Hotraco Agri
Hotraco Horti
Mooij Agro
Anniversary of Hotraco: 50 Years of Innovation and Growth
This year, Hotraco Group is celebrating its 50th anniversary. To mark this special occasion, we have created a timeline that showcases Hotraco's growth through several groundbreaking moments from the past. With this timeline, along with interviews and articles, we reflect on our history. For this article, we asked Chris Beelen, founder and former director of Hotraco, to take us through the acquisition of Mooij Agro.
An expansion of services
In 2001, Hotraco was a well-established name in the livestock and horticulture sectors. When Chris Beelen engaged in discussions with Mooij Agro, a company specializing in crop storage, he quickly saw the potential. The company had good connections, but unfortunately, the systems were not working optimally. Hotraco decided to acquire the company. “I immediately saw that there was potential,” Chris explains. “We had our own platform and software, so we could easily convert Mooij Agro's ideas into our own products. From that point on, it went crescendo.”
A good product sells itself
According to Chris, not much was needed afterward to help Mooij Agro grow. He explains, "Mooij had an established name, though there was room for improvement in their products. And the former director had strong contacts, which immediately proved useful. When we presented our new products to these contacts, they were immediately convinced. A good product sells itself, and we knew what we were doing. Additionally, we added innovations that made the system even more interesting for the market.”
Next step in the food chain
According to Chris, the acquisition of Mooij Agro was a logical addition for Hotraco. “It was a next step in the food chain for which we were already producing products. We not only supported customers in their production but also had systems for storage. Since then, Mooij Agro's products have reached markets all over the world, even as far as China!”