Baking is a tough business, whether the business in question is a retail outfit, wholesale producer, foodservice operation, or other environment. Whenever leaders can choose options that save time and labor without cutting corners on quality, such solutions are likely at least worth a look. 

Vandemoortele has been around since 1899, delivering a wide range of bakery products that aim to provide customers with such options. To learn more, we connected with two Vandemoortele USA leaders:

• Thierry Schmitz, general manager of Vandemoortele
• Christine Hoguet, marketing manager of Vandemoortele

Jenni Spinner: Could you please share a little bit about Vandemoortele—its history, how it’s grown in recent years, and what sets your company apart from others in the field? 

Thierry Schmitz: Vandemoortele is a family-owned, leading European food group that produces and sells high-quality food products with a strong focus on sustainability, from ingredient sourcing to product packaging and shipment. Founded in Izegem, Belgium, in 1899, Vandemoortele specializes in two categories: Bakery Products and Plant-Based Food Solutions. 

The company is renowned for its innovative and high-quality products. In 2024, Vandemoortele achieved a turnover of approximately EUR 2 billion, employing 4,094 associates (both permanent and temporary). The head office is located in Ghent, Belgium, with commercial offices in 12 European countries, as well as two in the U.S. and one in Asia. Vandemoortele operates on 31 high-quality production sites across Europe and one in the U.S., ensuring proximity to key markets, and exports from Europe to around 70 countries worldwide.

JS: Then, could you please share some of the recent milestones? You’ve made some interesting acquisitions in the past few years, for example. 

TS: Since April 2024, we have been partnered with Banneton Bakery, a leading North American producer of frozen pastries, such as croissants and Danishes. By acquiring a majority stake in Banneton, we have launched our first production site in the U.S. This strategic move strengthens our focus on the American market and shows our commitment to being a trusted local partner. 

We also announced the acquisition of Dolciaria Acquaviva in 2024, an Italian bakery renowned for its frozen sweet and savoury products. Acquaviva has been an innovator in its field ever since its establishment in 1979. In 2025, Vandemoortele announced the acquisition of Lizzi srl., a specialty producer and distributor of frozen bakery products. Those two acquisitions strengthen our presence in Italy and support our mission to deliver exceptional products and experiences.

In March 2025, Vandemoortele and Délifrance unveiled their intention to form a new leading player in frozen bakery. Délifrance is one of Europe’s leading frozen bakery manufacturers, with over 3,200 employees, a network of 14 production sites, and an annual turnover of approximately €930 million for the year ending 30 June 2024. Délifrance is a global B2B brand recognized for its high-quality frozen bakery products, which embody French bakery excellence. Délifrance’s main presence is in Europe and Asia, where it serves retailers, foodservice operators, and artisan bakers.

Also in March 2025, Vandemoortele signed an agreement to acquire the European Margarines & Spreads activities of Bunge. With this acquisition, Vandemoortele further reinforces the commitment of its Plant-Based Food Solutions business line to support the European food sector transition to more sustainable and tasty plant-based foods. Bunge’s Margarines & Spreads activities in Europe represent a turnover above 450 million euros, employing over 800 people and operating production plants in Germany, Poland, and Finland, covering a portfolio of 20 brands.

JS: Vandemoortele has been around for a long time—more than a century—and yet you keep on innovating. Could you please share some insights about the company’s history of creativity and offering new solutions for its customers? 

Christine Hoguet: A large part of our company DNA is customer centricity, so when we think about innovation, we consider what would be most useful and relevant to our customers and their consumers. Whether this is by identifying ways to improve the convenience level of our products, responding to consumer trends like desires for more plant-based options, or keeping the pulse of market trends as new flavors pop up and become more popular. 

JS: Specifically, you offer a mix of products that build on traditional products and configuration, but often incorporate innovative ingredients, fillings, and other components. Could you please share some examples? 

CH: One example of tweaking a traditional product is our line of Bake’Up freezer-to-oven products, made using a patented process that flattens the croissants and allows them to be smaller than pre-proofed croissants. The Bake’Up croissants proof as they bake, are pre-glazed, and go from frozen to flaky in about 25 minutes. Yet they’re still every bit as traditionally French with sensational butter flavor as other croissants, just with more convenience, less space required for shipping and storage, and more sustainability baked in. 

Other examples include our most recent additions to our filled croissant range: Pistachio and Biscoff. These are flavors that have grown in popularity globally and are allowing our customers to offer their consumers trendy, delicious flavors from a trusted company.  

JS: What are some other ways Vandemoortele is offering innovation and creativity in product development?  

CH: We’ve responded to consumers wanting to engage in more mindful eating and a more sustainable way of living by developing premium plant-based croissants and chocolate rolls. These pastries use a custom-blend of plant-based fats in place of butter, but lack nothing in flavor or flakiness one expects of a French croissant. They’re currently being launched in our European markets.

Another example is our frozen strip cakes by Patisserie Du Chef that come in a variety of delicious and creative flavors and that are super customizable by the pastry chef or coffee shop operator in how they can be sliced. And to illustrate the point, we offer materials with guidance and examples for chefs to turn one cake into a whole lot of different shapes and sizes to offer their consumers and really let their own creativity shine.  

JS: Do you have any plans for new products in the works you can tell us about?  

CH: We are always working on new products. We have a fantastic R&D team as well as a Customer & Market Insights team that always keeps a close eye on the markets and developing trends. Most recently, we got to see firsthand some creative and interesting pastry shapes and toppings that we’re looking to launch in 2026.

JS: Finally, do you have a favorite product among Vandemoortele’s offerings?

CH: This is a tough question and nearly impossible to answer, given the many options Vandemoortele has in its portfolio. For me, the maple pecan plait is special with its flaky pastry dough, sweet maple syrup flavor, and crunchy pecan nuts. It is also perfect across dayparts —with a cup of coffee for breakfast or as a little sweet pick-me-up in the afternoon. 

Related: Vandemoortele USA debuts Biscoff-filled croissants