One of the newest faces at WBE is that of Karst van Gestel. He had already been part of the WBE team as a box employee for a while, but since September he has also been featured in our new retail team at the office.

In December his internship period ended and he officially became a colleague at WBE.

A great moment to interview him about his new activities, ambitions and a little more about himself. Read the first interview of 2022 quickly.

Tell us about yourself (age, relationship, place of residence, etc.) 

I am 26 years old and a year and a half ago I moved from Zoetermeer to Honselersdijk where I live with my girlfriend.

What are your hobbies (besides the hard work at WBE)?

In addition to (the hard) work, I like - when it is again possible and allowed - to go to football (Ado den Haag). I also like sports and I like to go to a party or festival with friends. Another hobby of mine is cooking, especially grilling.

What did you study? 

I completed my HAVO and then started working for a number of years. After a few different jobs, I started the Entrepreneurship & Retail Management course at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, which I will complete this year.

What did you do before you started working at WBE? 

Before WBE I worked as a butcher in Zoetermeer at Keursslagerij Reas. That started as a side job and ended in full-time employment. In addition, I have had several (side) jobs within the sales world.

In which department do you work at WBE?

I started as a box employee a year and a half ago. I did this for over a year and got to know so many products. From September to December I did an internship in the sales department in combination with school. During this internship, I, together with colleague Michael, focused on getting to know the retail market within the floriculture sector. I have been a sales employee since 1 January and we will continue to focus on offering our (suitable) products to the retail market.

At which branch do you work?

WBE Westland

What does your average working day look like? 

My average working day now consists of maintaining contact with a number of customers and entering their orders. In addition, I am gaining a lot of knowledge for the retail department together with Michael. Finding potential customers, suitable products and making quotations and offers is also a part of this. We try to make as many appointments as possible to expand our network and hopefully be able to supply a lot of new customers. If it's busy downstairs in the box, I'll jump in.

What do you like best about your job?

So far, I like everything; I think the atmosphere among colleagues is good and important. The customer contact and getting the orders in order appeals to me the most.
Because you have to deal with many factors, no day is the same and this job never bores.

What do you like least about your job? 

So far I'm having a good time. If I had to choose one thing it would be the early morning alarm.

What is your favorite product? Why? 

I think the exotic products are cool, such as monstera leaf, pineapple etc. And the eucalyptus species, because I have worked with them the most so far.

Do you have any ambitions within WBE? 

My ambition, for now, is to make the new retail department a success and to be able to supply as many retail customers as possible.