{"id":1658,"date":"2021-12-17T19:55:24","date_gmt":"2021-12-17T19:55:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.svz.com\/?p=1658"},"modified":"2022-07-06T22:21:15","modified_gmt":"2022-07-06T21:21:15","slug":"behind-the-scenes-with-german-roman-an-svz-buyer-in-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.svz.com\/news-and-blog\/behind-the-scenes-with-german-roman-an-svz-buyer-in-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the scenes with\u2026 Germ\u00e1n Rom\u00e1n, an SVZ Buyer in Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"

At SVZ, we\u2019re passionate about people<\/strong>, and the power of connection and collaboration in providing the highest quality, sustainably sourced fruit and vegetable ingredients. From our valued partners and customers to our hard-working colleagues, we\u2019re passionate about growing better, together.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we\u2019re shining a spotlight on our team and the work they do in a new series of interviews \u2013 so you can understand more about their background, role and motivations. For this Q&A, we sat down (virtually!) with Germ\u00e1n <\/strong>Rom\u00e1n<\/strong>, our Spain-based Buyer.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your background?<\/strong><\/p>\n

With a Life Sciences degree from the University of Seville, my professional experience has included quality assurance and product management roles across several multinational businesses \u2013 with a focus on sourcing fruit and vegetables. As Product Manager at Global Pacific Europe, for example, I managed the sourcing of fruits and vegetables for UK supermarket Morrisons.<\/p>\n

I started my work here at SVZ, based in Spain, in December 2018 \u2013 and I\u2019m rapidly approaching my third year at the company. I really couldn\u2019t be happier. There\u2019s a real ethos here of supporting each other and taking care of our partners and growers that is great to be a part of.<\/p>\n

What does your job involve?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a buyer for SVZ in Spain, I\u2019m responsible for sourcing conventional strawberries, raspberries and blueberries for our global customers. My portfolio is, in fact, 60% berries! I\u2019m in daily contact with growers and farmers across the region as I check the quality of the fruits and look to discover new suppliers and varieties. Typically, I spend just one third of my time in the office and the rest is spent on the fields with the farmers – a part of my role I really value!<\/p>\n

I also have weekly meetings with the SVZ sales team to understand more about customer requirements and feedback from our partners. This is great as it means I\u2019m always kept in the loop and understand the bigger picture – and so I can also ensure that customer requests are taken care of in the fields.<\/p>\n

What are your predictions for the 2021\/2022 season?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This season was very foggy and rainy \u2013 resulting in not enough sunny hours to ensure that the fruits reached their peak. We predict that a similar season will take place in 2022, and so we\u2019re ready to adapt accordingly. However, every season is<\/em> different, and turbulent weather conditions and unpredictable temperatures are rapidly becoming the norm – for example, it\u2019s October and it\u2019s currently 30 degrees Celsius right now in Spain!<\/p>\n

As a way to counter our reliance on sunny seasons through the traditional harvest season of March to June, we are currently looking at sourcing berries from Portugal and Morocco as well, to sustain our inventory across the entire year.<\/p>\n

Anything else you\u2019d like to add?<\/strong><\/p>\n

At SVZ, we\u2019re passionate about collaboration and close partnerships \u2013 it\u2019s only through these types of connections that we can do what we do. In particular, I\u2019d love to highlight the stellar work of our growers. Without them, we wouldn\u2019t be able to provide the high-quality, delicious fruits and vegetable ingredients that we\u2019re so well known for.<\/p>\n

It’s thanks to team members like Germ\u00e1n that SVZ\u2019s sustainably sourced, premium quality fruit and vegetable purees, concentrates and NFC juices meet our customers\u2019 high expectations. To discover more about our processes and people, get in touch with the SVZ team today \u2013 or, to learn more about our \u2018growing better together\u2019 values, why not read our latest blog?<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At SVZ, we\u2019re passionate about people, and the power of connection and collaboration in providing the highest quality, sustainably sourced fruit and vegetable ingredients. From our valued partners and customers to our hard-working colleagues, we\u2019re passionate about growing better, together. That\u2019s why we\u2019re shining a spotlight on our team and the work they do in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1667,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBehind the scenes with German Roman, an SVZ buyer | SVZ<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Our Spain-based buyer sources delicious strawberries, blueberries and more for SVZ's global customers - he's an expert! 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