Dutchman’s homeland recreated in business aesthetic, lifestyle

Gert van Manen’s iTi Tropicals business officially opened their new location at 30 Gordon Ave. last week.

By: John Dunphy
   Last Friday, a little piece of Amsterdam officially opened for business in Lawrenceville.
   After 20 months of construction, iTi Tropicals, an importer of exotic fruit purees, opened its new location at 30 Gordon Ave.
   What sets this new village attraction apart from other businesses of its ilk might be the building itself, designed to emulate the old canal houses of the Netherlands, where iTi Tropicals founder Gert van Manen grew up.
   Prior, iTi Tropicals, which began in 1988 as International Trade Impact, had since 1990 operated out of the Mercer Mall on Route 1. But, with an exotic juice market continuing to prosper, Mr. van Manen said a new facility was needed.
   Only this time, he said, he was looking for a location that would not only serve his business, but also his lifestyle.
   On pleasant days, Mr. van Manen, 48, hops on his Raleigh and cycles the five minutes from his Glenbrook Court home to his office. At lunchtime, he walks down to the main drag, stopping by one of the village’s several eateries.
   After school, his children, 9-year-old Nicola and 12-year-old Adriana, can bring their school work to iTi Tropicals, where Mr. van Manen had a room built next to his office to spend more time with them — as well, one can assume, to make sure they’re tending to their studies.
   It’s all part of the lifestyle environment Mr. van Manen said just wasn’t possible in iTi Tropicals’ previous Route 1 location.
   "Builders tell you to maximize the land, build one building, it’s cheaper," he said. "But, I didn’t think it would be in character with the town."
   While Mr. van Manen was aiming for something unique with the new buildings, he said, they were very careful "not to overdo it."
   "I was really adamant on keeping it simple, but different," he said.
   Mr. van Manen’s business seems able to afford the luxury of making "lifestyle" choices, rather than simply pragmatic ones. While the business recorded $30 million in sales last year, the 19-year-old iTi Tropicals began, basically, as a risk.
   When Mr. van Manen first came to the United States, he worked with another Dutch trading company. "We imported banana puree," he said.
   "At the time there was no real demand for tropical exotics," Mr. van Manen said. "It was all orange, apple, banana — the basics. But it was just a matter of time."
   Under a more health-conscious climate, soda, which reigned supreme as the beverage of choice in the 1980s, has been replaced by bottled water in the United States, and tropical fruit juice sales also have continued to climb. "We focused on it and never diverted away from it. Now’s it’s tropicals and exotics all over the place," he said.
   "It’s nerve wracking at times, but a thrill to do. And when it all falls into place, it’s a lot of fun," Mr. van Manen added.
   Staples such as the aforementioned apples and oranges have been joined by guava, papaya and, more exotic still, mangosteen, lychee and starfruit, among others.
   With residential properties beyond the site, iTi Tropicals’ entrance, and the entrance of its externally identical (yet currently unoccupied) partner next to it, face down toward Main Street. Mr. van Manen said the new construction, as the last business on the road, serves as a bookend to the village.
   In addition to Dutch influence on the outside, an air of an exotic trading post streams within, with antique European and Asian furniture dating back some 200 years.
   The concept for the building was conceived by both Mr. van Manen and Jan-Willem Toering, of IN DE NIJE POORTE, a Holland-based antique and interior design firm.
   The construction of the facilities totaled about $1.6 million, Mr. van Manen said. He has tentative plans to design a courtyard on a piece of land between the two buildings, which could potentially host local events, and he has plans to utilize a piece of wooded property next to iTi Tropicals.
   When asked whether any of the trees on that property would be removed for future construction, Mr. van Manen blanched.
   "My kids like playing in this," he said, noting that at most, he would like to add some paths around the parcel, among other ideas. "I wouldn’t mind talking to Grounds for Sculpture (in Hamilton) to see if they would like doing something with it," he said.
   Mr. van Manen said he hopes people 10 years from now will look back on the whole property and say, "Hey, that was smart."
   "I really like the small town," he said. "I like to walk to work, bike to work, get to know the local people. It’s a nice feeling."
   Outside of the office, Stephanie van Manen, Mr. van Manen’s wife, pulled up along the road, children in tow. Mr. van Manen smiled, noting that a random midday meeting such as this likely would not have happened at his business’ former location.
   Mrs. van Manen lowered the passenger side window. "Hey, do you want anything from Pennington Market," she asked.
   "Yeah — juice!" Mr. van Manen laughed.