Meeting Our Members: Verstegen Spices and Sauces

This week the SSI-I team had a chat with Evert-Jan Verschuren, the representative of Verstegen Spices and Sauces in Indonesia and Asia. If you’re from or have lived in The Netherlands or if you work in the spices sector, chances are this company name may ring a bell. Founded in 1886, Verstegen Spices and Sauces BV is a family-owned business based out of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Verstegen has sourced pepper, cassia, nutmeg and mace, solely from Indonesia since the company was first established and thus has a long-standing and mutually beneficial relationship with local farmers.

Verstegen also has a solid history with the Sustainable Spices Initiative, as it was one of the founding members of SSI Global in 2011. Verschuren says, “Indonesia is one of the most important spices countries for Verstegen and others in the sector, so it only made sense to establish an SSI platform here, too. A lot of work has been done but a lot more is still needed to prepare Indonesia for the future.”

According to him, the biggest challenge they (Verstegen) have faced is developing a sustainable supply chain that supports all stakeholders and addresses a broader scale of issues. “Support from all parties is needed to ensure success and thus far, aligning these groups and interests has been the most challenging part of my job.”?

Sustainability is here to stay!

With platforms such as SSI-I, the idea is to provide a space for collaboration within the sector but also looking to other sectors. Verschuren asks, “what do we have in common with other commodities and how can we benefit each other? For example, intercropping of spices in an agroforestry system with coffee and cocoa is needed to increase scale and diversify income and biodiversity.”?

SSI-I is a platform to discuss and support the transition towards sustainability. We might not know all the answers, but together we know more than just the one. Big companies will prefer to work with local sustainable initiatives and SSI-I will be here to support your business.

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Will you join us on this sustainable journey? Find out more about becoming a member of the SSI-I platform via our website: https://sustainablespices.id/. Don’t forget to follow us on social media to learn about the latest news and updates! Instagram: @sustainablespices.id Twitter: @SpicesIndonesia