The export of European potato products may be a bit disappointing, but the ambitions of processors are certainly not lacking. Farm Frites is the latest in a long line of companies with expansion plans, as is evident from a permit application. The capacity of the factory in the Belgian Sin-Truiden must increase by more than 50%.
Farm Frites has applied to expand the production capacity of their factory in Sint-Truiden, business newspaper De Tijd reports based on these documents. In addition to the well-known (and larger) factory in Lommel, the Dutch family business has a second factory in our southern neighbors. Here, in addition to fresh and frozen fries, potato specialties such as rösti are also produced.
From 7 to 32 tons per hour
At the end of last year, production already increased from 7 tons per hour to 13 tons per hour. The company has now submitted a new application to increase capacity to 20 tons per hour. The application states that it concerns 'optimization of the recently licensed and installed production installation', writes De Tijd. A second step is that two new production lines will be installed. One for rösti and similar products, and one for mashed potato products, such as potato croquettes. The capacity can then be increased to 32 tons per hour.
At the same time, the company is requesting an early re-license for existing activities. Employment will increase from 90 to 190 people thanks to the expansion plans. In 2023, the factory near Maastricht achieved a turnover of almost €27 million and a net profit of approximately €300.000, out of a total of €800 million and €118 million profit for the entire company.
Ambition
In 2019, Farm Frites announced its ambition to produce more than 2025 million tons of fries worldwide by 1. At the time, this represented a 50% increase in production. On its own website, the company now lists a total capacity of no less than 1,5 million tons, divided over 7 factories. In addition to fries, these also include other potato products.
It is the second Dutch company this year that aims for a Belgian expansion. In March, competitor Aviko made the news when it submitted plans to increase the production capacity of its site in Poperinge, West Flanders.
turnaround
The list of potato processors with growth plans continues to grow. This despite the fact that the French fry market has made a clear turnaround. Sales are more difficult, especially overseas, prices have fallen sharply and there is fear in the market for possible import duties from President Trump. There is also more competition from China and India in Asia. This makes double growth figures less and less obvious for Western European potato companies, who do not yet reflect this in their ambitions.