2023-11-25 12:40:00
“We communicated a lot”
We might talk regarding the history of Maison Dandoy for hours. But Antoine, 35, is in a hurry. There is the rush of the end-of-year celebrations and especially the opening, this Saturday, of a new tasting center at the Saint-Pierre square in Uccle which needs to be prepared. But let’s go back to last January. This period is pivotal for the Dandoy heirs and, in many families, this transaction, the amount of which remains confidential, might have resulted in fistfights. “We communicated a lot. We wanted to avoid what was left unsaid, to respect everyone’s wishes, continues the imperturbable Antoine. The expectations and visions were different, but we spent this important moment with serenity. We remain a very close-knit family.” The two Helson brothers absolutely wanted to keep control of the company to be able to develop their “environmental, societal and social” projects. “We mightn’t have done it with outside investors. Here we keep the power, since the shareholders – namely my parents, my father Bernard Helson managed the company for 27 years, my sister Charlotte, my brother and myself – remain in the family”. Alexandre (37) and Antoine Helson have been co-directing Maison Dandoy for two years. “We have two different personalities but we have the same vision and that is essential,” analyzes the cadet. We are complementary. Alexandre is even more lunar than me. He’s a go-getter. Sometimes I have to slow him down and bring him back to operational reality.”
Dandoy speculoos: a story as old as Belgium
The inheritance? An asset rather than a burden
The two brothers have a secret to avoid “clashes” between them. “We were taught to communicate as soon as frustrations were felt. This co-leadership is powerful. It also allows us to spread this bag of responsibilities over several shoulders, to have real moments of disconnection when we go on vacation. We know that the other is running the house when we are absent”. The Helsons have a “200-year” vision for Maison Dandoy. “Many see us as a multinational. But we remain very artisanal and local. We are not in the business of short-termism, it is not profit that counts. This strategy will allow us to overcome crises, as our ancestors did who survived two world wars”. In this sense, family heritage is seen as an asset rather than a burden. “Reconnecting with our past makes us responsible for the future. We want to contribute with our biscuits to a better world. We cook our Speculoos with regenerative flour which ensures soil fertility. We also demand a decent salary for farmers.”
“The system we have lived in for the past few decades is dying”
The “Doyenne” wants to set an example for others. “Companies must play a new role, moving from the policy of lesser evil to that of good. The system in which we have lived for the last few decades is dying and we want to be an actor in this new world.”
The young man is already positioning himself as a “smuggler”. “One day, we will have to pass on the business. Whose ? All three of us have children but our parents always gave us the freedom to choose what we wanted to do. For example, I have a physiotherapist diploma, my brother a management engineer. I had left for another life, but one day, I felt the desire to join the family project and I did six-month evening entrepreneurship training at Solvay. We were never forced to join the company, it happened quite naturally. We will leave the same freedom to our children.” What fuel for the next end-of-year dinner discussions? “No, in these family meetings, we talk regarding everything except business,” smiles Antoine.
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