CW+ Premium Content/CW Benelux

Benoît Dewaele, chief information officer at Belgian food group Vandemoortele, is looking to connect with the chefs of Europe. They are key customers for the group’s range of frozen bakery goods, margarines, culinary oils and fats. From La Pâtisserie Du Chef premium desserts to St-Villepré butter, these treats are widely used in European catering. Operators of restaurants, bars, hotels and cafes typically buy Vandemoortele brands through wholesalers and retailers. But finding ways to engage with them directly is vital to securing repeat business and keeping them in the loop about new products and offers. “It comes down to getting contact with influential leads,” Dewaele tells Computer Weekly. “We need to find ways through social media or mass marketing campaigns to capture them, then we need to nurture them and inspire them and create brand awareness on our company and branded websites, to have a kind of personal communication with them through portals.” Although engaging customers is not strictly a job for IT, Dewaele says his ...