About BISTER

WHO ARE WE ?

Quality, tradition, family and ‘Belgitude’... Since 1926, we have been proudly upholding the values that built Bister’s name and fame. Our range of mustard, sauces and piccalillis has been handed down through the generations and is firmly planted in the Belgian culinary and cultural landscape... and in every gourmet’s fridge.

Led by one flagship product, The Impériale mustard, our gastronomic epic began in 1926 and continues to grow and diversify day by day, combining heritage and innovation, sweet emotions and bold flavours.

Our catalogue now includes 19 sauces and mustard, all made in Belgium, 5 of which are entirely ORGANIC. Tasting them, combining them and cooking them is a way of honouring the famous ‘taste of Belgium’ that has been delighting young and old alike for almost a century.

Always presented in the iconic grenade-shaped jar, our Bister mustard and sauces are the intriguing guests invited to every Belgian party.

TASTY VALUES

QUALITY INGREDIENTS

Bister pays the utmost attention to the quality and origin of its products: our ingredients are steadily checked to guarantee your food safety. Check for yourself: organic or not, our mustard and sauces contain only what is needed to deliver the flavour you love so much. No more, no less.

TRADITIONAL RECIPES

From the very beginning, Bister has created a signature flavour that carved out a place for itself in every gourmet’s kitchen. This inimitable, authentic taste has not aged a day. And the reason? Scrupulously respected recipes based on ancestral know-how. Our craftsmen and cooks remain the proud heirs of cherished savoir-faire.

FAMILY SPIRIT

Whether we’re talking about the origin of the name, the size of the company, the use of our products in recipes that were handed down for generations, or the fond memories associated with the jars—family values are always at the heart of our business. Conviviality, moments of sharing and loyalty, that is what authenticity is made of.

THE TASTE OF BELGIUM

Just mention mustard, mayonnaise or piccalilli. What pops into every Belgian’s mouth, then, is the famous taste championed by Bister. Flavours from our childhood, unchanged recipes and jars that are ready to burst. We call in Bister to spice up popular dishes, on-the-go vinaigrettes or our long aperitifs, going hand in hand with a way of life that is both delicious and simple. In short: à la belge.

1930

A dubious story about a lorry for sale is what led François Bister, a chicory roaster from the Namur region, to meet René Godard, a mustard manufacturer who was keen to leave his business. Seduced by the spicy little mustard seed but still unfamiliar with the process of making the actual product, François plunged headlong into the business: he bought out Mr Godart’s stocks, machinery, brand and carefully protected recipe for Impériale mustard. To maximise production yields, he moved everything to Jambes. This was the official start of the grand Bister adventure.

1940

By now, Mustard has definitively supplanted chicory in Bister’s heart—which, between us, was also a simple matter of supply and demand. Ladled from a large stoneware pot, the famous Impériale was served by grocers into jars that the customers brought along themselves. Zero waste, avant la lettre! In a bid to diversify, Franz added piccalilli production to his business, as well as pickled onions and gherkins. You know what they say: it’s better not to put all your beans (or seeds) in one basket.

1945

After the war, the development of self-service shops required individual packaging and a recognisable visual identity. François Bister, a communications pro before his time, saw an opportunity. Our famous ‘grenade’ jars made their appearance and they would never change, not in the slightest shrapnel!

1960

Raised in mustard, Jean Bister took over the reins from his visionary father. And being a model son, he would remain the guardian of the noble values—quality, authenticity, family and tradition—that have made Bister the benchmark brand it still is today. The family of small jars grew along with the arrival of traditional mustard, extra-strong mustard, honey mustard and Dijon mustard.

1994

Then, it was Fabienne’s turn (third-generation Bister) to cut the mustard. The adventure continued, business was good and the company left Jambes in 2013 to move to a larger factory in Achêne. Faithful to her family name, Fabienne continued to perpetuate the ‘taste of Belgium’: she ensured the Impériale brand’s longevity and, being also firmly rooted in her own time, she took a keen interest in organic alternatives.

2020

Lacking a Bister successor, Fabienne found in Arthus de Bousies the ideal entrepreneur to write savory new pages of the Bister story. He continued on the road towards short-chain supplies. Now at the head of two traditional sauce companies with shared values, Arthus took Bister into the domain of local and organic mustard, which would become quite a scoop for Belgium.

2022

The first 100% Belgian organic mustard was launched! To make this happen, Bister joined forces with Farm For Good, a network of farms undertaking the agro-ecological transition to organic and regenerative crops. Bister pledged to pay the farmers a higher fair price, and they in their turn committed to provide excellent mustard that was local, organically produced and sustainable. Since mustard seeds had not been grown in Belgium for decades, the know-how had to be regained, but the farmers and Bister rose to the challenge.

2023

In keeping with the family spirit and traditional recipes, the Bister range acquired new colours and flavours: mayonnaises, Béarnaise, Tartare, Andalouse and Cocktail. Proud heirs to authenticity and indulgence, the newborn sauces were closely followed by the first 100% Belgian mayonnaise on the market. Made with just five ingredients, it was the fruit of a short supply chain and local cultivation, helping to reduce our carbon footprint. The pleasure of working with local producers brings that little extra that only our country can offer: the true taste of Belgium!

LET'S PULL OUT THE PIN !

We all know Bister for its taste, but what about its iconic packaging, the famous ‘grenade jar’? Where does it come from? In the post-war period of the late 1940s, the first self-service shops rose to prominence. That is also when this pretty faceted jar made its entry on the shelves. While today the idea of a container based on the Mills grenade model may seem distasteful, we need to look back at the context of the time: this grenade, used by the Belgian and American armies, had just been used for the liberation. A powerful symbol indeed!

Of course, the whole idea, straight from the mind of François Bister, was also to play on the explosive spiciness of mustard. Opening a Bister jar will detonate your taste buds, that was the underlying message. A stroke of marketing genius, no?

Ever since then, the jar has been registered as a trademark. The original mould still belongs to the company. Only one small change has ever been allowed: in the interests of the environment, Bister decided to say goodbye to its plastic lids and replace them with metal ones. The result: less waste, and the additional option to reuse the jars for your homemade preparations!