The two largest Belgian potato processors, Clarebout and Agristo, continue to grow. Not only in their own country but also beyond borders, such as Northern France and elsewhere in the world. This places the family businesses in the world's top when it comes to fries.
The Belgian business newspaper De Tijd spoke with both Clarebout and Agristo about their latest investments. In the French city of Dunkirk, the lines are running at full capacity for the first season at Clarebout. The capacity increase is so significant that it is even reflected in the French export figures for fries, which showed a peak of 50% more volume this summer. A total of 1,200 tons of French and Belgian potatoes are processed daily at the location. The next investment is already in progress: A freezer storage for 85,000 pallets. This investment amounts to approximately €85 million.
Fries production in India
At competitor Agristo, they still have to wait a bit. If all goes well, they can start producing fries from 2026 in Escadouvres, also in Northern France. Currently, the company only operates within the Belgian borders and of course in Tilburg, Netherlands. The family business also has a branch in India. In the Uttar Pradesh region, it collaborates with a local party: Masa. Currently, only potato flakes are produced there, but Agristo plans to start producing fries there in two years. With a population of 1.4 billion, there is still a lot of potential for fries in the country, but India can also serve as a base for other Asian countries.
Clarebout achieved a turnover of over €1 billion in 2022. The figures for 2023 will be released at the end of this year. When you add the turnover of Mydibel (acquired at the end of December '22) and the figures of Pommuni, the total approaches €2 billion. Mydibel had a turnover of €362 million in 2022 and Pommuni €157 million. Clarebout acquired a 50% stake in that company earlier this year. Agristo achieved a turnover of €1.2 billion last year. It is estimated that this year's turnover will be about the same or slightly higher.
Growth ambition
The ambition of both companies is clear: to grow. Agristo aims to grow to 1.4 million tons of potato products per year, compared to 874,000 tons last year. To achieve this, €650 million will be invested. The exact volume Clarebout produces annually is somewhat unclear. However, the company expresses the ambition that the processed potato volume in Dunkirk should increase by 1,000 tons per day over the next few years, reaching 2,200 tons. There is a third player on the (French) coast, the also Belgian Ecofrost. It is converting an old potato chips factory in Péronne for fries production, where 200,000 tons of end product can be made.
Where Agristo differs from the others with its ambition is in having a clear international vision. This makes it more similar to Dutch colleagues who also have joint ventures elsewhere in the world. By 2030, Agristo aims to have ten percent of its turnover coming from outside Europe. In addition to India, it is advanced in plans to process potatoes in the United States. This broad perspective is not surprising, given the pressure on Belgian and French potato cultivation. While there are still opportunities, there are also limits. Furthermore, there is strong competition. Although the main potato cultivation area may have shifted further south, there is a high probability that the next major shift will be back to the north or beyond European borders.
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