First of all, can you tell us a bit more about yourself and your role within Iberdeli? 

I'm Cristina González, and I started working at the Iberdeli office around eight years ago. Back then, I used to commute from Amsterdam, but for the past few years, I've been living in Rotterdam with my family, which has significantly reduced my travel time. Currently, my main focus is on marketing and communication within Iberdeli. This means I manage our social media presence and collaborate with another party to ensure it aligns with the Iberdeli style.

In my free time, I'm mostly dedicated to entertaining my own children. Moreover, I'm a sporty person and have recently developed a passion for running.

Could you tell us a bit more about your connection with Iberdeli and how you ended up here?

Initially, I started working at Iberdeli's office to manage the administrative side of the Ibericus store. Ibericus is a delicatessen shop located in Amsterdam where we sell Ibérico hams and all the cured meats made from Ibérico pigs, such as salchichon, chorizo, and lomo.

My brother Paul and I established this store in 2012, and I worked there with great pleasure for several years. After my first pregnancy, I transitioned to the Iberdeli office. My cheerful presence was so appreciated that they wanted to keep me there. In addition to my work for Ibericus, I started assisting Rogier with administrative and financial tasks at Iberdeli. Nowadays, I take care of the marketing and communication for Iberdeli.

You've closely witnessed the growth of Iberdeli. However, it seems that the warm company culture has remained intact all this time. How can you explain this?

Everyone is a product of their upbringing, including Paul (and myself, of course). Our father had his own business in the Fruit and Vegetable Sector. What characterized the company culture there was its accessibility. Our father used to greet everyone with a handshake every morning, whether it was the people in the sales department, the administrative staff, and those in the warehouse.

Paul adopted this from him. He started Iberdeli himself, and as time went on, more people joined. Hard work and trust are very important, but so is the ability to get along with each other as friends. Being honest and open. We also refer to it as the 'locker room culture' at Iberdeli. We work hard on the field, but in the locker room, we're all good friends and enjoy some banter. As long as these aspects go hand in hand, you maintain a very close-knit group.

How does the use of social media contribute to the Iberdeli brand? 

Social media messaging acts as our online business card, reflecting our company's identity. That's why it's important to mirror it effectively. Do you want to appear trendy and hip, stylish, or classic? Social media is a tool for showcasing our company's personality.

Through our social media channels, we present our wide product range in an appealing manner to our target audience and provide them with valuable information about our products. Additionally, we capture the day-to-day operations at Iberdeli through various photo and video content. This way, we demonstrate how our team collaborates and that Iberdeli is a great place to work.

Lastly, with which colleague would you consider swapping roles for a week, and why?

I would choose someone from the sales department! I've had the experience of selling a lot at the Ibericus store. Often, I had to explain the Ibérico product and persuade people to make a purchase. I really enjoyed interacting with people. Offering samples and seeing happy faces afterward gave me a sense of satisfaction. Selling high-quality products is truly rewarding. They get to do the latter, of course, in the sales department, and preferably in as large quantities as possible!