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“On the nose, I have a slightly fatty, meaty touch,” notes Manon, looking at the pile of fries in the center of the table. At the Altho group facilities, in the heart of Brittany, the research and development engineer is dedicated to testing, in the company of three other colleagues, some proposals for new flavored chips. At this time, a “spiced glazed chicken” condiment is presented on the table. If it passes all the necessary steps, the latter could perhaps join the thriving range of the Breton company. Little known to the general public, the Altho group is home to the new French chip king: Brets.
Pesto-mozzarella, aioli, ribs: it is impossible not to see the Brets fries at appetizer time.
The brand has conquered a large clientele with its original, sometimes bold, often French flavors, to which is added a promise of natural flavors and an affordable price positioning, enough to attract young adults, its favorite target. Brets, which is growing strongly in the French market, is just a few points behind the leader Lay’s*, owned by the American giant Pepsico, and hopes to take its place in a short time.
Social media stars
This summer, the trend around the “pastis” flavor brought it a new focus of attention and a certain shortage in stores. These anise chips have been custom made for the summer season. “It is a product that made the brand talk,” like “when we launched the ‘marine’ flavored potato chips, with oyster flavor, in 2012,” says the manager. The tartiflette fries, on the other hand, brought a mountain. touch to summer 2023.
As expected, Brets is a hit on social media. Unable to afford a television advertising campaign, and “based on the realization that young people no longer watch much television,” in the words of Laurent Cavard, Brets turned to Instagram and Tiktok to gain new followers.
Although some influencers were contacted for specific collaborations, the company assures that a “moment of sympathy” was spontaneously created around Brets and its colorful packaging, identifiable at first glance. YouTube stars McFly and Carlito, to cite the most famous example, asked to tour the factory on their own.
Founded in 1995, the company has long focused on private label (MDD) products, sold under the colors of Leclerc, Intermarché or Lidl. Its own Brets brand was content with 15% of volume in 2009, before sales took off in the following decade. Today it represents 50% of the volume. Thus, the turnover of the Altho group, during the first part of its existence, was guaranteed almost entirely by private labels, leaving the Brets brand free to take risks and build its image.
To achieve this, Altho relies on external companies specialized in aromatic mixtures for the food industry. Throughout the year, these flavorists come one after another to Brittany to bring their latest proposals, based on Altho’s instructions or their own suggestions. It’s up to the R&D and marketing departments to fix it.
When an idea attracts the Breton group, it goes through several internal tastings while the necessary adaptations are made.
“Dauphinois gratin” chips coming soon?
That Tuesday, the au gratin fries aroused the curiosity of the four Altho group employees sitting around the table, including Laurent Mollard. The team is unanimous: the proposal is interesting, but it must be reworked to give it a more “gratinated” flavor. Some think it also lacks a bit of nutmeg. A new round trip will be necessary before having the green light for the next stage, that of consumer tests. Periodically, small groups of clients are invited to evaluate and rate the different proposals selected by Altho. Some go unnoticed and eventually end up on supermarket shelves.
However, some new products do not reach their audience.
“Very often it is because we have not positioned ourselves as the average consumer”, sometimes being “too specific”, underlines Laurent Cavard, giving the example of packets of crisps flavored with “roasted potatoes, garlic and romaine lettuce”. .
The flavor earned one of the highest scores in consumer testing, but the team couldn’t find the right name for the product or the right illustration on the packaging. The final customer, in the stores, was not interested. “After 18 months we withdrew the product from the market, even though it was super good,” he recalls.
The range continually evolves as innovations appear and aged references appear (a tip for fans: “chili and a touch of mint” will soon disappear). Especially because competition is fierce between the big brands in the flavored potato chip segment, because value creation is concentrated there, where distributor brands have monopolized plain potato chips.
The “Jura cheese” flavor, Brets’ best-seller, has logically gained some popularity on the shelves: Lay’s has launched its own “Jura cheese” crisps with very similar packaging, the same as Vico’s “Cheese” crisps de Franche-. County.
50,000 tons of French fries this year
Around 50,000 tonnes of chips, all circuits combined, will leave the Altho group’s factories in 2024, or one in every two chips consumed in France. But at the moment it can no longer respond to all requests.
For this reason, a third factory is being built right in front of the historic Pontivy production center. The first phase of the project, which required 80 million euros of investment, will add 15,000 tons of additional production capacity until 2026.
*According to NielsenIQ panelist figures provided by the Altho group, Brets had a market share of 18.9% in Q11 2024 (i.e. the 11th 4-week period of the year, out of 13 periods) compared to 24.9% of Lay’s. Private labels had a market share of 38.9%.
Source: BFM TV
