Summary
Zeelandia Italy is part of Royal Zeelandia Group, an independent international producer of bakery ingredients with more than 3,200 employees operating in around 100 countries.
As the business continued to grow, François Magnée, Managing Director of Zeelandia Italy, felt it was the right time to bring in a fresh pair of eyes to challenge assumptions and gain a better understanding of what was driving performance and profitability.
To support this reflection, he turned to OXALYO, whose approach and way of working he already knew and trusted.
The business was growing and sales were increasing, yet management lacked clear visibility on how that growth translated into profitability. The challenge was no longer to generate growth but to better understand the value behind it.
|
KPIs |
Impact |
|
Margin Awareness |
100% of Sales Team trained |
|
Visibility |
Real-time Profitability Dashboards |
|
Strategy |
Shift from Volume to Value-driven growth |
|
Role |
Part-time CFO & Strategic Co-pilot |
Act I —Reading Between the Lines of Growth
Zeelandia was growing fast but as the business scaled, some questions started to emerge. Was that growth actually translating into profit?
To find out, we looked beyond the P&L (Profit and Loss statement). Financials were our starting point but to get a clear picture, we needed a global view across production, commercial operations and organizational structure.
After a thorough analysis, the situation became clearer. Production volumes were on the rise, but certain sales channels and product lines were contributing less to the margin than the sales figures suggested.
Act II — Building a Culture of Margin Awareness
The solution was not simply to produce more reports. The real challenge was helping the organization understand the economics behind every commercial decision.
We ran strategic workshops to bridge the gap between Finance and Sales. We stopped talking about "Turnover" and started talking about "Contribution Margin."
One idea quickly became central to the discussion: " Not every opportunity creates the same value. Understanding the difference became an important part of the transformation."
Using practical examples, we demonstrated how a 2% price increase can have a greater impact on profitability than a 10% increase in volume. The mindset shifted from "closing the deal" to "creating value."
This shift in mindset became one of the most important drivers of the transformation.
Act III — Better Decisions based on Financial Data
Once the team understood what drove profitability, the next step was making that knowledge usable in day-to-day decisions.
To sustain this shift, we turned data into a daily tool. No more waiting for end-of-month reports to see if a deal was good.
Concretely, we put in place:
· Live Margin Dashboards: Sales teams can now check the profitability of a client before walking into the next meeting.
· Pricing Governance: Clear discount rules to protect the bottom line without slowing down the sales process.
· Finance as a Partner: Monthly co-piloting sessions where Finance and Sales align on the next strategic moves together.
Finance was no longer perceived as a reporting function.
It became a strategic partner supporting decision-making across the business
Epilogue — From Volume-Driven Growth to Value-Driven Growth
The numbers improved but the more lasting change was cultural.
Today, Zeelandia doesn't just grow, it grows with intent. The old tension between volume and profit has been replaced by a shared language of value.
Profitability is no longer just a financial metric tracked at month-end, it's the result of hundreds of small decisions made every day, across the business.
By bringing Margin Intelligence to the field, OXALYO helped Zeelandia reconnect commercial decisions with their economic reality.
"Profitability is the consequence of behavior.
Our role was to give the teams the tools to choose the right behaviors."
— Frédéric Neus
Listen Zeelandia story
Key Takeaway
When OXALYO started working with Zeelandia Italy, growth was already well underway.
The real question was how that growth translated into profitability and where value was really being created.
By combining financial analysis, operational insight and close collaboration with the teams, Zeelandia gained a clearer view of its business and the factors influencing performance.
Over time, profitability became part of everyday decision-making rather than something reviewed only at the end of the month.
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