La Lorraine: inaugurates new production line LL Barchon

Ninove / BE. (lbg) La Lorraine Barchon confirmed its position within La Lorraine Bakery Group (LLBG) as a centre of excellence for the production of artisan breads. LLBG’s Barchon site inaugurated its new production line some weeks ago in the presence of the Ministers Frédéric Daerden and Christie Morreale.

(Photo: La Lorraine Bakery Group – LL Barchon)

50 years of expertise in Blegny near Liège

The story begins 50 years ago. Two groups of artisan bakers, the Derkenne family from Jupille and the Couline family from Herstal, combined their skills to create the Barchon site in Blegny municipality near Liège. In 1995, the Belgian family group La Lorraine took over the Derkenne-Coulinne fresh bakery, which was in financial difficulty. Recognising the potential of local expertise, the two brothers – Guido and Marc Vanherpe – decided to invest in the growth and future of the site near Europe Road E42.

In the first few years, LL Barchon developed into one of the best bakeries in the region, offering fresh daily products and delivering a wide range of classic breads, artisan breads and pastries to supermarkets. The group also acquired La Mosanne bakery, whose production team and staff was integrated into the Barchon site. This acquisition makes LLBG the market leader in bakery products in Wallonia and Belgium.

In 2003, building on the strength of its technology and know-how, the group decided to invest in the production of frozen bakery products. These were a great success, thanks to the new «bake-off» technology, which revolutionised the bakery market, with products that were «fresher than fresh», ready-to-bake on-site. This also marked the start of La Lorraine Barchon’s international expansion, opening up new markets by exporting artisan-quality frozen products to the UK, Germany and the Nordic countries.

Their flagship products are artisan breads, such as bucheron and forest bread, sourdough baguettes, and ciabattas, the production of which has led to the installation of a new hall on the site with four production lines and an automated storage warehouse. «Today, we have maintained the spirit and passion of our founders, while developing our know-how and technology over the years to produce bread of the same artisanal quality throughout Europe,» says Marc Vanherpe, CEO Bakery Fresh LLBG.

New line, new ambition

Building on this momentum, La Lorraine Bakery Group has invested heavily in capacity expansion in recent years, both in Eastern Europe and in Belgium. In Flanders, the Group is completely overhauling its Erpe-Mere site, while in Wallonia, construction of a new state-of-the-art production line started in 2023. After almost 12 months of work and an investment of around EUR 20 million, the new line is now initiating its first commercial production runs. It will be producing rustic, artisan-quality bread and baguettes on a large scale, as well as premium-quality ciabattas.

La Lorraine Barchon draws on 30 years of experience

The Group’s recipe for success brings together the very best ingredients, from natural flour made from local wheat and, since 2023, with first harvest from its Belgian regenerative farming network, to its own sourdough culture to obtain a genuine old-fashioned taste and crumb structure.

While focusing on innovation, La Lorraine Bakery Group’s technology maintains respect for the dough, with a very long fermentation time, a high-heat oven and automation of repetitive gestures. The range of raw materials is always sourced from local farms, within a maximum radius of 300 kilometres.

Thanks to this new line, the Barchon site will be able to triple its volumes of frozen artisanal products, strengthening its position as the Group’s centre of excellence for artisanal breads. It is the combination of cutting-edge technology and the know-how of Barchon’s employees that enables it to achieve this quality.

Frédéric Daerden, Budget Minister and VP of the Government of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation: «By inaugurating this new line of artisan breads, we are celebrating a heritage of know-how and authenticity. La Lorraine Bakery Group has for many years been a vehicle for commitment to excellence and tradition, embodying the deepest values of our culture and our region.»

«It is important to be able to rely on the initiative of certain companies to guarantee the future of the local economy, innovation and know-how. With this new line, LLBG is once again investing in promising prospects in Belgium,» says Christie Morreale, Walloon Minister of Employment.

LL Barchon’s employees are ready to roll up their sleeves

To achieve its future ambitions, La Lorraine Barchon’s more than 350 employees and their unrivalled know-how are essential to the production of quality products. To attract the best talent, La Lorraine Bakery Group has just launched its new recruitment campaign under the slogan «Ready to roll up your sleeves?» The investment in the new production line will contribute to future job growth at the Barchon site.

Marc Vanherpe: «We are a fast-growing family business with Belgian roots and strong values. All our employees make a difference, whether they work in management, sales or on the production line: everyone contributes. Despite the rapid growth of our organisation, we remain very agile and enterprising. At Barchon, too, we like to roll up our sleeves: the inauguration of this new line with top-quality artisanal products is proof of that. It’s something our teams can be very proud of.»