Fruit and vegetable company Greenyard Fresh Belgium has signed an agreement in principle with multinational retailer Carrefour Belgium, committing to supply the major corporation with a year-round supply of produce.

Specifically, in signing the agreement, Carrefour Belgium is guaranteed a reliable and efficient sourcing of fresh fruits and vegetables with integrated quality assurance from producer to consumer.

According to Greenyard, this move is meant to drive profitable growth of the fresh fruits and vegetables category, and is expected to strengthen the commercial relationship of both companies.

The produce giant adds that this agreement will result in a "significant increase" in the volume of fresh fruits and vegetables that it supplies to Carrefour Belgium, noting that this heightened volume will contribute positively to the revenue of all parties in the supply chain.

The two entities' strategic relationship will also include a broader capability set including sourcing, supply chain management, and quality assurance, all of which will be achieved in close collaboration with Carrefour’s fresh specialists as well as its integrated fruits and vegetables sourcing platform, SOCOMO, says Greenyard.

Beyond those features, the company says their arrangement will ensure an optimal logistics and transport management of Greenyard's produce to all platforms and stores of Carrefour in Belgium.

Greenyard explains these moves are all part of its strategy to become the vertically integrated partner and added-value service provider for Carrefour Belgium - in addition, they'll serve to support the retailer's ‘Act For Food’ initiative to provide consumers healthy, high-quality, and local Belgian food.

"This collaboration will help both companies to take the next steps in achieving their common long-term goals: waste reduction, improved quality for the consumer while providing fast, continuous and innovative solutions, perfectly tailored to the ever-changing needs of the consumer," says Greenyard.