Every Belgian fry carries a story – one of soil, climate and craftsmanship passed down through generations.
Behind its golden colour and crispy texture lies far more than a simple side dish. It’s the result of a unique ecosystem where soil quality, climate balance and human expertise come together to create a product recognised worldwide.
Importing a Belgian fry means bringing in invisible value: a product shaped by exceptional terroir and carried forward by passionate growers.
Belgian terroir: an ecosystem made for potatoes
Belgium didn’t choose the potato — the potato found its ideal home in Belgium.
Its temperate climate alternates regular rainfall with moderate sunshine creating perfect conditions for the slow, steady growth of tubers.
Belgian soils, rich in silt and nutrients, provide deep anchorage and balanced nutrition. This natural fertility translates directly into the tuber’s starch content — a critical technical factor for achieving fries that are fluffy inside and crisp outside.
For decades, Belgian farmers have selected the varieties best suited to these conditions — such as Fontane, Satis, Markies and Innovator. Each variety is chosen based on precise characteristics — texture, sizing, post-processing behaviour — that directly influence the final quality of the fry.
Regenerative agriculture: preparing tomorrow's terroir
At Lutosa, terroir quality isn’t just a legacy – it’s also a responsibility. That’s why the company is currently developing an ambitious programme to encourage its partner farmers to adopt regenerative agricultural practices.
Regenerative agriculture goes well beyond simply reducing inputs. It aims to restore soil health and strengthen the biodiversity of cultivated land:
- Crop rotation to prevent soil depletion and break disease cycles
- Cover crops to protect soil from erosion and maintain its structure
- Responsible irrigation and minimal use of chemical inputs
- Promotion of microbial life and organic matter to naturally nourish the soil
The goal is clear: achieve 100% regenerative farming in the coming years, ensuring healthier, more fertile, more resilient land in the face of climate challenges — a sustainable legacy for future generations of growers. growers.
When Belgian origin meets British requirements
In professional kitchens, a great fry isn’t judged on taste. It must also be consistent over time, efficient in real conditions, and profitable to use.
It’s precisely on these three pillars that Belgian fries from local terroir find their strength.
- Consistency: Control over sizing and starch content ensures fries cook evenly and achieve consistent golden colour, batch after batch. Belgian varieties are selected for their uniformity and stability throughout the season, eliminating day-to-day variations in appearance and cooking behaviour.
- Authentic flavour: Belgian potatoes, grown in loam-rich soils and nurtured by a temperate oceanic climate, develop a subtle, slightly sweet flavour profile with a clean finish. This natural taste complements rather than competes with other ingredients, making them ideal for professional kitchens where balance matters.
- Economic optimisation: Uniform sizing and consistent dry matter content across Belgian varieties allow for predictable portioning and stable cooking yields. Well-selected potatoes reduce waste at every stage—from prep through to plating—ensuring better cost control per portion served.
These qualities resonate particularly strongly in the United Kingdom, where Belgian fries have become a standard for reliability in one of the country’s most iconic dishes: fish & chips.
The UK market: reliability at the heart of fish & chips
In traditional pubs and contemporary chains alike, fish & chips is more than a dish — it’s an institution. And in this context, fries can’t afford to be average.
Across the UK, chefs and operators rely on Belgian fries for their unmatched consistency in the nation’s most iconic dish: fish & chips.
In the fast pace of service, Belgian fries stand out for their stable frying performance and their resistance to the moisture of fried fish. Their texture stays crisp, even after a few minutes under a heat lamp or during delivery — a crucial advantage for kitchens determined to keep quality on the plate.
British chefs also value their uniform appearance and predictable yield, ensuring a controlled cost per portion — a key factor in a market where consistency equals customer trust.
From traditional pubs to modern restaurant chains, Belgian fries have earned a reputation for reliability and quality, all while embodying the authentic craftsmanship of European tradition.
Producer portrait: three generations, one terroir
Many of Lutosa’s partner farmers have been growing potatoes for several generations. Their story illustrates both the attachment to Belgian terroir and a permanent commitment to quality.
Some of these farmers have been working with Lutosa for nearly 40 years. A relationship built on trust, mutual respect and a shared vision: producing potatoes that meet the highest standards while preserving the land for future generations.
Lutosa’s agronomy teams maintain regular, technical dialogue with them: soil analyses to adjust crop rotations, irrigation management advice, storage condition monitoring to preserve post-harvest quality. This long-standing collaboration transforms each farmer into a true production partner, involved in every stage of the value chain.
JCX Pom: a family story spanning four decades
Take the case of JCX Pom in Jurbise, near Mons. This mixed farm grows multiple crops (sugar beet, chicory, beans, peas) and also raises Belgian Blue cattle. They started potato cultivation 40 years ago with just a few hectares. The patriarch delivered his first load of Bintje potatoes in 1992. The following year, he signed his first contract with Lutosa for around a hundred tonnes of potatoes.
Fifteen years later, the sons joined the farm and wanted to develop potato cultivation. The first storage building was constructed. They started with 50 hectares.
Today, they farm 130 hectares dedicated to potatoes such as Fontane and Challenger, with two long-term storage buildings holding 4,000 tonnes of potatoes.
As Hugo Morelle, Field Agronomy Manager at Lutosa, explains: “A large proportion of today’s farmers started their commercial relationship with the Van den Broeke family in 1978. They farmed land around the Leuze site. Successive generations have continued this relationship. Some of them have been involved in our operations for over 30 years.“
For these men and women, seeing their potatoes travel to the UK, Brazil or elsewhere in the world is a source of pride. Every fry served in London, São Paulo or Brussels carries a small piece of their terroir — and the fruit of expertise they’ve inherited, perfected, and will pass on in turn.
A journey from Belgian soil to British plate
Every Belgian fry imported tells a journey: that of a tuber born in fertile soil, cultivated using respectful practices, processed with precision, and served with exacting standards.
From the agricultural plot to the fryer, from the fryer to the plate, it embodies an invisible bond between Belgian farming tradition and international culinary excellence.
When a British operator serves a Belgian fry, they’re not serving just a side dish. They’re serving a terroir, a story, and a promise of quality that crosses borders.
