SVZ’s appointment of Johan Cerstiaens as managing director marks the beginning of a new chapter for the premium fruit and vegetable ingredients supplier.

Taking over from Pieter Spanjers, who successfully positioned the company for future growth during his five-year tenure, Johan Cerstiaens steps into the role with a wealth of experience and a clear vision for the road ahead.

Having spent more than two decades in the food and beverage industry – including 12 years at SVZ leading sales and commercial strategy – he brings not only continuity but also fresh momentum. His reputation as a connector, someone who unites teams and partners around shared goals, will be central to driving SVZ’s ambitions in portfolio expansion, sustainable sourcing, and international growth.

Where Pieter Spanjers laid the foundations, Johan Cerstiaens now intends to build higher: strengthening supply chains, deepening customer relationships, and accelerating innovation to ensure SVZ remains a trusted global partner in the evolving food and beverage landscape.

Deep industry roots

Johan Cerstiaens’s career trajectory reflects a deep immersion in the food and beverage sector. Over 25 years, he has worked across both ingredient supply and branded product markets, gaining perspective on agronomy, consumer trends, and commercial realities. At SVZ, he first served as sales director before becoming commercial director, roles in which he established strategic partnerships and expanded the company’s footprint in Europe and Asia.

“I’m honoured to take on this new challenge at such an important time for SVZ,” Johan says. “I look forward to building on our strong foundation by developing new sourcing areas, expanding our portfolio, and further enhancing the value we bring to our customers and partners.”

His leadership ethos is rooted in collaboration. “My ability to see issues from multiple points of view, I believe, makes me a good ‘connector’,” he explains. “It’s not my effort alone nor that of individuals, but the strength of a well-run team that delivers the best results.”

Growth strategy

One of Johan’s first strategic priorities is portfolio expansion. SVZ has long been recognised for its premium fruit and vegetable ingredients, but the integration of Netra Agro, a specialist in tropical fruits, marks a turning point.
Historically, Netra Agro operated as a trading entity supplying high-quality tropical ingredients, mainly individually quick frozen (IQF) fruits.

With its absorption into SVZ’s core offering, Johan is determined to think bigger. “My major focus in this area is to further strengthen our already robust supply chains through expanded collaboration, delivering higher volumes of more varied products such as tropical juices and purees, as well as IQF,” he says.

The integration has already yielded new product lines. “We’ve introduced ginger juices and purees as the first step in our tropical plant expansion, offering our customers a taste of something truly new and exciting, alongside tropical fruits such as mango and pineapple,” Johan explains.

At the same time, SVZ is widening its vegetable range with new purees and concentrates, including tomatoes, sweetcorn, and sweet potato. “SVZ has always been famous for its fruit and a range of ‘flagship’ vegetable ingredients, but now I want to see that picture evolve,” Johan says.

This integration strengthens SVZ’s supply chains and positions the company to meet rising demand for diverse, plant-forward ingredients. “We won’t be able to achieve all of this alone,” Johan notes. “Smart, strategic collaborations will be crucial to success.”

Sustainability: a 2030 commitment

SVZ has set a bold target: achieving 100% sustainable sourcing for its core ingredients by 2030. For Johan, sustainability is not a marketing slogan but the foundation of SVZ’s operations.

“The only kind of business we engage in is sustainable, responsible, and resilient,” he explains. “No matter how wide our sourcing network becomes, our commitment will never change to supplying the highest quality ingredients, reliably and with as little negative impact on the planet as possible.”

Yet, he acknowledges the real-world challenges of responsible sourcing today. Balancing local sourcing with global expansion is complex, particularly when ensuring fair treatment of farmers while scaling volumes. Minimising food miles without compromising supply resilience requires careful planning and investment.

SVZ’s approach is pragmatic. By diversifying sourcing regions and ingredient types, the company aims to build resilience while staying true to its sustainability pledge. This means expanding sourcing beyond traditional bases in Poland, Spain, and Belgium to include new partnerships further afield, particularly in Asia.

