On August 1, 2014, Terrapoint bv from Breskens stopped sorting and packaging potatoes and onions. In September, the entire Terrapoint inventory was bought by family enterprise RTL Patat from Lauwe in Belgium. Rik and Remy Tanghe will continue operations together with Daan Dees of Terrapoint. This year, they were at Interpom Primeurs.
Daan Dees, Remy and Rik Tanghe
More effective
"Through this takeover, we will be more effective and even more flexible," Remy goes on. "We can now harvest and breed potatoes from Paris to Rotterdam. Our area and product range is bigger and better. Through the larger volumes, we can also export at more attractive prices. We have also been asked for specific potato varieties by clients from time to time, the Agria for instance. We weren't able to offer those competitively up until now. In Lauwe we had reached peak packaging capacity, but now we have more room to grow."
New markets
RTL Patat specializes in sorting, washing, packaging and supplying potatoes. The main industrial buyers are in Belgium, the Netherlands and France. The markets for export vary from season to season. "We export to various European countries, but are also quite active in Africa already," Remy says. "With Terrapoint, the focus was more on the Middle East, so now we can also grow further in that market. With volume, flexibility and above all quality, we will service the market more and with improvement."
The Terrapoint name stays. "We will continue to operate under the two separate company names for the next three years. They're both household names, and customers would get confused if we started to do everything under one name now." Remy looks to the future with optimism. "We're staying a family business, my brother Emiel will join us, and a few others are eagerly awaiting their turn. We'll keep supplying high-quality products and find good opportunities at home and abroad."
For more information:
RTL Patat
Rekkemstraat 123
8930 Menen (Lauwe)
Fax: +32 56 41 14 19
[email protected]
www.rtlpatat.be