Willy takes us back to a time when business was all about personal relationships. Friday and Saturday were the days. “That’s when we’d sit here at the kitchen table or in the pub. A bottle on the table and let the negotiations begin,” he says with a laugh. “The farmers wanted to see the money, literally. So I’d often come with a bag full of cash. That trust had to be earned.”

Even back then, Willy worked closely with VAEX. “We helped each other with the trade. Italians would come here to pick out luxury pigs. They’d walk through the barn with a spray can, marking the best pigs. But sometimes, it all took too long for those Italians. So we’d give them a hand,” he says with a mischievous smile. “We’d put a few marks ourselves, so they could get home faster.”

The dynamic back then was very different. Many small groups of pigs had to be collected, often from local farmers. Drivers sometimes made three trips a day and everyone worked together. “The last truck? It didn’t leave until everyone was satisfied. Then a drink, and the weekend could begin,” Willy recalls.

He fondly remembers the hustle, the camaraderie, and the lively trade. But times have changed. “Now everything is more strict. No more handshake deals, no more cash. Everything is planned, registered, and agreed upon. There’s no way around it,” he says. “The farmers want certainty and we have to make sure everything is right. But that old sense of togetherness? I do miss it sometimes.”

Still, Willy remains proud of his profession. “We do things differently now, but it’s still good work. You still take care of your relationships and always have to look ahead. That’s the most important thing.” “The nostalgia of how things used to be is wonderful, but our current cooperation with VAEX proves that success is still possible in a changing market.”

As the last sip of coffee disappears from his mug, Willy wraps up: “But honestly? Every now and then, an evening with a bottle on the table… that wouldn’t be so bad.” And so, the old days are never truly lost, as long as there are stories left to tell.