Agristo and Tereos sign MOU for the acquisition of the site of the former sugar factory in Escaudœuvres, France for the construction of a frozen potato production plant.
L-R: Gerard Clay, President of Tereos, Roland Lescure, French Minister for Industry and Kristof Wallays, CEO of Agristo. (Courtesy: Roland Lescure, X)
Today, Tereos has signed a memorandum of understanding with Agristo to enable the development of a food processing activity on the site of its former sugar factory in Escaudœuvres, in the North of France. In the presence of Roland Lescure, French Minister for Industry, Tereos and potato industrialist Agristo signed an agreement to launch a major project to reindustrialise the Escaudœuvres site.
The Belgian group Agristo is planning to set up a production unit for frozen potato products. 350 jobs will be created and €350 million invested, creating new outlets for local producers. The announced aim is to start production in the second half of 2027.
The French ministry of industry says Agristo is investing in this region to take advantage of the significant potato production in Northern part of France and the excellent logistical connections with Southern Europe.
Agristo's investment in this new Potato Processing factory in Northern France is just the latest step in the rapid expansion of the Belgian manufacturer of frozen potato products. Agristo stated objective (in 2018) was to double in size in 5 years and to become one of the top five global potato processing companies.
After major investments in their production facilities in Belgium in the last decade, the company reportedly committed to investing USD 62.5 million in India.
The factory in India is currently producing potato flakes. Agristo plans to set up a new production unit for frozen French fries in India in addition.
Last year, Agristo built the highest cold store in Benelux in Tilburg, the Netherlands, with space for 42,000 pallets of fries. The 47.5-meter high silo warehouse boasting a surface area of 7,000 square meters can store 42,000 pallets of 800 to 1000 kilograms (kg), meaning it can store 42 million kg of fries.
Agristo is focused on private label producer for restaurants, retailers, and distributors worldwide. As much as 98 percent of the frozen potato products produced by Agristo end up outside of Belgium in markets like Asia, Latin America and even the United States.
