Sitting in the sun, enjoying an aperitif, and munching on Waltson chips—that is how Joost Debeuckelaere of Waltson Chips and potato wholesaler Agro Debeuckelaere envisions summer for Belgians. "The growing brand recognition is gradually bearing fruit. After the December holiday season, there's often a slight slump, but that was less this year," he begins.
"People always spend a lot of money in the holidays and tend to save a bit in the first few months after. Food quickly falls victim to budget cuts. That's evident in artisanal chips but also in other products, colleagues tell me. This year's first few months were, however, much busier than other years. That's perhaps because people are spending more now that the pandemic's over, but I also think the Waltson name is becoming a staple on store chip shelves. We've been advertising on TV, attending many trade shows, and letting marketing do its work. And things are moving in the right direction."
That also means the company is increasingly considering other markets. "That's not always easy. It takes plenty of time. We're already somewhat more present in specialty stores and retail in the Netherlands, Germany, and Luxembourg. We're also looking at expanding into northern France, which is interesting. Yet, Belgium remains our core business; our most important market. Range expansion is crucial, too," says Joost.
"When opting for Waltson chips, people should have the choice of different flavors. That builds customer loyalty. It's also why we recently introduced our first ribbed chips, Sweet BBQ. People love them. I must admit I didn't expect it to be such a hit. It's great to see people specifically looking for Waltson Chips. Now that the sun's slowly showing itself a bit, the barbecues are coming out. That's always a busy time for us."
More potatoes requested
However, a little patience - challenging for potato growers - is needed before the sun is fully out. "Some nice weather would be nice, no? It's April already, and the forecast's bad. Hopefully, it will rain less than predicted, so growers can start planting. There won't be an excess of potatoes this year, and a good new harvest is more than welcome. We've overseen this season and will undoubtedly reach the end, but we'll need new stock. It would be great if the weather turned nice," Joost explains.
He dare not say if the increasing climate challenges will eventually be problematic for potato stocks. "It's not getting any easier. Plus, there's an increasing demand for processing potatoes. The big players are expanding their factories, thus demanding more potatoes. There's no more room to grow in the Netherlands and Belgium; In France, however, there still is. That seems to be why many who want potatoes head that way."
Joost uses the Lady Claire and Lady Alicia varieties for his chips and, so far, sees no reason to switch. "We're still doing well with them. We started with Lady Alicia last year. We did a trial, which was successful. It had better yields and top-notch quality. Lady Claire's are still doing well quality-wise, too, though. It's an old lady, but it provides the quality we seek for our chips. Someday, varieties resistant to extreme weather may be increasingly in demand, but for now, these ladies serve us well. We still hope for better weather but are looking forward to a great summer," he concludes.
For more information:
Joost Debeuckelaere
Waltson Chips
Tel.: +32 (0) 51 701 625
info@waltson.be
www.waltson.be