FROM CRISIS BRAND TO WORLD PLAYER
From a brand created to overcome the chicory and tomato crisis to one of the biggest fresh vegetable brands in Europe - it is clear that Flandria has been a success story over the last 20 years. In the meantime the brand offers more than 70 products with a volume of over 600,000 tons.
1995: go!
Over-production of chicory and tomatoes on the European market and the difficulty of making these bulk products stand out from their competitors from other regions were the triggers for a few Belgian auctions, united within the LAVA cooperative, to launch a joint brand for chicory and tomatoes in 1995. The focus of its specifications was superior quality plus environmental awareness, traceability and the typical characteristics of family companies. Flandria became a trendsetter in the market, with specifications for production conditions as well as the products, both of which are monitored and certified externally.
So Flandria was created - and it needed to distinguish itself clearly from the abundance of bulk product on the market. With their own logo and a distinctive look & feel, Flandria products became immediately recognisable.
1995 - 2005: the growth years of Flandria
Flandria soon became a familiar brand in the European fruit and vegetable trade. Because there is so much variety within the tomato assortment, a system of segmentation was developed, so that customers could find the most suitable tomatoes for their requirements. Besides loose tomatoes and tomatoes on the vine Flandria also differentiated between shapes, flavour, size and use.
The Flandria family expanded quickly, with each product acquiring its own specifications. An additional hygiene code was also added to them, focussing on personal hygiene, animals, buildings and maintenance.
2005 - 2015: Flandria reaches maturity
In the last decade the environment in which Flandria operates has evolved radically and this has had a major impact on its relationship to other systems and specifications. External specifications concerning production conditions have been accepted, thereby meeting the demands of the market. Take the sectoral guide for vegetable products, for example, as well as IKKB, QS and Global Gap. Acceptance of these external specifications has led to better access to international markets.
Finally, specifications have been further fine-tuned. From now on product specifications will contain guidelines on quality, sorting and packaging.
2012: Flandria shifts from environmental awareness to sustainability
Flandria specifications have always focussed on the environment, too. That was obvious from the Flandria logo: a green arch with a butterfly pointing to its motto ‘Milieubewuste Teelt’ – environment-friendly agriculture. In 2012 Flandria shifted the brand focus to sustainability, whereby, in addition to the environmental factor, the necessary emphasis is also put on welfare and prosperity. The new collective label ‘Responsibly Fresh’ therefore has four cornerstones: low impact, biodiversity, proximity and food economy. What is also important is that this label does not reflect a passing fad, time is an important factor. ‘Responsibly Fresh’, and therefore Flandria too, is a label that will evolve with the times.
Now: Flandria is a player on the world market
Belgium accounts for 2,4% of the production value of fresh vegetables in the EU28. Concentrating the trade of produce from all the individual companies through the participating auctions gives international customers in Belgium easy access to the large range of quality products marketed under the Flandria brand and provides a direct response to the demand for ‘reliability’ too. In terms of quality Flandria also continues to score, because its 3,000 family-run companies are extremely dedicated to their business. That is a direct guarantee of top quality, as well as flexible, customised service.
