Today we share the second interview with our management, Peter Baak.

Many associate the name Peter Baak with WBE, but what is the story behind this name? Not only is Peter well-known in the workplace, but also outside the workplace! Thanks to his commitment to various football clubs, charities and more, Peter is a valued person.

In the interview he tells more about his daily activities, his background and future vision.

Get to know the management of WBE better and read on quickly.

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

I am Peter Baak, 55 years old, married and live in the beautiful Maasland, together with Jacqueline and three lovely children, Carmen, Mikki and Jesper.

What are your hobbies (besides working hard at WBE)?

My hobbies are mainly traveling and soccer ( not active ), my passion for soccer lies mainly with the youth, especially of my club MVV '27 in Maasland, where I can be found almost every Saturday. Furthermore, WBE has been the main sponsor of Rijnsburgse Boys for quite some time now, which has always played in the top of amateur soccer.

What did you study? 

Just like Jacqueline I studied at the Hotel School in Tilburg, where I also met Jacqueline in 1985

What did you do before you started working at WBE?

As Jacqueline pointed out, we worked together in France for more than six months to master the French language and gain experience.

At that time there was still compulsory military service for boys and I still had to fulfill it, which I did not feel like doing of course.

12 months doing nothing and just getting bored, I was responsible for the kitchen for all officers.

In the meantime, Jacqueline was already working for her father, and I had so much time to spare that I started helping out with the unloading of containers, while I was still a military conscript.

After six months I was so fed up with military service that after an accident in the kitchen, I let myself be rejected.

I didn't have any real work at that time, so I started in the box with Jaap! I wanted to start "at the bottom" to get to know the company and the sector well and that's how it started.

In the years that followed, I went through all departments within the company, eventually serving as general manager since 1996.

What does your average working day look like? 

I usually get up at 6:30 AM / 7:00 AM and go to the office after taking a shower, where I arrive between 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM.

In general, I monitor all departments within our company on a daily basis, but above all, I still think ordering our “bulk products” is the most fun thing to do.

I still enjoy contact with suppliers and spar with the salespeople.

What do you like best about your job? 

The many contacts with people from different countries with different cultures, and the fact that almost no week is the same in our industry.

What do you like least about your job? 

There is really nothing I don't like about my job right now

What is your favorite product? Why?

I don't really have a favorite product, but if I still have to choose, I would pick Salal.

Salal can function well as a nice filler in various bouquets

Do you still have ambitions for WBE?

I think you always have ambitions with a real family business like WBE. It would be great if our children could and want to continue the business with great ambition in the future. If that is the case, Jacqueline and I can tick off our travel bucket list.