Quality Food Group International

Quality Food Group International

Quality Food Group International BV (QFGI) sells quinoa products in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany, amongst others. The products of Quality Food Group International are in the stores of large retailers who often require GFSI recognised certification. QFGI is a small and flexible company. That size is a deliberate choice. In this way QFGI can focus on what it is good at: creating sustainable and honest products.

Wouter van Heugten, Operations Manager at QFGI: “With our Paul’s Quinoa brand, we import quinoa from the Peruvian Andes.” That is also where the plant originally came from. At 3,000 meters, it can be difficult to grow other products. “Quinoa is a tough plant that can handle a lot and at that height there is little competition from pests and weeds. The advantage of this is that farmers there often already produce organically. ”

QFGI is committed to the farmers in Peru. They describe it themselves as ‘fairer than Fair Trade’. “Of course it’s nice that farmers get a good price for their products under Fair Trade, but we want to go further. We want to give farmers security by b investing in long-term relationships and helping them improve their yield. For example, two colleagues are currently in Peru, together with people from Wageningen University & Research. ”

QFGI is a company with a clear mission and that knows what it is good at. As Wouter van Heugten says: “We prefer to outsource other things.” For quality assurance, QFGI contacted Schouten Advies. Schouten Advies has helped them obtain their IFS certificate by implementing up a quality system. Even today, our consultant Nico Feenstra remains involved. Van Heugten: “For example, he assesses the analyses we receive when a load of quinoa comes over from South America. Nico Feenstra is here a few days a month to discuss quality issues. It often feels like he is more of a colleague than an external partner. Schouten Advies is an essential link for us to meet all requirements. We can come to Schouten Advies with our questions and depend in the answers we receive.”

Can you also use help in obtaining an IFS or other GFSI recognised certification? Schouten Advies can help you with this and other quality issues. Contact us to discuss the options.

Want to read more about QFGI or Paul’s Quinoa? Click here for their website