Roel Paesmans’ parents are third-generation fruit growers and founded Fruitsnacks. Twenty years ago, they became the first company in Western Europe to deliver fruit and fresh soups to workplaces. In 2022, management of Fruitsnacks passed to their son Roel, who won a Jong Voka Award last April for his contribution to the company.

Roel received this award for the strong growth he drove and his commitment to corporate social responsibility. “Thanks to two strategic acquisitions, we grew by 35 percent last year,” he says. Through the acquisition of an organization that supplies fruit to schools, Fruitsnacks expanded from the workplace to the classroom. Roel: “We now serve 240 schools. Not a single piece of fruit goes to waste; small fruit that isn’t suitable for businesses, we send to schools. Whatever’s left goes to the food bank.”

Speed, drive, and ambition

Despite this success, Roel never felt the urge to take over Fruitsnacks in the past. “I wasn’t the farmer’s son who spent his days on the tractor,” he says. “At home, around the kitchen table, the conversation was always about the business—and especially about the problems. I thought: I’d have to be crazy to get involved in that. As a result, I had little interest in anything to do with fruit.”

During his career at a large pharmaceutical company, his entrepreneurial spirit eventually began to surface. He enrolled in a program at the Voka entrepreneurship network, where he was the only employee. That’s where the spark really ignited. Roel: “I was surrounded by young entrepreneurs and was inspired by their energy, drive, and ambition. I wanted that too. That feeling ultimately brought me back to the family business.”

Green Behind the Ears
Roel’s parents were at a critical juncture with Fruitsnacks. Their son’s interest in taking over the company came at exactly the right time. Roel, who initially started as financial manager in 2022, was quickly promoted to crisis manager during the pandemic. After that turbulent period, he acquired 50 percent of the shares and became the company’s managing director.

“I made a lot of mistakes at first,” he says. “I was still wet behind the ears and had no management experience. I could always turn to my parents with questions, but they left the day-to-day operations entirely up to me. I made every mistake imaginable, and I still bear the scars. Still, this was essential for learning everything I needed to know in a short amount of time.”

During that time, Roel placed a lot of value on his parents’ opinions. Roel: “It was difficult because I wanted to do the best job possible. They had built a wonderful business, and it was up to me to secure its future. That made every mistake feel even worse.”

No time to waste
By 2023, Roel had already acquired five other companies. “We were suddenly growing too fast,” he recalls. “I had to change as a leader, because the way I was working no longer suited the size of the company. I had to learn to delegate very quickly and build a strong management team.”

That was when Roel first came across Straight-Line Leadership. “Their approach suited me, but at first I kept putting it off. At some point, I realized that I needed to change quickly and that they could help me do that. Every day I put it off was time wasted. So I finally signed up for a membership.”

A goal on the horizon
If Roel had continued with his old way of working, both he and Fruitsnacks would have suffered. He explains: “I was a real jack-of-all-trades. I took on all kinds of tasks, managed dozens of people intensively, and was micromanaging. As a result, I had little time for my personal life. I couldn’t find time to exercise, and my girlfriend suffered because of it.”

With the support of Straight-Line Leadership, Roel transformed into the leader Fruitsnacks needed. “I’m now primarily focused on the goal on the horizon,” he explains. “I empower my employees to take ownership of their responsibilities and take the necessary actions. To continue doing this effectively, I need to develop the members of my management team into strong leaders. That’s what I’m working on intensively right now.”

Only Top Priorities
Roel brought focus to the company. By defining and communicating the mission and vision, he made the priorities crystal clear: “Commercially, we used to go after anything that moved. Our employees found that difficult because they didn’t know what to focus on. That’s why I made sure everyone knew what our destination was. We now have clarity, say no much more often, and are therefore moving forward faster.”

He also set priorities for himself, which brought him peace of mind. He explains: “I have just a few top priorities, and I commit 100 percent to them. That has made me calmer, and I no longer let myself get rushed. I also think I’m more pleasant to work with for my employees. When I have a meeting with them, I’m truly focused on them, instead of constantly checking the clock. And not unimportant: I have time again for sports and for my girlfriend.”

’s Full Acceptance Roel’s development also brought about changes in his relationship with his parents. “Our relationship is a hundred times better now,” he says. “We used to expect all sorts of things from each other, whereas now we just make clear agreements. I also stopped trying to change them, something I did for years, but which only led to frustration. I now accept them as they are, which has greatly improved my quality of life.”

Roel doesn't care as much about what his parents think, even when things go wrong. “I’m happier and less frustrated. In the past, if something went wrong, I’d blow it out of proportion in my head. Now I think: okay, what decision do I need to make? What steps do I need to take to get there? And then I just do it, which means I worry less and things move forward much faster.”