"There's an increasing demand for convenience, for finished, user-friendly products. We see that in the market: the more convenience, the better," says Ingrid Eeckhaut of Vanderhaegen Potatoes. That is why, besides French fries, which remain this Belgian family business's core business, it is focusing on developing convenient potato products.
© Vanderhaegen Potatoes
"We're primarily committed to quality. We don't want to distinguish ourselves by volume, but by top quality and freshness. A certain market segment will always pay a little more for that. Our convenience products are in high demand, and we see future developments there, unlike the fresh French fries market, which is saturated."
Vanderhaegen Potatoes supplies the hospitality, retail, and foodservice sectors. "In both retail and foodservice, there's a shift towards prepared meals, but fresh fries remain our mainstay, our biggest business. There aren't more chip shops; some are getting bigger, but fresh fries consumption remains the same," Ingrid explains.
Quality permeates everything
© Vanderhaegen Potatoes
Quality begins with the basics: the potatoes. "My agricultural background means we're strongly rooted in agronomy. The basic product is crucial, so we work with a fixed pool of growers. If you lose touch with that, things can quickly go wrong." Quality is also central in subsequent processing steps. When purchasing a new sorting machine, that principle was paramount. "After evaluating many machines, we chose a quality one that suits us," says Ingrid.
Optimum Sorting helped install the new Novus band sorter. "We replaced two existing machines with one that has two flap bars, using the existing mechanical snipper. That reduces pressure on the sorter, which can quickly fill up, and prevents too-short or defective fries from passing through," says Alexander Dewilde of the sales agency, Sortindus.
Precision sorting
Optimum Sorting's Wilfried Rombauts, adds, "The first flap bar removes too-short, green, and French fries with defects. The snipper doesn't remove all those. The second flap bar sends long, French fries with imperfect ends to the de-tipper." Three cameras check the fries during sorting, viewing five of the six cut surfaces. "That allows long fries with defects in the middle - which are trimmable - to be sorted out," explains Alexander.
© Vanderhaegen Potatoes
Ingrid is pleased with that partnership and the machine's results."With the new machine, we deliver clean fries to the fryer, regardless of harvesting damage or blue discoloration," she says. "That makes it easier to process batches that are damaged but still taste good."
The new sorter helps Vanderhaegen Potatoes produce high-quality products. Although margins are under pressure and the company has to respond quickly to market demand, Ingrid remains convinced of the value of quality. "There's always a place for high-quality products. It's up to us to make the difference," she concludes. (MW)
For more information:
Vanderhaegen Potatoes
Dorpsstraat 3
9667 Horebeke
Tel: +32 55 45 52 66
[email protected]
www.vanderhaegenpotatoes.be
