From breakfast to a tasty dip, pure or with original taste combinations: avocados are the present and the future of healthy, sustainable food. Ask Mathias and Bram, sons of Syros-founder Jean-Marie Boels. 30 years ago, he took a leap of faith as a pioneer of avocado import. Today, more than ever, the health and taste benefits of avocado are at the heart of Syros. Pushed by the never-ending drive for innovation. Are you ready for the next 30 years?
With a firm belief in the potential of avocado as the fruit of the future, Jean-Marie Boels took a leap of faith in 1991. He left the salmon smokehouse he was running with his brother and went on sabbatical. Soon after, he founded Syros. The name refers to the elephant that brought Hannibal over the Alps in 218 BC, symbolising dreaming big and overcoming difficulties. He shares that mindset with his sons Mathias and Bram, who joined him about 20 years ago in the quest to become the leading guacamole producer in Europe.
Avocados strong rise
Ambition doesn’t always take the easy road. When the brothers joined the Syros forces, times were challenging. The economic recession and competitors on the market did not make things easy by any means. “However, we never really doubted our choice”, state the brothers. “It would have been a waste of all the hard work and investments by our dad. Besides, just like him, we kept the faith at all times that avocados would conquer the world.”
“By 2030, the avocado is expected to become the most popular fruit after the banana.”
And so they did. About 5 years ago, avocado import was still a niche market, but the last few years, the avocado really earned its spot in retail and food experience. By 2030, it is expected to become the most popular fruit after the banana* . “That should not be surprising”, says Bram. “The health benefits and culinary opportunities are countless. Our avocado Smoothie Bowl, for example, is a family favorite.”
Aiming for outer space
The Boels clan has always aimed high. At the very start, 30 years ago, Jean-Marie already had his eye on the European market, visiting international food fairs and sourcing overseas. Nowadays, Syros is still a modest manufacturer, but they’re playing in the big league. Mathias Boels: “This approach is one of our great strengths as a company. It makes and keeps us competitive and on high-alert. We’re working hard to professionalize our production and business flows. This gives us oxygen to experiment and innovate. We are already making a difference today and want to continue to grow.”
“Our professionalization gives us oxygen to experiment and innovate.”
One of the main targets of the ambitious R & D crew: finding solutions to reduce wastage of retail avocados. A quest for healthy sustainability and for new taste adventures. “Avocados have a lot of potential. And they don’t need the gimmicks or the stereotypes. No sombreros or latino music for us. The pure product and its assets are more than enough. That’s what’s at the heart of Syros, for 30 years already, today and tomorrow. We firmly believe it’s the way to become the real leader in Europe. And if we may dream big: we’d love to bring the first guacamole to Mars!”
We are avocado
Register and download our complete catalogue so you can browse in your own time. It’s full of all the products we offer including ingredients and packaging sizes.