Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium-headquartered Greenyard, a major international supplier of vegetable and fruit products, has signed a five-year partnership with Chef Frank Fol’s (pictured above at right) We’re Smart World, a Meldert-Hoegaarden, Belgium-based consultancy dedicated to raising awareness and promoting the benefits of healthy eating plant-based products. Especially targeting the hospitality industry, food processors, consumers and policy makers, the joint campaign will showcase easy to create pure-plant food experiences through a variety of channels, as well as collaborate on vegetable and fruit culinary innovations.
“The time is now, as the world is accelerating the transition towards a healthier and more sustainable food system. Pure-plant food experiences, close to the original crop and based on the natural power of fruit and vegetables are the only way forward for people and planet,” said Hein Deprez (pictured above at left), founder and co-chief executive officer of Greenyard. “By combining our expertise in vegetable cuisine and sustainable food, we will inspire consumers to make smarter food choices, while reducing their own carbon footprint.”
Fol, the former chef/owner of Michelin star restaurant Sire Pynnock in Leuven and founder of We’re Smart World, commented: “Fruit and vegetables have never been higher on the agenda, whether it is in the debate on our climate or on our health. Greenyard is a global leader in pure-plant foods, reaching millions of consumers with healthy, tasty and convenient products every day. Together, we now hope to inspire even more chefs, consumers at home, food start-ups and foodservice providers to put fruits and vegetables at the center of their cuisine.”
In Tune with Instagram Channel
The first initiative in the campaign is the launch of an Instagram broadcast channel, @greenyard.stories, to inspire end consumers on how to make tasty, more sustainable and healthy meals. The platform will also feature pure plant recipes.
Together with Fol and his network of top chefs, Greenyard will set up inspiration sessions for its own chefs and product developers to jointly develop new products for customers that meet consumer needs regarding pure-plant foods.
We’re Smart’s upcoming Radilicious Book, an inspirational cookbook featuring leading plant-based chefs in Europe who share their vision on the future of food and several inspiring recipes, will open with a written foreword by Hein Deprez.
The annual We’re Smart Green Guide will be sponsored by Greenyard. It is a culinary guide that features the world’s top fruit and vegetable restaurants, ranked from 1 to 5 “Radishes.” The We’re Smart Awards also honor the best restaurants and organizations each year.
Dividend Policy Reinstated
Meanwhile, on May 8 Greenyard announced the reinstatement of dividend policy based on preliminary, unaudited full year results for the 2022-23 financial year. Its board of directors will therefore propose to the general meeting of stockholders on September 15 approval of a dividend of € 0.10 per share for the full financial year which ended in March 2023.
Like-for-like net sales have in fact increased by around 8% versus last year (to around € 4 640m). The Adjusted EBITDA equals around € 167m, a level just above last year.
In addition, the net financial debt of the group (pre IFRS 16) has decreased to approximately € 280m, which is a strong improvement versus € 304m last year. The leverage ratio is therefore expected to further drop from 2,4x to 2,2x as of the end of the financial year 2022/2023. The net result ended just below € 10m versus € 16,9m last year.
The audited 2022/2023 full year financial results and the full year annual report will be communicated on June 14, according to the financial calendar.
Outlook for 2024, and Ambitions Until March 2026
Based on these results and current estimates and projections, including Greenyard’s view on its competitive position and performance in the market, the company expects for the current full financial year ending in March 2024, to achieve around € 4 900m net sales and between € 175-180m Adjusted EBITDA.
In addition, Greenyard has clarified its ambition of reaching €5,4bn sales and between € 200-210m of Adjusted EBITDA.Thanks to its further consolidating position in the market, it can eliminate the uncertainty on timing and expects to achieve these ambitions by March 2026.
