Founded in 1998, Le Duc pioneered American-style onion rings across Europe and now serves over 70 countries with delicious products  

Le Duc is a vegetarian appetizer business based in Stellendam, in the southwest of the Netherlands. Food Chain is joined by Mark Howarth, Head of UK Sales, who begins with the details of the company’s origin story: “Our founder, Dick den Hertog, started the business in 1998. He was the first person to introduce the popular American style of onion rings into Europe and the UK. We now produce and market tasty veggie snacks worldwide, but our focus remains predominantly on onion rings, cheese snacks, and coated vegetables. In 2006, we moved to our current facility in Stellendam to keep up with the growing demand. We have around 166 employees and supply more than 70 countries. We serve retail, food service businesses, business-to-business manufacturing, and quick-service restaurants (QSR).” 

Mark then delves into the details of Le Duc’s product range: “We make all varieties of onion rings, including reformed, natural onion rings, battered, breaded, and beer battered. We also manufacture cheese appetizers, including nacho cheese bites, mozzarella sticks, chili cheese bites, macaroni cheese bites, Camembert bites, and Brie bites. All our products are a three-way cook; they can be oven-cooked, air-fried, or fried. Our coated vegetable lines include coated mushrooms, both standard and with garlic. We’ve also recently added cauliflower bites, which consist of breaded cauliflower florets.”  

The company has recently rebranded, to better reflect its current offering. Sophie Kardux from Le Duc’s marketing department explains the motivations behind the move: “We wanted to modernize our brand. The world is shifting towards more vegetarian eating habits as people cut back on meat consumption. We want the brand to represent this more modern, reflective approach. We want to convey our passion for high-quality, appetizing snacks and to reflect, not only our commitment to quality, but also to innovation.”  

Part of modernizing the branding includes reflecting Le Duc’s long-standing commitment to sustainability. Mark outlines some new developments in this area: “Sustainability is one of our core values as a business; we have a major program internally to make the company more efficient. At the moment, there is one part of our product that isn’t recyclable: the plastic bag containers of some of our products. We currently have a supplier of recyclable material we will be able to use in the future. The availability of the bags is limited now, but as soon as the supply is usable, we will integrate it into our operation.  

“Our wider program includes a sustainability report, which helps us minimize our impact on the environment, reduce food miles, and reduce our overall emissions. We recycle as much of our waste as possible and utilize electric cars. We have also integrated sustainable cold storage and warehousing technologies. It’s an approach that spans the entirety of the business.”  

Product development 

In 2021, the business expanded its production facility, installing a new research and development (R&D) department. Sophie explains the benefits that this has brought: “It not only allows us to develop new products, but also to refine our existing recipes much more easily. Having a purpose-built space allows you to experiment with new ingredients, flavors, and textures in a controlled environment.”  

“Customers want innovation as well,” Mark adds, “and we need to be able to provide that. Alongside providing premium service and great value, offering clients innovative new products is key to lasting success.”  

Mark then highlights how the company approaches developing new products: “Sophie and the team look across the globe to see what’s happening in retail, in food service, and across QSR. We analyze the food trends as well as looking internally and at what our suppliers can offer. Once we’ve identified a trend that we think will be successful, we work on developing our own unique twist to elevate it further. For example, we have recently developed a lime and coriander version of the classic bhaji for the UK market.”  

Growth and expansion 

Moving on, he outlines how this strategy has contributed to the company’s longevity and ongoing success: “We’ve always targeted growth and expansion. We try to keep on trend with customer demands and have changed what we’ve offered over time. We’re a very flexible business. Not being part of a large plc allows us to adapt and change direction quickly when opportunities arise. We have evolved over time as we continue to try to provide the best quality products with the service to match.  

“Having a broad range of products that can serve different sectors has also helped us grow consistently. At the current time, for instance, we are seeing a slight decline in food service, so as a result, we are expecting retail to grow. Our family values also help us; we have a very hands-on managing director, and we have a very low turnover of staff.”  

Sophie concludes with a look to the future, highlighting the company’s key goals for the remainder of the year: “The focus is executing our rebranding. Then in the fourth quarter, our newest innovation, the coated cauliflower, will go on sale. This is an area we really want to grow.” Mark looks further afield: “In five years, we are seeking to double the size of the business. We want to have an omnipresence across all channels as we expand our reach across the globe.”   

www.leduc-food.nl