Regular European trade show visitors will undoubtedly have noticed The Potato Chef. The Belgian company De Aardappelhoeve is raising awareness of its processed potato products brand, and by now, these products are on shelves throughout Belgium. "It's a way to upgrade our byproducts and is being picked up very nicely," begins Bart Nemegheer.
The company started this brand in 2021 after it became clear that fresh potato sales were gradually stagnating. "The idea was two-pronged. First, as mentioned, we wanted to do something with our byproducts," explains daughter Ellen Nemegheer. "We had quite a bit of that from both sweet and 'regular' potatoes that we couldn't really do anything with. Retail demands are very high, so they won't take dented or flawed potatoes. Still, we wanted to do something with those products, so decided in-house to process the (sweet) potatoes into croquettes, fries, seasoned or spicy slices, wedges, and cubes. We try to offer the whole fourth range, but the brand includes fresh products too."
"Secondly," adds Bart, "fresh potato sales certainly weren't climbing in recent years. With The Potato Chef, we could expand our range to offer something different but also spread the risks. After all, who buys a 5-kilo bag of potatoes to peel themselves these days? Families are getting smaller, and there's more need for convenience in the kitchen. We want these products to meet consumer needs. With The Potato Chef, we're entering a new market with plenty of potential."
It is now two years later, and the brand's assortment has expanded significantly. "It spans the spectrum. A slightly flawed potato is still a great product. It's ideal for processing in, say, croquettes, but really in anything. We also supply fresh blanched fries. Where most pre-fry these, we're distinctive in blanching them, which preserves the taste. People's positive responses support that," Bart continues.
The main reason the range has grown so fast in a relatively short time is due to customer need. "We look together with them at market demand. And offering potential new clients a wider assortment is always more interesting. People are less interested in offering a single product; they like having a comprehensive consumer range." The company is, thus, constantly looking for new products to offer under The Potato Chef name.
They grow most of the potatoes used for the brand. However, to meet demand, they sometimes buy in products. "We're not yet completely self-sufficient but want to get there eventually. We send the potatoes to our partner in the Netherlands, who processes and returns them frozen. We then store and package these as fresh frozen per order," says Bart.
So, annually, De Aardappelhoeve automatically processes 35,000 tons of byproducts into The Potato Chef products, which eventually reach retail stores throughout Belgium. "For now, it's just Belgium," Ellen admits. "But, there are fir plans to expand into overseas markets. That's why we chose the name, The Potato Chef. It's not a Flemish name, it’s more international. It symbolizes our goal to enter international markets with the brand. The Netherlands, for example, is an extremely attractive market for us, which we're definitely exploring. We're talking to some Dutch stores, but keep looking further afield, too."
The Potato Chef logo, too, contains an unusual detail. "We hired a design firm for that but added the 'by Ruben' part ourselves. My brother Ruben was killed in an accident several years ago. He had a big part in creating the brand, so we wanted to show that he's still part of The Potato Chef and will never be forgotten," concludes Ellen.
For more information:
Bart Nemegheer
De Aardappelhoeve
Putterijstraat 7A
8700 Tielt (België)
Tel.: +32 (0)477 29 17 84
bart@deaardappelhoeve.be
www.deaardappelhoeve.be