"We give you confidence, but also expect your trust and loyalty in return for our place in the chain." That was the message REO shared with its buyers during a buyers' event in Roeselare on Friday, 14 November. During the evening, the cooperative presented its new strategy, outlining what will change, but above all, which steps are being taken.
View the photo reportage of the evening here
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The REO team with here on the left: Nathalie Plovie, Kurt De Wreede, Remie Dewitte, Filip Vanaken, and Dirk Declercq.
It is early March 2025 when REO unveils its new strategy. They presented the outcome of a process that began in 2023 to future-proof the cooperative. Commercially, it is a strategy centred on sales, sales systems, customer contact, and a new brand structure. "On 2 March, we presented this strategy to cooperators and employees, but now that we have launched the new logo and full brand structure, the next logical step was to share the same message with our customer relations. In a way that reflects its impact. That is why we organised the event in Roeselare on Friday, 14 November, which ultimately attracted around 250 guests. A very successful evening," said commercial director Remie Dewitte, general manager Filip Vanaken, and chairman Dirk Declercq.
Commerce, cooperation, and inspection/quality
"Sales and sales systems, therefore, take a prominent place in our strategy, which we presented to our partners on Friday evening," Filip adds. "But it goes much further than the commercial aspect alone; at the grower level, much has already changed in recent years. Whether you are a large or small grower, cooperation is essential. Together, we create opportunities for small growers, while larger growers save on costs and avoid competing against each other. Only this way can we strengthen our position, protect pricing, and build a future for all growers, and this approach is being noticed."
The cooperative is also strongly committed to youth recruitment. "Young REO is taking clearer shape. Our young members are involved, have their own consultation moments, and even have a place on the board. This is crucial for the future of the cooperative. We recognise that, and that is why it is an important pillar in our strategy."
Finally, quality and inspection were also reviewed. "We wanted to strengthen our quality approach by training quality supervisors as product specialists who coach growers and monitor product quality. As part of product teams, we ensure close cooperation between the quality and commercial departments. Inspections become more efficient thanks to the decoupling of supply and quality control, while supervisors can be deployed flexibly, including from producers. This way of working is linked to a redesign of the supply shed, which will be implemented from autumn 2025. In the event of rejection, quality supervisors engage in open dialogue with the producer, look for points of improvement, and, together with the commercial department, consider alternative sales. Transparent communication with producers and buyers remains essential to reinforce confidence in REO and its products."
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Conviviality in the room, including Johan Chretien (Rejo Fresh), Liesbeth Claus and Caroline Baeten (Claus-Baeten), and Guy De Meyer (Demargro)
Customisation
But just as much has evolved towards buyers, which was a key focus of the evening. "We have a new commercial director, and we have deliberately invested in a more professional and better organised commercial team," Filip explains. Remie adds, "Commercially, our strategy is built around several pillars. An important point we wanted to emphasise this evening is that, as a cooperative, we want to retain control over sales. This is necessary to ensure market stability. We want a say in pricing, both through the clock and through mediation. If growers individually choose their own path, it may work for one season or for one farm, but if it happens on a larger scale, the market loses direction and growers ultimately lose out. Buyers also benefit from that stability. After all, direction from cooperatives ensures fair competition."
"When I was appointed, people said I would take the clock off the wall, but the reality is a bit more nuanced. The clock remains an essential sales tool. However, we do want to analyse on a product-by-product basis whether selling through the clock is always the best method. For some products, traditional auctioning works well, but for others, we need more flexibility. Leek is the best example. There, we have been working for more than a year with a renewed market approach that, despite the difficult market situation, is viewed positively by both growers and buyers. Ultimately, it is about customisation: not everything has to be sold through the same system. That is the future."
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A well-filled room in Roeselare
Exports via specialists, from market to account management
"For exports, we are making clear choices," he continues. "Shoemaker, stick to your last. Our focus is on Belgian buyers who work according to our rules and fit within our cooperative model. The Belgian market is and remains our base, especially for daily fresh products. We will therefore not take on the role of exporter ourselves. For exports, we choose specialised exporters. They have the expertise, network, and logistics needed. We are not going to take that on ourselves. But we do expect those exporters and partners to recognise our role in the chain, just as we recognise theirs."
"Organisationally, we are also changing the process. We are moving away from market management and evolving towards a clearly defined account management system in which we want to offer our buyers even better service. Collecting market information and analysing market developments, tasks previously assigned to market managers, will be centralised under one business development manager. He follows the market, identifies trends, and supports the commercial team, but does not search for individual export customers. This is a deliberate choice. This change was necessary. The sector is evolving rapidly, companies are growing, and our cooperative needs to become more flexible and dynamic. We have worked hard on this over the past two years. The process is not yet complete, but the direction is clear and forward-looking."
New brand family. Phasing out Tomabel and Fine Fleur
"Another pillar of our strategy is marketing," Remie continues. "Our new REO brand is now being fully rolled out. Old logos are gradually disappearing from the company website, and the new packaging is gradually entering the market. The first new leek boxes are already being used in exports, where they are very well received. We notice that the new brand really energises the organisation. We deliberately chose a B2B approach. Our product range rarely appears on retail shelves under a consumer brand, so it makes little sense to invest heavily in B2C marketing. Our communication focuses on buyers. That is where the impact lies."
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A busy affair in the Factory premises
"The brand strategy is structured as follows," he explains. "Under the main REO brand, appealing sub-brands come to life. From REO Sublime to REO Terra and REO Nova, each has its own identity, supported by the strength of REO as a cooperative. The sub-brands cover top-quality products (Sublime), authentic products such as ground chicory and hand-cleaned sprouts (Terra), as well as innovative products such as hydro leeks (Nova). Finally, the Vivo by REO sub-brand is also being introduced. This brand will soon be launched for products that are good in quality but do not fully meet Flandria specifications."
"REO currently markets two strong brands: Tomabel and Fine Fleur. These will be phased out gradually over the coming years. We recognise the sensitivities around this in the market and will address them as much as possible in consultation with our buyers. However, in a strategy, it is important to dare to make choices, to say what you will not do, and to choose a clear direction. We have therefore made firm decisions in our brand policy. With this step, we expect to embark on a strong path of cooperation and growth," the trio concludes.
View the photo report of the evening here
For more information:
REO
Oostnieuwkerksesteenweg 101
Belgium - 8800 Roeselare
Tel. +32 (0) 51 23 12 11
[email protected]
www.reo.be
