Frigo Group: the cool kid on the block in Dutch logistics

A frozen chip, a piece of fresh fish or a currant bun that tastes just as good on arrival as it did when it set off. That doesn’t happen by itself. Behind it all is a logistics service provider that never lets up on the cold chain for a single second. Frigo Group has been such a specialist since 1973. The company handles the storage and transport of chilled and frozen foodstuffs. Read on to find out what Frigo Group does and why they always keep a cool head.

A family business with the Frigo philosophy

Founder Hein van Elderen laid the foundations in 1973. He imbued the company with its own “Frigo philosophy”: smooth, customer-friendly, sustainable, efficient, safe, certified and no-nonsense. That ethos is still very much alive today. Chips, fish, meat, vegetables, fruit, ice cream and bread are in safe hands from start to finish.

The cold store in Nieuw-Vennep

The heart of the company lies in Nieuw-Vennep. The modern cold store has 22,000 pallet spaces. The temperature is monitored there day and night. If anything goes wrong, the technical staff resolve the issue 24/7. Frigo also has a branch in Geldermalsen. Business processes at both locations are standardised using logistics software.

The company holds various certifications and licences, such as IFS Logistics, Skal and an Entrepot C customs licence. Every three months, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority inspects the cold stores. Cameras are installed at the loading and unloading bays, and lorries are weighed on arrival and departure. This ensures that nothing goes wrong during delivery.

Refrigerated transport: fresh from A to B

Fresh produce requires specific temperature conditions. Refrigerated transport at around +5 °C is therefore one of Frigo Group Transport’s specialities. It operates daily throughout the Netherlands and Europe.

The same rule applies to chilled products as to frozen goods: the cold chain must not be broken. The drivers have often been with the company for years. They know the requirements and need only a hint to understand. They always keep a cool head, just like the cargo.

Using modern communication tools, the dispatchers know in real time where every lorry is travelling. They also speak French, English, Spanish and German. This is useful for groupage transport to France, Spain, Hungary or Switzerland. Furthermore, Frigo also arranges value-added logistics services, such as order picking.

Temperature-controlled transport: exactly the right temperature

‘Temperature-controlled’ means that the load remains at the specified temperature throughout the entire journey, whether that be chilled or frozen. Frigo Group provides this service for full truckloads (FTL), groupage and pallet transport. This is mainly by road, within the Netherlands and to Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, France and Italy. Spain and Portugal are an additional speciality.

Every product requires its own approach. Deep-frozen bread thaws very quickly and must therefore be loaded and unloaded at lightning speed. Drivers are trained in accordance with ISO 9001 and IFS. Because Frigo handles both storage and transport itself, everything runs seamlessly. The temperature inside the vehicles is continuously monitored.

Frigo also consolidates pallets by destination. This is more cost-effective and better for the environment. As a result, the service is also attractive to customers with just a few pallet drops.

A sustainable future

Frigo is looking ahead. The road fleet is being electrified in anticipation of zero-emission zones. From 1 January 2030, diesel lorries will no longer be permitted to operate in zero-emission zones, as all exemptions will then lapse. The cold store in Nieuw-Vennep is also becoming more energy-efficient, step by step. The motto here is: ‘every little helps’.