As IFE 2026 concluded in London on April 1, two Belgian potato suppliers – Warnez and The Potato Chef – left behind a message that reaches well beyond the exhibition floor: in today’s potato business, value is increasingly being built around convenience, differentiation, and formats that fit the way modern consumers and professional kitchens actually use food. The event ran from March 30 to April 1 at ExCeL London, and both companies were listed by the organisers at stand N2368.
That message matters because it reflects a wider shift in the European potato trade. The conversation is no longer only about supply, price, and volume. It is increasingly about ease of preparation, shelf appeal, packaging flexibility, waste reduction, and product formats that help retailers and foodservice operators stand out in competitive markets.
In that sense, the presence of Warnez and The Potato Chef at IFE was not merely promotional – it offered a useful snapshot of where parts of the potato category are heading.
IFE closes, but the commercial message remains
Trade fairs often generate plenty of noise, but not every exhibitor message has lasting relevance once the halls are empty. In this case, however, the message from both companies appears to have broader significance. Both are effectively arguing that potato suppliers can no longer rely on traditional assumptions about consumer loyalty, routine cooking habits, or undifferentiated product lines.
Instead, they are presenting potatoes as a category that must adapt to changing household structures, reduced cooking time, tighter retailer expectations, and a market that increasingly rewards products offering both simplicity and distinction.
That message is especially relevant at a time when cost pressure and competition remain high across European food markets.
Warnez pushes fresh potatoes toward greater convenience
Warnez, which describes itself as a family-run potato company with roots going back to 1950, says its business is built around quality, innovation, automation, packaging flexibility, and a growing export orientation.
In comments provided to Potato News Today, Warnez said its focus at IFE this year was on products that add value through convenience, particularly in what it described as a complicated year for the potato trade. The company pointed specifically to its Pomvit range of fresh baby potatoes, which can be heated directly in the microwave and served in about six minutes, with no preparation or post-cooking clean-up required.
It added that buyers are looking above all for high-quality products with good taste and, where possible, a strong degree of convenience.
A fresh category under pressure to evolve
That is a notable position for a company rooted in fresh potatoes, where convenience has traditionally been harder to deliver than in frozen or more heavily processed categories.
Warnez is clearly trying to narrow that gap. Its commercial logic is straightforward: fresh potatoes can still compete effectively if they are offered in ways that reduce effort for consumers without giving up taste or perceived quality.
This is an important point. In many markets, fresh potatoes still carry a strong image of wholesomeness and value, but they also risk being viewed as less practical by households with limited time.
Products like microwave-ready baby potatoes are therefore part of a wider attempt to reposition fresh potatoes as both authentic and easy to use.
Export growth and the search for novelty
Warnez also said its export business is growing overall, even if demand and destination markets vary from year to year. The company noted that most of its exports still go to countries surrounding Belgium, but that interest is growing in Southern and Eastern Europe. It also said that more buyers are looking for novelties – specific potato varieties that can add distinction to an existing range and help them stand out from competitors.
That observation deserves attention. It suggests that even in a staple category such as potatoes, product identity is becoming more commercially important. Buyers are not just looking for dependable supply. They are also looking for range extensions, distinctive varieties, and added-value formats that give them a stronger story to tell consumers. In a mature market, that search for difference can be just as important as price.
Sustainability and smarter operations move to the forefront
Warnez also used the interview to underline how sustainability and operational performance are becoming part of the sales proposition itself. The company said it is working across a broad front, from reducing energy use and managing wastewater to cutting packaging waste and improving the types of packaging it uses.
It also said it is refining its sorting processes and has begun first trials with AI-learning to increase precision and reduce residual flows while still meeting customer specifications.
That is the kind of detail that increasingly matters to buyers. Sustainability is no longer only a branding issue. It is becoming part of how suppliers demonstrate discipline, efficiency, and long-term reliability.
Warnez summed up its direction by saying it wants to revitalize the fresh potato business through more attractive and sustainable packaging, and by bringing products to shelf that stand out in freshness, quality, and convenience.
The Potato Chef leans further into convenience
The Potato Chef is advancing a similar argument, though from a more explicitly convenience-led position. Its IFE exhibitor profile describes the company as a grower, producer, and packer of fresh and frozen potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onion products for foodservice and retail.
Its own website places strong emphasis on customised products and packaging, easy preparation, and products suited to oven and air fryer use – all clear signals that convenience sits at the centre of its proposition.
For IFE 2026, The Potato Chef said it placed its sweet potato croquette and classic potato croquette front and centre. Both, it said, are suited to air fryer and oven preparation and are offered in both fresh retail packaging and frozen foodservice packaging, enabling the company to serve multiple market channels with the same core concept.
Smaller households, less time, different expectations
The Potato Chef said it is currently seeing its strongest momentum in the convenience segment. Its explanation was direct: households are getting smaller, and consumers either have less time – or deliberately choose to spend less time – cooking. The company’s answer is a portfolio built around quick preparation, good taste, and flexible usage across channels. It summed that up with a simple phrase: “Less effort, more taste.”
This reflects a broader trend that has become increasingly visible across retail food categories. Convenience is no longer a secondary feature or premium extra. It is becoming a baseline expectation for a growing share of consumers, particularly where products can still offer taste, texture, and perceived quality. Potato products that fit easily into an air fryer or oven, and that reduce preparation time, are well placed to benefit from that trend.
Retail remains dominant, but foodservice is gaining attention
The Potato Chef said that most customization requests still come from retail, which accounts for 90 percent of its customers. At the same time, it made clear that foodservice is an increasing point of focus. That is why it now offers foodservice packaging for its frozen sweet potato and classic potato croquettes.
That is a practical move. It suggests the company is not simply following retail trends, but actively trying to extend convenience-based products into more professional channels. For operators in foodservice, products that offer consistency, fast preparation, and ease of handling can be just as attractive as they are for consumers at home.
Shelf life, flexibility, and product quality as differentiators
The Potato Chef also pointed to its production process as a key differentiator, saying it has been carefully developed and refined to deliver longer shelf life without compromising taste or quality. When asked what most clearly sets the company apart in a crowded value-added market, it cited the use of the right varieties, longer shelf life, flexibility, good taste, and excellent quality.
This is where the company’s offer becomes particularly relevant in commercial terms. Longer shelf life, low waste, and flexibility in packaging or channel application are not merely technical claims. They translate directly into operational value for retailers and foodservice buyers trying to reduce losses and manage stock more efficiently.
A post-IFE signal for the wider potato trade
Taken together, the messages from Warnez and The Potato Chef suggest that the next phase of competition in potatoes will depend less on supplying undifferentiated volume and more on supplying formats that solve real commercial and consumer problems. Faster preparation, lower waste, more flexible packaging, sharper product identity, and more efficient production systems are no longer secondary features. They are becoming central selling points.
That may be the clearest takeaway from IFE 2026 for the wider potato trade. Even after the event has ended, the signals remain. Buyers want products that are easier to use, easier to market, and easier to fit into modern lifestyles and professional kitchens. Suppliers that can combine those strengths with dependable quality, sustainability, and operational discipline are likely to be the ones that move ahead.
On that score, both Warnez and The Potato Chef appear determined to show that potatoes are not just a staple, but a category still capable of reinvention.
Cover photo: Credit The Potato Chef
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