Respected industry figure remembered for his work organising Dutch presence at major international fresh produce exhibitions and his later contributions to Mercy Ships Netherlands
Members of the fresh produce business have paid tribute to former Holland Fresh Group representative Ger van Burik, who died on 24 July.
For more than 14 years until the end of 2020, Ger was responsible for organising and coordinating the Netherlands’ collective presence at a number of major trade fairs, including Fruit Logistica in Berlin, Asia Fruit Logistica in Hong Kong, Fruit Attraction in Madrid, and PMA Fresh Summit (now Global Produce & Floral Show) in the US.
Corrie Visbeen of Best Fresh Group, commented on LinkedIn: “Condolences and strength to family and friends in coping with this enormous loss. I enjoyed working with Ger and have good memories of the contacts before and during the fairs.”
Christiaan de Jager, lead buyer at Bakker Barendrecht, also paid tribute: “Condolences for the loss of Ger. What a nice man to have known, so open, so friendly, so young at heart. Much strength to all [his] relatives.”
Edwin Vanlaerhoven of Certhon added: “Ger was a worthy ambassador for the sector and above all a very nice person. I continue to cherish the beautiful memories of Ger.”
More recently, Ger was closely involved as an ambassador volunteer with the Mercy Ships Netherlands organisation.
“He was very dedicated to Mercy Ships’ business network,” the group commented. “Thanks to his own network, particularly in the fresh produce sector, he was able to bring our mission to the attention of new contacts. He also played a valuable role in organising various events, led a Vision Trip to Sierra Leone, and actively contributed to our presentation at trade fairs and meetings. His dedication, knowledge, connections, and enthusiasm were of great importance in these efforts.”