Market insights

The role of fruit and vegetable ingredients is evolving rapidly in today’s food and beverage landscape. Traditionally central to beverages, dairy, and ice cream, they are now finding new relevance in snacks, soups, sauces, bakery, and ready meals.

“There are so many exciting opportunities I see emerging to broaden our fruit and vegetable ingredient portfolio in step with consumer preferences,” Johan said. “Vegetables are playing an increasingly important role here, not only as a source of nutrition but as a natural way to add colour, texture, and sweetness.”

SVZ is investing in a “rainbow” of ingredients–from multi-coloured carrots and pumpkins to naturally sweet options like sweet potato and corn. Beyond taste and texture, the company is exploring varieties with enhanced nutritional value, such as fibre-rich vegetables and beta-carotene-rich carrots, to support functional claims and positive nutrition.

This diversification not only meets consumer demand but also strengthens supply resilience, ensuring manufacturers can rely on SVZ for premium, reliable, and naturally delicious ingredients.

Continuity and stability

Johan’s transition from commercial director to managing director ensures continuity in leadership. His background facilitates closer alignment between production, sourcing, and commercial strategy – transforming them from isolated departments into an integrated machine attuned to market needs.

Already, Johan is ensuring that more of the company’s “big ideas” are being shared directly with production and sourcing teams so that everyone is clear on the shared purpose. “I also think the experience of my previous role gives me a dynamic, commercially minded approach to business operations that can be truly powerful, especially in terms of tapping into sales team knowledge to inform our sourcing strategy,” he says.

He sees sales as the “eyes and ears” of the business, connecting with customers to define and refine their needs. By tapping into this knowledge, SVZ can inform sourcing strategies and anticipate trends more effectively. This dynamic, commercially minded approach is expected to drive both operational stability and strategic agility.

Strengthening presence in Europe and Asia

SVZ’s core operations will remain in Europe, but Johan is determined to expand sales reach across Asia. This involves ramping up contact with APAC-based brands, directly and in tandem with distributors, as well as increasing available product volumes to offer customers in the region both quantity and quality.

“In my previous role as commercial director, my outlook was always international,” Johan says. “I’ve brought this focus into my new position as MD, really uniting all our teams across Europe and Asia under the shared goal of delivering double digit growth year-on-year.”

For food and beverage manufacturers, this expansion means greater supply chain resilience. SVZ’s commitment to sustainable, responsible sourcing ensures that as its network grows, customers can rely on secure, high-quality ingredients with minimal environmental impact.

A partnership-driven future

For Johan, SVZ’s future lies in partnership. By fostering collaboration across the value chain–from growers and suppliers to peers in the wider food and beverage industry – SVZ aims to build a more circular, resilient, and innovative food system.

This partnership-driven model will be key as SVZ expands internationally. Greater global reach naturally brings efficiency gains and stronger buying power, but Johan is clear: “Our goal isn’t to be the cheapest supplier. It’s to deliver the best balance between premium quality, reliable service, and fair pricing.”

Partnerships also underpin SVZ’s sustainability ambitions. “We’re actively exploring ways to give a ‘second life’ to high-quality fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste – from tropical fruits arriving in European ports to ‘imperfect’ tomatoes or overripe mangoes,” Johan explains. “By working closely with supply chain partners, we can identify these untapped side streams and transform them into premium purees, concentrates, and juices that add flavour and function to food and drink products.”

Growing better together

SVZ’s appointment of Johan Cerstiaens as managing director marks the beginning of a new chapter. His vision combines growth through portfolio expansion, sustainability through responsible sourcing, and innovation through collaboration.

As the company integrates Netra Agro, commits to 100% sustainable sourcing by 2030, and deepens partnerships with customers like innocent drinks, SVZ is positioning itself as the trusted global partner for premium fruit and vegetable ingredients. Under Johan’s leadership, the company is not simply aiming to grow bigger, but to grow better – delivering quality you can taste, reliability you can trust, and sustainability that endures.