Son of a finance director at an international group, Laurent Grandin (51 years old) joined Sicaer Rungis over thirty years ago. Sicaer Rungis became a full subsidiary of the Pomona group (which boasts some 8,000 employees and sales of €2.3 Bn) in 1994. The company specialises in the supply of fruits and vegetables to the institutional and corporate sector (1,500 customers), and the commercial sector (700 customers), and also in the trade of cut flowers. "Following science studies, my passion for fruits and vegetables of all sorts gained me a place with Sicaer Rungis in 1974. I worked my way steadily up the ladder, holding just about every job until becoming general manager, and finally President. Following the group's restructuring, Sicaer decided to refocus its business on the catering sector where it is one of the leaders. With over 800 standing product references, we can supply just about any kind of fresh fruit and vegetable. All our products meet a strict and detailed set of specifications and inspections. We are certified to Qualipom’Fel, ISO 9001 version 2000 and Fel’Engagement. Our flagship product remains the tomato, in a highly diversified range, which represents 10% of our overall sales volume of 35,000 tonnes per year. The company boasts a 200-strong workforce and generates annual sales of over €50 M (up 15%). Our volumes follow the same trend with strong development in the commercial catering sector (8,000 tonnes in 2007), thus supplementing the institutional and corporate catering sector, our business's historical base. Indeed, we have worked with the CCC (French Association of Institutional and Corporate Catering by Direct Management) since the very beginning. We make 60 rounds and deliver to 1,000 customers per day (90% in the Paris region), with a team of 20 specialised telesales personnel taking the orders. Sicaer operates 7/7 and 24/24 backed up by an impressive range of technology: RDI order picking, upstream/downstream traceability, barcode management of product references, GPS-equipped fleet.

Faced with the growing constraints in the catering sector, we regularly adapt our offer to meet customer demand by supplying easy-to-use, or even ready-to-use products. With this in mind, and together with our Pomona Terre Azur branch, we have developed a salad with equal-sized leaves and 'dry' tomatoes, ideal for sandwiches. We have to be ready with new proposals at all times, and make sure we develop products with an eye to their final destination. It is essential for us to work at the very heart of Rungis, an international market run by a highly qualified and specialised group of professionals. With its huge capacity for adaptation and regulation, Rungis represents a global fresh produce offer adapted to local business conditions…" An active participant in this sector, Laurent Grandin is an administrator for UNCGFL (French Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Wholesalers) and Interfel (Inter-Professional Association of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Industry), where he chairs the catering commission.