From trainee to director

David Nieuwenhuizen began working for Big Dutchman 35 years ago

28/01/2026

David Nieuwenhuizen (left) was honoured by CEO Steffen Bersch for 35 years of service. He joined Big Dutchman after leaving school, completed a three-year training – and stayed.

His office is decorated with a map of Poland, a large picture of the Agents’ Meeting in Malaysia – and two handfuls of name badges from trade fairs. In more than three decades, David Nieuwenhuizen did a lot of travelling for Big Dutchman. Now he is celebrating an anniversary: 35 years of service.

Trainee

David’s career shows what is possible for Big Dutchman employees. “I started here straight after leaving school at the age of 19,” says the Vechta native with a Dutch passport (his parents are from the Netherlands).

On 1 August 1990, he began a three-year training as a businessman for wholesale and export trades. It was an exciting time of political change. The borders to the Eastern Bloc were open, the possibilities seemed endless. “And so they sent us young people out – to trade fairs, for example!”

Sales Coordinator

After completing his training, David worked as a Sales Coordinator for Eastern Europe. “That’s how I got into travelling,” says David. At the time, Europe was still a long way from being a Europe without borders. “I sometimes had to wait seven hours at the German-Polish border.”

He had everything he needed to make a sale with him in a pilot’s case, “which I always lugged around with me”: countless sales brochures, price lists, and a pad and pen for writing down orders.

Some of David’s trade fair passes and name badges have long since yellowed.

Sales Manager

Big Dutchman then made David an Area Sales Manager – sometime in the mid-1990s.

Back then, most customers in Eastern Europe were traditional farmers, quite unlike today, with large investors investing in huge farms. “We visited the farmers at home and were treated to sumptuous meals. The tables groaned under the weight of food. Sometimes twice a day!” Naturally, drinks were also offered. Many personal relationships that were formed then have lasted to this day, sometimes across generations – perhaps also because of this hospitality, says David.

In his busiest times, David’s sales area comprised up to ten Eastern European countries, often causing him to travel for a fortnight out of every month. “When we were gone, we were gone. We did not have mobile phones yet; we used telex to communicate. I had to request calls to Poland through an operator.”

From its location in Germany, Josef Meerpohl turned Big Dutchman into a global success story. David Nieuwenhuizen demonstrates his appreciation for the pioneer next to his statue.

Sales Director

Ten years ago, David was appointed Sales Director for “his” region. From then on, he focussed on the Poultry business unit. And has stopped travelling quite so much.

Why did he never change companies?

“Because I was always treated well here. And because good people work here. It never gets boring. The entire industry is constantly evolving, so there are still plenty of new things to experience, even after 35 years.”