I am the third generation in a line of cheese retailers, since my grandmother Yvonne has the good idea to open a retail shops on rue Montorgueil, Paris, back in 1939. Maurice, my father, took over and expanded the business by creating a distribution department for the restaurant trade. I left the ESSEC in Cergy-Pontoise to join the family business in 1976. In 1987, we mergered with Massonneau. Then, in 1994, I took over the Fromagerie Montorgueil subsidiary, and in 1997 we opened a 1000-m² warehouse at Boissy-Saint-Léger, which was refitted in 2003 to become a ripening, cutting and assembling platform. Soon after, in December 2003, that’s when we joined Rungis, in the Eurodelta section (a 3000-m² plot). This is the ideal placement, since it is close to Paris, but it still has to endure traffic problems and a shortage of qualified labour. Our company currently employs 125 staff, and sells over 20,000 tons of produce, for a turnover of over €50M. We make 600 deliveries a day, split across 35 rounds, working 6 days a week, and virtually around the clock. In 2004, our growth was boosted by the signature of a fresh supplies contract with the Elior group (cheese-eggs-butter, delicatessen meats, fresh meat, poultry).

We are able to handle demand because we have great facilities , which are fully computerised and covered to the very latest hygiene, traceability and HACCP standards. We are also expanding our export business, to the USA, England, Japan, the Seychelles, and Mauritius, an activity that already accounts for 7% of our annual turnover. Our customer portfolio means we have 1600 drop-off points, including restaurants and high-end hotels. In parallel, our ‘flight catering’ and ‘outside catering’ services are also progressing. Plus there’s a hike in demand on the snacks and sandwiches market, driven by the development of pre-prepped ingredients, like pre-sliced products), which is a reflection of current food trends. Over the whole of our range, we have 1600 references in stock and the same again in just-in-time flows, from ultra-fresh, butter and cream, to mature cheeses. Our product offer is rounded off by deli and charcuterie produce. As customers are changing, so must Rungis Market, by adapting its offer to new market constraints: different opening hours, new product lines, and winning new customer markets. However, Rungis Market still holds a pivotal position that, like a good cheese, is maturing over time…” RHC was awarded the Nef d’Or on the strength of its performances, and the company is also a member of the national and international Unifrais network and the Greater Paris Food Lovers Association.