How did the business start ?

I bought the company Palmi Découpe Foie Gras in 2000. This SME in the Landes region, based in the centre of Chalosse, was founded by an ex-executive from a major company in the sector in 1993. It was a first level cutting and packaging workshop for fresh produce, which processed about 200 000 fattened duck per year, with a turnover of €5 million.

What is your business ?

Our business involves cutting, gutting, processing, packaging and making recipes. When I took over the business, I developed production and positioned us with a top quality line with Label Rouge and IGP, which represents 65% of our sales. These are free-range ducks, fed on whole maize for 102 days, strictly according to the old tradition, then slaughtered and processed in the South-West (Landes). Free-range fattened duck from the South-West is the reference for quality and tradition. We select our ducks from about sixty operators (breeders and fatteners) to our specifications. The company’s growth has demanded some expansion, going from 1 200 m2 initially to 2 000 m2 in 2008. It has also been upgraded to meet HACCP standards and it is certified ISO 22 000. The ISO certification is quite rare for SMEs and we had to recruit a quality engineer and another engineer for the industrial part. For our clients and future clients, this certification is the guarantee of our commitment towards controlling food safety.
At first, we used to make basic processed products but we have now developed more elaborate products (duck chops, tournedos, marinated duck fillet, etc.). Our line includes about 300 listed products (with 150 prepared raw products and 100 processed products semi-cooked, canned, conserves, cooked dishes, etc.). Our flagship products are mainly the Label Rouge products, like foie gras extra and duck fillet (magret), as well as products like whole foie gras terrines, foies gras with truffles and marinated products.
Our clientele breaks down as follows: 30% large and medium sized retailers (supermarkets), 30% trade operators, 30% wholesalers and 10% retail, export. Our products are sold under our three brands: La Belle Tradition (supermarkets, wholesalers), Palmi Grill (grilled meats, prepared raw products), Jeanne Bertot (prepared delicatessen dishes).
The fame of our products is also due to the quality of our teams, who are efficient and very professional.

What is your development strategy ?

In 2003, we had external growth by taking a stake in another processing company called Alma Mater based in Montfort en Chalosse where I have been the majority shareholder since 2008.

In this way, we have developed a line of delicatessen products, cooked dishes based on duck and other products to diversify the offer, like fish (cod shepherd’s pie). At the same time, we lowered production volumes and upgraded our clientele, notably thanks to our ISO 22000 certification, which guarantees our products in all markets. We have also decided to be more responsive to clients’ needs by developing processed products (semi-cooked, canned, oven-ready dishes, etc.) so we can be less dependent on duck production by diversifying our line in the more or less long term to be less hampered by the seasonal nature of foie gras. Lastly, we are going to develop frozen foods.

What is you opinion of the fattened duck market ?

It is a relatively complex market and for the most part concentrated in the hands of a few operators. However, SMEs still have a card to play in very specific niche markets, notably in qualitative terms. I remain generally optimistic about the development of our market, particularly with regard to top-of-the-line products.

What do you think of Rungis Market ?

We have been at Rungis Market, Europe’s largest fresh produce market, for five years. This key hub is a lovely showcase that lets us reach a retail clientele from the Paris region (Paris and Ile-de-France) positioned in upmarket products. Furthermore, the wholesalers are competent professionals with whom we work in perfect synergy and who have helped us grow in the eighteen months. We are very satisfied with Rungis Market.