms of quality, food safety and regulatory compliance.
A tool for developing sales in complete safety
For a new buyer, the mixed fresh vegetable pallet is also a great testing tool. It allows them to integrate a wide range of products in a single shipment, quickly see what works with their customers and then adjust the assortment and volumes according to sales.
Our sales representatives draw on their knowledge of European and international markets to advise our customers. For example, a variety from our potato range that is already performing well in Munich, Hamburg or Frankfurt is likely to find its place in a wholesale market in Stuttgart. We will then offer our customer the opportunity to test it by including it in a future mixed pallet.
Pallet by pallet, we work with them to build an offer that is:
- clear and consistent for their own buyers,
- adapted to their logistics rhythm,
- and scalable, throughout the seasons and market opportunities.
Why choose our mixed pallets?
In summary, Pouliquen’s mixed pallet of fresh vegetables offers:
- the flexibility of a tailor-made solution;
- the security of two levels of quality approval;
- the strength of sales and logistics teams working hand in hand to meet deadlines, preserve goods and support the development of your sales.
Would you like to build or optimise your mixed fresh vegetable pallets for your markets in Europe and abroad? Talk to your usual contact: we will work with you to find the solution best suited to your operational and commercial needs.
T. 33 2 98 19 51 00 | info@pouliquen.com