Whether the name Group Verduyn immediately rings a bell or not: chances are extremely high that you have already tasted one of their products at some point. Grandfather Verduyn founded the company 75 years ago as a vegetable grower, 50 years ago, his son Daniel Verduyn additionally started processing vegetables, and meanwhile the third generation has conquered the wide European market. Meet Alexander Verduyn, co-CEO of the flourishing group that now has 200 employees.
"Verduyn is our family business, 100 percent owned," begins Alexander Verduyn. "My grandfather Gaston once started growing tomatoes in his greenhouses, my father Daniel went a step further with processing and more broadly marketing the crop. Currently, there are three of us shareholders: my brother Nicolas, sister Valerie and myself. (Pictured from left to right) We supply every type of Belgian vegetable imaginable to three types of end customers: frozen and canned food manufacturers, companies selling grated and sliced vegetables, and, of course, supermarkets.
- Was that family succession an obvious one?
My parents really wanted us to continue the business and that was really what my brother and I wanted. We honestly didn't know anything else. Just that challenged us to find our own way. Working with family also means that sometimes we are already harder on each other; we express our opinions more freely. But if there is a problem, we always pull the same boat. And we also leave each other free to do what we love, what energizes each of us. For example, our sister Valerie was active in the group for a while, but ended up chasing her own entrepreneurial dream with clothing store Pips Pillino in Roeselare.
- Entrepreneurship is in your genes.
As a family, we are true entrepreneurs, much more than managers. We are ambitious, very straightforward and always open to opportunities. In that I am perhaps a bit impulsive. There is no shortage of ideas, but of course the whole company has to be able to follow. That is why we welcomed CEO Lies Vanderschaeghe in 2022. Where we used to rush headlong into challenges and only discover afterwards where we ended up, our CEO now sets the strong structures and lines for Group Verduyn.
- How do you bring innovation to something as traditional as agriculture?
We have always loved machines, technology, novelties. Because we are also convinced that it makes our products better. For example, we use high-tech AI cameras in our state-of-the-art factories to scan and sort vegetables by length. For example, we recently released our hand-laid carrots, a nice package of carrots that are all the same length. There is a big market for that, because it has something. People like to buy beautiful vegetables. That's why we also recently created soups, made from crooked and lost greens that until recently went to animal feed or fermenters. We now recover them in tasty soups. The perfect answer to the huge food waste we face.
- To what extent does that concern you?
Very much so. Also every non-usable vegetable grew from a specially grown seed, we may or may not have watered, was taken out of the ground, came by truck to the factory, was washed and sorted. So it is so much more sustainable to use each piece. Sustainability is an important topic for Group Verduyn. We use technology for that as well. For example, we have machines in the fields that only spray weeds and no longer the vegetables themselves, reducing the huge pressure of pesticides. We are looking at how to reduce plastic packaging without sacrificing quality. And also, there are some 4,500 solar panels here, so a lot of it can run on green energy. It's about us all having to be a little more conscious, on every level.
- What meaning does sustainability still have for you?
It's also in the relationships with our employees. People are the success of a company. You may have the best plants and machines, without the right people on your team you won't get there. So we invest in our colleagues for a long time and genuinely care that they can advance in their careers, have fun, feel at home here. Recently we went with 100 colleagues to watch soccer - I am president of SK Roeselare - and treated them to hamburgers and drinks. From the men in the fields to the people in the office, everyone was welcome. We also have our own clothing brand: King of Carrots, with T-shirts, stockings, backpacks, ... Every year our colleagues receive a new item as a gift. So we call them our kings and queens of carrots!
- How has Titeca supported you in all these great steps and initiatives?
Once I was on a panel discussion on sustainability with Titeca CEO Jurka, that got me thinking further. I am a huge believer that sustainable initiatives also pay off in the long run. It will always cost a little bit at first, but after that you will benefit. Just like the planet. These are things I regularly talk about with Matthias, my trusted sparring partner at Titeca. Actually, we talk about àlleverything! (laughs) The soup, our family, the holdings we are merging right now. Titeca has been there since the very beginning. Emmanuel, the founder of Titeca, has played a very important role in the growth of Verduyn. He has guided the family arrangements at every generational change and continues to help reform the group. We have grown through and together with Titeca!
- What is your ultimate dream for the future?
(twinkle in the eye) I would like to grow a lot more. Become a little more international, so that we can grow in even more places and be less dependent on the climate in the region. Developing and successfully launching several more new products together with all the employees is also part of that. Our beautiful teamwork gives me such a huge boost! Whether it is a dream for my son Edouard to follow in my footsteps one day? It should mainly be his dream, for me it is not a must. For now, I especially hope that we can continue to have fun for a long time to come!