The Grape Hub Europe: Digitization Aids in the Crucial Pallet Labeling Step

By FreshPlaza

The Grape Hub Europe was founded in 2014. Its main aim was to better represent South African grape growers on the European market, reports FreshPlaza. This Dutch company doesn’t only represent South African grape farmers. It also does business for Indian and Egyptian grape growers. They also work closely with farmers from Chile, Peru, and Spain.

“Grapes are a very sensitive product,” says the Grape Hub’s Jurgen Smith. “We want to get these grapes to store shelves in the best possible condition. So, each shipment must be handled with the greatest care. After harvesting, the fruit’s packed on location. Then the 18-day journey to Europe begins. We take the last steps when it arrives at our warehouse in s-Gravenzande. We then send them out to retailers.”

The final step’s in the Dutch warehouse. Here, the GS1 standard and corresponding barcode printouts (SSCC) come into play. GS1’s a coding standard used by retailers in the logistics processes and systems. Jurgen realized labeling had to be done faster and tried to find a digital solution.

The GS1 standard also helps meet retailers’ demands. “Labelling the pallets is a crucial step,” explains Jurgen. “After all, the big DCs use these labels to manage their stock. So, that shouldn’t go wrong. In our search for a possible pallet labeling solution, we came across Type 2 Solutions (T2S). We decided to contact them.”