How did you get into the profession ?

As the son of a restaurant owner, I learned the business as a child. I was raised amidst the scents and savours of the products my parents worked on in their simple family restaurant, using authentic, top quality products that I knew well. After dropping my medical studies in the second year and doing various jobs, I had the opportunity to import Greek products to France and that heralded the start of a new career. In 1996 I bought a large warehouse in Paris, near the Trousseau hospital, and I started working hard to prospect Parisian restaurants looking for Greek products, before expanding to the whole of France. In the meantime, I selected the producers who could supply me the best products. The search for quality has become a permanent policy for me. I started with Greek wines and gradually I imported all Greek products. It was important for me to be at Rungis, but it wasn’t easy at first.

How did the company develop ?

I thought I would just work with Greek products, but it didn’t turn out that way. The business started slowly to move towards a change in the range and the clientele. I moved to a Lebanese and Armenian clientele at first, knowing that there was some similarity in the type of products, between Greek products and their products. That helped me develop my clientele and my market. Then I decided to develop all Mediterranean products, whether from Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, etc., with a commercial strategy geared towards a broader range.

What is your product line ?

Our product line is vast and especially geared to upmarket products. We sell all the antipasti, hors-d’œuvre, mezze and many olive oils, which is our flagship product (1500 bottles/week) which have won several prizes in Europe, seafood products (octopus, squid, cuttlefish, anchovies, etc.), a range of prepared vegetables cooked in different ways (eggplants, zucchini, artichokes, chick peas, sweet or hot peppers, chilli, mushrooms, olives in 40 varieties, etc.), various cheeses including the famous feta, dried fruit, candied fruit, jams, numerous spices, spreads (eggplant caviar, tarama, humus, tzatzihi, tapenades, etc.), cakes and pastries, wines, spirits, liqueurs, beers, etc. Our line has about a thousand listed products.

Who are your client ?

Our clientele is mainly composed of itinerant market traders (60%), restaurants and caterers (20%), wholesalers and small supermarkets (20%). 45% of our clients come to Rungis Market to buy their supplies from us directly, and 40% send us an order and we deliver them. In addition, we supply a small amount to large and medium-sized supermarkets and for export, representing 15% of the business. We attend many trade shows in France and the EU to attract new customers. It is true that the “Rungis” reference helps us make many contacts and Rungis Market’s fame is also linked to the quality of the catering sector. 

What is your development strategy ?

Our development strategy is geared to the expansion of our product line, to the entire Mediterranean region, particularly to the specific, top quality products sought by our clientele, notably French, which needs to be further developed. And to achieve this, we are going to increase our team of sales reps.  

How do you see the catering market developing ?

Our development strategy is geared to the expansion of our product line, to the entire Mediterranean region, particularly to the specific, top quality products sought by our clientele, notably French, which needs to be further developed. And to achieve this, we are going to increase our team of sales reps.  

What do you think of Rungis Market ?

Rungis is a very large market, known for its top quality products, and I benefit from its very positive image.  Many foreign professionals know Rungis Market. It really is the place where you have to be and I am very satisfied with it.