Bresc’s DNA stretches way back to our beginnings, when the company focused on gourmet foods. It all started when Jan Hak, Ruud Seltenrijch and Henk Brunt decided to breed snails, then package them in little glass jars and supply them directly to quality catering firms. Traces of these roots can still be seen in Bresc’s name, which is an abbreviation of BRunt ESCargots. When gourmet kitchens started clamouring for these little jars of ‘escargots’, the company decided to sell our products via catering wholesalers. With French cuisine in mind, after the snails, we branched out and developed herb butter to accompany this classic dish.
The authentic flavour experience of this herb butter was created by using fresh garlic and green herbs. The next step followed rapidly, as the company studied various preservation methods and decided to pickle the herbs in a little salt. Now we could offer the herbs as a single puree straight from the refrigerated section. Chilled products were to be the focus from now on …
In 2005, we stopped producing escargots so that we could concentrate on the ‘discipline’ of garlic and herbs.
With our roots in chilled products, we started to concentrate more and more on European gourmet foods and culinary professionals’ demands for garlic and herb products. In a world of fine foods that is susceptible to trends and global influences, we have evolved into connoisseurs of garlic and herbs. Our extensive and in-depth product range, varying from single purees to herb mélanges inspired by foreign flavours, has a chilled solution for every segment of the gourmet food market. And all our products feature today’s convenience and are of consistent quality.
Over the years, we have accumulated ample unique knowledge and experience in developing and manufacturing chilled ingredients and we can offer bespoke products to our partners.
Our company, from its earliest beginnings with jars of snails for high-end catering firms in 1991, is currently an independent organisation with production location in Werkendam. We employ more than 80 staff and feature several disciplines, including Marketing, R&D, Purchasing, QESH and Production. It’s no wonder that we are the specialist in chilled products.
Bresc is the specialist for chilled garlic and herb products with a focus on the European gourmet food market. When we design our products, we look for pure, authentic flavours, optimal convenience and consistent quality. We are inspired by culinary professionals who work in gourmet kitchens. We are always on the lookout for new taste sensations, new concepts and new options for different uses so that we can offer assistance to chefs at several levels of gourmet cooking, ranging from single herb purees to herb mélanges and ready-to-use solutions.
As we want to guarantee consistent quality and the purity of our products, we work on building long-term relationships with our growers and customers. After all, together, we bear the responsibility for the products that delight your guests in your restaurant. As a manufacturer, Bresc demands transparency and clarity in all links of the supply chain.
Our aim is to be the manufacturer and inspirer in chilled solutions for professional users dedicated to preparing food with culinary skill.
Bresc core values
Our corporate philosophy is based on the core values that form the Bresc DNA
Hospitable
Being hospitable is in our genes. We strive to build respectful and personal relationships with the people with whom we come into contact. We realise that we are guests of the earth and we treat our planet with care.
Open
Being open means choosing for transparency and clarity. We are proud of what we do and how we do it.
Curious
For us, being curious means exploring new taste sensations, concepts, applications and markets as well as helping our employees to discover their potential and develop their talents.
Teamwork
We work constructively with our clients, suppliers, colleagues and other business relations because the power of teamwork is stronger than any individual.
Back to the roots
Our ingredients
Everything begins at the source. In our view, there is a direct line from the grower in the fields to the diners in the restaurant. We buy at the source and regard our suppliers as our partners, and that’s how we see our customers too. We believe in shared supply chain responsibility and aim for long-term relationships with our suppliers, continuing alliances that guarantee quality and improving it where necessary. Each ingredient has its own natural area of cultivation and we interfere with that as little as possible.
Read more »
As we have our own in-house QESH department, we are in continuous control of our internal processes. QESH works closely with other departments such as Procurement, R&D and Manufacturing to ensure that our standards of food safety are as high as they possibly could be to guarantee the quality of our products. Our suppliers are subject to our stringent requirements and on arrival, our ingredients are always inspected very carefully. As we send samples and quotations along with our product specifications, it is immediately obvious which ingredients we use for our products and which quality standards we apply to them.
We comply with all European legislation on food safety, employment and the environment and we have been awarded certification in accordance with the BRC system approved by the GFSI. Bresc has been tested against the BRC-version standards that apply to the following matters:
Research & Development
We and our team of product developers and culinary advisors are dedicated to finding the chilled solutions of tomorrow. The pure flavour and convenience of our products are the most important prerequisites for our product development process. Read more »
PS in foodservice