On Friday 23 August, Roussel Onions celebrated its 25th anniversary. Staff were thanked for their efforts over the past years and were able to look back on 25 years of peeling and cutting onions while enjoying a snack and a drink. "Moreover, each employee received a gift box that included a self-designed jumper, which of course required a group photo. We can look back on a successful day," says Maxime Roussel, who now works in the company together with sister Charlotte, brother Louis and parents Pol and Jaklien.
Louis, Maxime, Charlotte, Jaklien and Pol Roussel
An anniversary, then, at least the official one, because actually the founding of the family business from Moorsele, Flanders, took place three years earlier. "My parents basically started peeling onions back in 1996, but the current company was founded in 1999," Maxime explains. "It all started on the farm where my grandmother grew up. Her brother was a farmer there all his life, but over time it was in danger of falling out of the family. That's when Pol and Jaklien decided to take over the farm. Initially for additional work, as both my parents also had other jobs."
From 5 tonnes a week to 30 tonnes a day
"Here they grew onions, and some other crops, on a very limited scale," he continues. "However, when in 1996 there came a season when onion prices at the auction were so low that there was no money to be made, they had to look for alternatives. They eventually ended up with a local butcher, who referred them to his supplier, who was interested in peeled onions. And so onion peeling company Roussel actually saw the light of day. The following year, the first customer returned and that's how the ball started rolling. That first customer still buys our peeled onions today."
"That wasn't as easy as it sounds now, by the way. In fact, the first few years we worked with all our might, to get the onions peeled. So there came a point in 1999 when my parents had to decide whether to take it up professionally or to quit. They chose the former, as we know. A choice that involved considerable risk and investment, but now, 25 years later, it appears to have been a good choice."
Price differences due to weather extremes
So has much changed in those 25 years? "Certainly. These lie mainly in the changing growing conditions due to weather extremes. It used to be said that in 10 years we only had one bad crop at most, but nowadays we have a new challenge every year. It is either too wet, or too dry or planting is done too late. There is always something new and then we always think next year will be another 'normal' year, but maybe this is the new normal. We see that this is also getting through to the growers and their suppliers. As a result, certain innovations within cultivation are gaining momentum."
However, it is not product availability, but prices in particular, that are a cause for concern. "You can always get onions, but it is mainly about the price. The fewer coarse onions there are, because we peel the coarse sizes, the higher the prices. In 2023, we were buying onions at five times the prices we normally paid. That means we really have to be a lot more flexible, we have to learn to deal with those fluctuations. The tricky thing with us is that we often have a long-term price agreement with our customers and we ourselves have to contract on a shorter term. We have customers who demand a commitment from us for onions that are not yet in the ground, let alone grown. We used to just know what prices the onions could be bought at and there was maybe a few cents difference, but now you have to think about five times that. That means it's really shifting gears sometimes."
Challenges in labour
These are the challenges the company is increasingly facing these days, which is why they are also increasingly looking at innovations in their process. "It is common knowledge that labour costs in Belgium are a lot higher than in other production countries. Moreover, on the other hand, the availability of labour is also an issue. So it is not only a question of whether you want to make a certain investment, but also whether you have the people for it. So to compete with that, we do have to look more and more towards automation within our process."
Expansion
For now, then, Roussel Onions' gaze is moving forward again after the anniversary. "When you see what we have established in recent years, we obviously want to continue with this. We are always trying to grow in customers, but also in facilities. That is what we are going to focus on for the next 25 years as well," Maxime concludes.
For more information:
Maxime Roussel
Roussel Onions
Elm Street 221
8560 Moorsele, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0)56 50 53 06
[email protected]
www.rousselonions.com