Our colleagues

What will the future of the company look like after me? It is too early to say, because the children I have with my wife Eva are still so young. For now, I am at the helm.

I think it is special that I, as a son, was allowed to take over from my father, Wim Goedegebuur, and that I was able to see how my father made the company successful. Wim instilled a DNA that you can still see today. Everything neat, well organised and straight, good working conditions, machines and materials. And attention to the people on the floor - all unique people with whom we do this together.

I have been a Feyenoord season ticket holder since I was fourteen, and whenever possible I attend every home game at De Kuip. The reason why I mention this so explicitly is because the comparison between the company and top-level sport is an easy one to make. It is about passion and discipline. It is about trying as hard as you can, even when things are not going well, and it is about consistently delivering top quality at a high level. I also have the reputation of being a 'numbers man'. I believe it is good to use the resources of this time to complement the good working practices of the past, making performance even more transparent - that constant innovation and progress.

I am proud of the people in the company who work together every day with a common goal. The sense of family with many different nationalities who value and respect each other. I hope to be able to do this for a long time to come, without machines replacing people and the real craftsmanship being taken out of the product. There is nothing better, like seeing the people who work in the company with such passion at work or sitting together in the canteen - it really makes me happy.

Anyone who thinks that GOEDEGEBUUR is a stuffy family business is mistaken. Being innovative is part of the future and the fourth generation of GOEDEGEBUUR. But you do not and cannot do it alone. The people and our top product are the strength of this family business.

When I started working here in 2019, I quickly realized that I was dealing with a really flat organization, with no managers and no political scenes. Working hard but also laughing a lot together is something that suits me. An employer should be like a jacket that you feel comfortable in. There are always challenges, everywhere, as long as everything is done with respect and honesty. It also helps to have a healthy sense of humor.

What exactly do I do at GOEDEGEBUUR? I have to laugh sometimes, because I wear many 'hats' - from organizing activities to communication, human resources, recruitment, bigger projects such as developing the company's film, book, app, website and so on. I'm still thinking of a really appropriate job title, but I don't think it's that important. I am involved in almost everything that affects our employees. As long as I can make sure that everyone is happy and that everything that needs to be done is done, then I go home happy. And when I am at home, I mainly relax and enjoy myself. 

Since 2020 Joanna Mularska has also been on board as our human resources contact for operational employees, which is a welcome addition.

At first I thought I'd become a security guard, but that didn't really pay off. Moving to Holten was also out of the question, my wife put a stop to that - after being married for more than 25 years and still counting - you know when to listen to your wife, 'happy wife, happy life'.

With the help of a recruiter I had my first interview at GOEDEGEBUUR and after a second interview, at that time with Wim Goedegebuur, I started as production manager.

Now, many years and stories later, as production manager, I have been passionately managing the production environment and motivating colleagues throughout the company with enthusiasm and a winning mentality. In my spare time, I follow almost every sport, coach a football team - including my son Ricardo - and regularly referee football matches. So, it is no surprise that I often compare working at GOEDEGEBUUR to top-level sport.

You can grow here if you create and use opportunities yourself with perseverance and enthusiasm. There are plenty of opportunities, but you have to grab them with both hands. For example, I successfully completed my MBO-4 training through the SVO (Butchers Professional Training). Through hard work and training I grew from an experienced all-round employee to a cooperating foreman in a very short time and then I made the step to production line chef.

My ambition is to eventually follow in my father's footsteps and become production manager. In addition to the shared passion for GOEDEGEBUUR, I share another passion with my father, and that is football. On the football field, I am coached by my father and our favorite football club, is not something we talk about here in Rotterdam.

Now, years later, I am successfully managing the warehouse. This includes stock management, replenishment and ordering, as well as supplying the various departments in our production environment so that the right items are always available. Everyone at GOEDEGEBUUR has helped me to find my place, from my closest colleagues to the owner himself, which I have always appreciated and taken to heart because it has allowed me to make everything my own.

What also makes the job fun is the people I work with every day, I interact with everyone, production, logistics, butchery and office staff. After nine years I still enjoy working here and I like the work, the craftsmanship you see here and the challenges, no two days are the same and that makes it varied. There is also a good relationship with the colleagues and we have fun together, which is important when you spend a lot of time together at work.

I am now versatile and can be used in many different areas of the meat production process. 

What I like about my job and this family business is that Wim Goedegebuur used to visit us on the production floor every day, and now it is Michiel Goedegebuur. They always have time for a chat or a joke and give you real attention, and that feels good. The work is fun and the place is clean and tidy. They are also genuinely interested in the background and culture of their employees.

I live in Rotterdam with my wife and have four sons. I visit Morocco regularly, but I will not be moving there permanently in the near future - because the Netherlands is also dear to my heart, as is GOEDEGEBUUR, and I would like to continue working here until I retire.

I have been with GOEDEGEBUUR since 1996 and before that I was also working in the meat industry. 

The technical development and other large projects that take place within the company are interesting to work on. In recent years and still today, there have been a lot of innovations in terms of technical highlights, which is a good sign. I like not only the technical part of my job, but also, for example, the study trip to Iceland, where learning and fun were combined.

I always found Wim Goedegebuur to be very fanatical in a positive way, he could be strict and was always very serious about the company. The Goedegebuur family is a hard-working family. The older I get, the more I appreciate everything, and I am happy to grow older at GOEDEGEBUUR.