La Lorraine Bakery Group will invest approximately 200 million euros in the state-of-the-art bakery site in Erpe-Mere in the coming years. Today the new production hall was officially inaugurated in the presence of Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
La Lorraine Bakery Group is a 100% Belgian family business active in the milling and baking sector with a wide range of fresh bakery products. Every day, more than 4,800 employees worldwide produce and sell bakery products to consumers, supermarkets and the food service sector. The company is active in more than 35 countries and produces in nine countries.
The new production hall consists of four state-of-the-art lines of approximately 150 meters each, where artisanal quality bakery products such as baguettes, small rolls and donuts are produced on a large scale. This doubles production capacity and La Lorraine Bakery Group creates additional local employment. With an increase of approximately 350 jobs, the number of employees at the Erpe-Mere site will also almost double.
The production hall was inaugurated by none other than Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. “La Lorraine is a household name in our country and far beyond. I am extremely proud that the parent company has chosen its branch in Belgium to invest heavily and create additional jobs. This shows that there is trust. That La Lorraine is further anchoring itself that East Flanders is on the right track as an economic growth region,” he says.
Bake-off technology
La Lorraine Bakery Group, which expanded from its flour mill into a bakery in the 1970s, quickly grew into a large-scale fresh bakery. In the 1980s, La Lorraine Bakery Group pioneered the development of bake-off technology in which pre-baked bakery products are frozen and then baked as fresh as possible on site at the customer.
In 1989, La Lorraine Bakery Group built the first frozen bakery in Erpe-Mere. This allowed production to expand further and also allowed export within Europe. La Lorraine Bakery Group further expanded with bakeries in Eastern Europe, followed by Turkey, the Middle East and Southern Europe. After several decades of investments in international expansion, La Lorraine Bakery Group is once again investing in the site in Erpe-Mere, the Belgian cradle of La Lorraine Bakery Group’s bake-off technology.
In recent years, La Lorraine Bakery Group has experienced an average annual growth of around 10% and the increasing demand from their customers predicts the same growth rate until 2030. “To continue offering artisanal quality bakery products in both Belgium and surrounding countries, we need to bring in the most innovative technology. The site, which is now more than 30 years old, is being significantly expanded and completely renovated,” emphasizes Guido Vanherpe, CEO of La Lorraine Bakery Group.
Stay competitive
In total, this involves an investment of approximately 200 million euros, spread over seven years. By 2030, production capacity in Erpe-Mere will double. This gives the production site the right scale to remain competitive in a European context. To reduce CO2 emissions, we also focus on energy efficiency and the transition to renewable energy. The entire site must have been switched to green energy by 2026.
350 additional jobs
La Lorraine Bakery Group currently employs 450 people in Erpe-Mere. By 2030, thanks to investments in additional capacity, approximately 350 new employees will be added, both blue-collar and white-collar. In total, the site in Erpe-Mere will employ more than 800 employees. This means that La Lorraine Bakery Group is becoming one of the largest employers in the region. The site will also include new office buildings and new facilities for production staff, including modern social and dining areas.
