Primalof was first in Belgium with cooked Belgian endive

At De Smet, the focus has been on Belgian endive for thirty years. Primalof, De Smet's subsidiary, started specializing in cultivation and sales of fresh and cooked Belgian endive six years ago. Owner Yves D'hauwers: "There's enough raw Belgian endive already. That's why we wanted to offer something different as well. We were the first in Belgium with cooked Belgian endive."

Ham rolls

Another reason is that Yves' wife has a ham factory. "We got the idea to make ham rolls, combining the ham and the Belgian endive. Then cheese is added, and it's packaged. That way we add value to the product, and the buyer has more convenience. The vacuum cooked Belgian endive is prepared naturally, without adding salt, preservatives or flavourings. Also, cooked it has a shelf life of three weeks, and the Belgian endive has a nice yellow colour after being cooked."

Export as well

Yves notes that the volumes of pre-cooked Belgian endive are slowly increasing. "At the moment, the share of cooked Belgian endive is about 5%, most of what we sell is still raw Belgian endive. In Belgium, we are among the biggest companies growing Belgian endive, and our products are marketed under our own label. We supply directly to our buyers, and also export to various European countries. In fresh Belgian endive, our clients are mostly supermarkets, and in cooked Belgian endive, industrial kitchens and catering. Recently, we've also started supplying the cooked Belgian endive with ham to Lidl and Colruyt, packaged in a tray of two."

Saturated

Price-wise, Belgian endive is known for its volatility. "The cooked Belgian endive has a somewhat more stable price. In terms of fresh Belgian endive, the market is a bit saturated, there's not much room to grow. That's why in future, we'll focus more and more on cooked Belgian endive and the ham rolls. I do expect growth there. When demand increases, we can also invest in the latest machinery in the coming years."

For more information:

Nv De Smet / Bvba Primalof
Leeg Bracht 23
9860 Balegem
Tel +32(0)9/3627478
Gsm +32(0)495/303121
yves@primalof.be
www.primalof.be