Kato Van Criekinge: Team Leader Harvest

After completing my Master's degree in Bioscience Engineering: Agriculture and Horticulture, I started working at Den Berk Délice as a Harvest Team Leader at the end of August 2023.

How did I end up at Den Berk Délice? Very simple! After the job fair in Geel, I was invited to the job day in Rijkevorsel. I had no idea what a job in a greenhouse actually involved. Fortunately, the job day gave me a clear picture of what it all entails. During that day, I also got to know Den Berk Délice better. The company immediately appealed to me — not only because of the great atmosphere but also because of the enthusiasm of the employees.

The job day gave me a good understanding of what working at Den Berk Délice involves.

During my first two working weeks, I followed a training course at Den Berk in Merksplas. During this training, I learned more about harvesting so that I could master various greenhouse tasks, without too many additional responsibilities. That training proved to be very useful later on, because as a Harvest Team Leader, you are responsible for the entire harvesting process.

This includes teaching staff how to harvest, setting up forecasts, and ensuring everything runs smoothly. I also monitor and guide them so that harvesting is done perfectly by everyone. A strong relationship with the assistants is very important here, as they are very close to the team. You also interact with many people of different nationalities. In addition, I try to find a good balance between office work and being physically active in the greenhouse.

There is certainly room for training and taking on new responsibilities. In the meantime, cleaning crop wires and pruning trusses have become part of my responsibilities at Den Horst, and I also serve as an internal prevention advisor (level 3).

Den Berk Délice is a very approachable company where you are warmly welcomed at every site.

Den Berk Délice is a very approachable company where you’re warmly welcomed at every site. Besides all the work, there’s also time for plenty of activities you can take part in throughout the year. These are a lot of fun, as they give you the chance to get to know the 200+ colleagues in a different and more personal way. It’s also nice to finally put a face to the names behind the emails or voices on the phone.