Young and bursting with ambition, Se Tong Taing expanded his parents’ business to become the successful go-to supplier for exotic foods. Today, Weng Sé supplies more than 1,000 shops, supermarkets and restaurants throughout France from his warehouse. The company is run with 25 employees with sales of no less than 16.4 million euro.
With a customer base like this, a sound organisation is a must. “The key to our success lies in the intensive computerisation of the company,” explains Se Tong Taing. “I engaged an IT specialist who expanded a system to guarantee flawless customer follow-up. This allows us to offer optimum customer service without the need for an overly big team.”
Se Tong Taing sees striving for efficiency and good customer service in Dutch Food Experts too. “I notice that the people at Dutch Food Experts see things from their customer’s perspective, and that is always a positive characteristic for a supplier. They are very responsive and efficient. We have already been working together for two years, and the cooperation is still as smooth as it was in the beginning. The personal contacts that were first established ensure trust, and that is something that I really appreciate.”
Weng Sé and Dutch Food Experts first met in 2017 during the SIAL trade exhibition in Paris. This trade exhibition has been an epicentre for the trend setters in the food industry to meet since 1964. Producers, importers, buyers, distributors, media and experts from more than 200 countries discover each other and new trends in the industry.
From the very first contact, Se Tong Taing was impressed by Dutch Food Experts’ approach. “I was immediately struck by the expertise of Dutch Food Experts. You can tell that the company is run by people in the field who know the market. You cannot afford to stand still in our industry. We are always on the look-out for ways to differentiate ourselves from the competition. You need a passion for your products and to be in touch with your customer base. Suppliers who really collaborate and, above all, supply quality at keen prices, are worth their weight in gold. In addition, we can always count on Dutch Food Experts, with regard to efficiency, follow-ups on orders and deliveries.”
During the Covid crisis, the deliveries continued business as usual. “The Paris region was in a strict lock-down, but people had to eat. Restaurants make up around 10% of our customer base, so the impact was limited for us. People cooked more at home, so our volumes remained at the same level. It is good to know that in such situations you can count on suppliers like Dutch Food Experts, so that you can balance supply and demand,” concludes Se Tong Taing.