Scaling your business – the story of Edgard & Cooper, episode 3

Vlerick Insight Talks: Professor Veroniek Collewaert meets entrepreneur Jürgen Degrande

Veroniek Collewaert

By Veroniek Collewaert

Professor of Entrepreneurship

25 January 2024

In 2015, Jürgen Degrande co-founded the healthy pet food company, Edgard & Cooper, while he was still studying at Vlerick Business School. Today, the scale-up has a team of over 200 people, working in Kortrijk (HQ), London, Paris, Rotterdam, Madrid, Düsseldorf and Milan – and its products are distributed in 13 countries and sold in over 15,000 shops and online. With over €80m in revenue, the company is now officially a scale-up, aiming to achieve zero carbon, fully sustainable packaging, and 100% ethical sourcing.

How did Jürgen achieve this? In this interview by Veroniek Collewaert, Professor of Entrepreneurship at Vlerick Business School, he shares from firsthand experience what it takes to successfully scale a business.

web-insights-jurgen-degrande-video-3

In this third episode, Jürgen reflects on the transition from founder-led sales to building a sales organisation. He talks about the importance of aligning investor objectives with the business’s ambitions. And he explains how becoming a B Corp fits in with Edgard & Cooper's mission and purpose.

Thumbnail YouTube Edgard & Cooper video series

Scaling your business – the story of Edgard & Cooper, episode 3

In this third episode, co-founder Jürgen Degrande reflects on the transition from founder-led sales to building a sales organisation. He talks about the importance of aligning investor objectives with the business’s ambitions. And he explains how becoming a B Corp fits in with Edgard & Cooper's mission and purpose.

Jürgen reflects on the transition from founder-led sales to building a sales organisation. While expressing nostalgia for the early days of selling in person, he emphasises the continued involvement of the co-founders in key meetings with retailers. With a sales team of 70 people, Jürgen explains how he effectively manages the field sales capability, by incorporating a sales lead layer and dividing the European market into regions. The discussion emphasises the significance of creating a structure that aligns with the business's needs, allowing founders to concentrate on broader and more strategic aspects of the business.

The conversation shifts to the training and onboarding of the sales team. Jürgen mentions the development of playbooks. These cover various aspects, including pitching new products and engaging decision-makers, ensuring consistency and effectiveness in sales approaches.

Regarding investor selection, Jürgen emphasises the importance of aligning investor objectives with the business's ambitions. He highlights the need for investors who bring not only funds but also valuable expertise in areas like digital, commercial, and supply chain. And as Edgard & Cooper is a mission-driven business, an investor must also show a long-term commitment to the company’s goal of changing the consumer space.

The discussion concludes with a focus on Edgard & Cooper's mission and purpose, leading to their decision to become a B Corp. Jürgen elaborates on the commitment to treat animals better, provide sustainable products, and use eco-friendly packaging. Becoming a B Corp aligns with their values and emphasises their dedication to societal and environmental responsibilities.

Interested in more insights by Jürgen Degrande on scaling your business? Watch episode 4 of this Insight Talks series.

Participants

Ready to grow your company? Managing a fast-growing company is a challenging task that demands an enormous amount of knowledge and time. Skip the trial-and-error stage with our Scale-Up Masterclass. This unique learning experience will help you prepare to leap into the fast-paced world of high-growth scale-ups and will have a long-term impact on your company, yourself and your team.

Get in touch!

Sylien Kesteleyn

Sylien Kesteleyn

Portfolio Manager