When did the business start ?

My father Bernard set up the company in 1955 at the Les Halles market in Paris, assisted by my mother Monique, who was in charge of the accounts. My father worked as an assistant for a fruit and vegetable agent at Les Halles before setting up on his own when he was 28. In 1969 he was one of the very first companies to move to Rungis Market. At the time, he sold vegetables (leeks, carrots, cauliflower), exclusively from France (Manche, Normandy, Loiret, Ile-de-France, etc.). The line then expanded to include apples from Val de Loire and endives from Picardie in the 1980s. By setting up at Rungis, the company’s sales increased on each product because of the larger number of clients passing through.

How did you start in the business ?

I joined the family business in 1982, after my military service, initially as a driver. I used to do the rounds to collect the fruit and vegetables (apples, pears, cauliflowers, etc.) in the various departments. I then continued as a driver-sales rep and then just selling. In the 1990s I took over from my father at the head of the company.  My eldest brother, Patrick, who had previously worked in the catering trade for a long time, joined the company a few years later and he is now the managing director. Furthermore, my wife Patricia is in charge of the accounts and administration. In the 1990s, we developed a line of Spanish products (courgettes, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli and melon from Spain) which we sold in winter, after the season for French products, which are definitely our priority.

What is your product range ?

Concerning vegetables, we sell endives from Picardie all year round, representing about 2 400 tons. Although it is currently down, this is a top quality product that is easy to handle and my father had chosen it to diversify the business. Picardie is a wonderful farming region, offering freshness and quality and it is close to Ile-de-France, which simplified supplies. The other products are cucumbers, tomatoes from Orleans and Brittany, bell peppers, eggplants and melon from the South West.

We always give preference to beautiful products, quality and the France label. Concerning fruit, our flagship products are apples from Val de Loire and pears, part of which are from Chambourcy (78), representing roughly 3 400 tons/year in total. In the beginning, we used to go round all the producers but we don't have the time to do that now. However, we remain faithful to our producers. Similarly, we had a large warehouse in the Yvelines where we used to store our products before dispatching them to Rungis, which we closed about 15 years ago because of traffic problems. Our clientele is composed of retailers (65%), local authorities (20%) and semi-wholesalers (15%). In future we wish to preserve our level of business by consolidating what exists because the economic context is difficult.

How do you judge the fruit and vegetable market ?

We notice a drop in consumption of traditional produce in favour of ready-to-use fresh products. However, there is hope that consumption of fresh produce recovers due to the communication done by collective catering and trade associations (Interfel). We have noticed some progress in terms of farming methods and the quality of production with reasoned agriculture. Nevertheless, we notice a decrease in the number of independent producers on the one hand, and a growing number of producers grouping together and turning more to the large and medium-sized retailers, which affects the steadiness of our arrivals. Moreover, we are increasingly inundated with administrative “paperwork” that hinders our relations with producers, with whom we are trying to build closer ties based on trust. Finally, we notice a stability of the market with regard to mini-markets and multiple-product warehouses.

What do you think of Rungis Market?

Rungis is a wonderful showcase increasingly geared to quality and diversity. Its fame, attractiveness and wide choice are becoming increasingly known in the provinces. There is no doubt that Rungis Market’s renown is still tied to its operators’ professionalism and the rising standard of quality of its products. However, suppliers and clients find it increasingly hard to park there, for lack of parking spaces. There is also a real problem with outstanding payments. This is particularly damaging to our companies and professions and we need to rapidly set up a radical, efficient system to deal with it. Lastly, we absolutely must guarantee the permanence of the Rungis Market safety perimeter.