Eosta Wins the 2011 AGF Innovation Award and Volkert Engelsman is Proclaimed 2010 Man of the Year

WADDINXVEEN, The Netherlands, January 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- Consistent Nature & More Sustainability Strategy Leads to Two Prestigious Awards

Eosta, (specialist in organic fruit and vegetables), is the overall winner of the 2011 AGF [The Dutch abbreviation for: Potatoes, Vegetables & Fruit] Innovation Award in the Corporate Strategy category. Eosta received this award because of the consistent manner in which the company has been carrying out sustainability in its corporate strategy. Furthermore, Volkert Engelsman, Managing Director of Eosta, was also proclaimed 2010 AGF Man of the Year. Eosta was presented with this double recognition following AGF Debate in the Zalmhuis in Rotterdam last week. Panel Chairman Cees den Hollander, who is also the Chairman of Frugi Venta, presented the awards.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20110107/429714 )

The jury of the 2011 AGF Innovation Award acknowledged Eosta because of the way it makes organic growers visible on each product and stated that Eosta does this in a singular consistent and very strong manner. 'We feel very honoured with this award,' says Volkert Engelsman. Eosta's core values are authenticity, transparency and sustainability, and these are expressed not only in products and the relationships with clients and suppliers, but also within the company in the form of human resource management. 'Sustainability is an important part of our philosophy and applies to the way we do business with our clients, suppliers and in the way we deal with our personnel.'

Commercial Director Gert Kögeler expressed this as follows: 'Eosta has grown considerably and is well-represented in numerous countries and market segments such as organic food stores, supermarkets etc. This growth proves that we have a successfully incorporated our corporate strategy.' Marketing and Communications Manger Michaël Wilde adds that Eosta is regularly invited by supermarkets and other organisations to brainstorm about the development of sustainability programmes for their companies: 'This is a further sign that we are on the right track.'

A few minutes after winning the 2011 AGF Innovation Award, Volkert Engelsman, Managing Director of Eosta, was proclaimed 2011 AGF Man of the Year. He is the driving spirit behind Eosta. With the Nature & More concept, Eosta makes the growers behind the organic fruits and vegetables visible and accessible to consumers. The jury stated that 'Volkert Engelsman is a man who maintains long-term relations with clients, suppliers and colleagues. He pursues complete transparency and intends to provide consumers with an insight into the origin of products as well as the way in which they are produced organically and socially. Eosta and Volkert Engelsman thus serves as an example for other companies throughout the AGF sector.' Volkert Engelsman emphasises that the success of Eosta is mainly due to the joint effort of the entire team of 75 well-informed employees.

AGF Innovation Award and Man of the Year

The judges of the AGF Innovation Award is a wide representation of the AGF Man/Woman of the Year board. An AGF Man/Woman of the Year is selected at the end of each year. Up until January 2010, this was carried out by the Vakblad Agf editorial staff, but after this magazine discontinued, a new construction was set up. The secretariat of the AGF Innovation Award is executed by Frugi Venta. The Man/Woman of the Year board nominates candidates for the title of Man/Woman of the Year. The decision is taken by Cees den Hollander (Chairman of the Man/Woman of the Year board), Roger Abbenhuijs (Vegetables & Fruit Editor-in-Chief), Pieter Boekhout (agf.nl) and Wilma van den Oever ( Man/Woman of the Year secretariat).

Other winners of the 2011 AGF Innovation Award are Sensational Flavours of Rijk Zwaan in the Marketing & Concepts category and the Fresh Corridor project in the Technical & Logistics category.

http://www.eosta.com, http://www.natureandmore.com

SOURCE Eosta BV