The president of the Côte-d'Or departmental council celebrated the anniversary of the territorial brand, this Thursday, October 31, on the community stand at the Dijon International and Gastronomic Fair, surrounded by elected officials and local producers and restaurateur chefs. “You dared to reinvent a modern local economy,” he addressed them.
It all started in 2019 with a baguette, then came a cheese, a carton of milk, blue-veined ham, trout rillettes, wines as well as non-food products… Today, 500 producers, artisans, restaurateurs and manufacturers are approved 100% Côte-d'Or Savoir-faire, the territorial brand of the Côte-d'Or departmental council. Entrepreneurs who market around 1,000 products identified by the brand.
This Thursday, October 31, 2024, shortly after the official inauguration of the Dijon International and Gastronomic Fair, François Sauvadet (UDI), president of the community, celebrated the 5th anniversary of “100% Côte-d’Or” as it is more commonly called.
Many elected officials from the departmental majority participated – including vice-presidents François-Xavier Dugourd (LR, NE), Marc Frot (LCOP) and Marie-Claire Bonnet-Vallet (LCOP) –, producers and chefs – from starred restaurants and college canteens.
According to François Sauvadet, the Dijon Fair presents “a much greater influence than that of the simple metropolis”
“We have just opened the International Gastronomic Fair of Dijon, it is a much greater influence than that of the simple metropolis,” declared François Sauvadet straight away, just to mark the territory after the speech by François Rebsamen (PS , FP), president of the Dijon Metropolis, a few hours earlier. “I am very attached to the influence of Dijon, naturally, to the influence of the metropolis, it counts, we do not oppose each other. (…) We are very welcoming to our Japanese friends because we have very strong relations with Japan, including with chefs who have chosen to settle in Côte-d’Or.”
“The Côte-d’Or shines all over the world”
“I wanted to mark, from the opening of the fair, a moment which is, for me, very important,” continued the president of the Department, “we are celebrating the five years of the 100% Côte- Gold”. “It was a bit of a crazy bet to say that the Côte-d'Or is a magical name, it's a name that shines throughout the world, thanks firstly to our winegrowers, thanks to our appellations. (…) Today, we have a Burgundy Côte-d’Or appellation that shines, which distinguishes Côte-d’Or among the Burgundy appellations.”
In 2017, after having carried the file for 20 years, the winegrowers of the Côtes de Beaune and Nuits obtained from the National Institute of Appellations of Origin (INAO) the complementary geographical name Bourgogne Côte-d'Or. This was the starting point for a reflection which led the Department to found its territorial brand.
“We are from our commune, our village, our department and France”
100% Côte-d'Or Know-how is aimed at consumers to tell them that “you can help producers, you can help manufacturers, you can help artisans, you can help restaurateurs” with “a sharing of value”.
“At the beginning, it was an incredible bet, we were the first French Departments to commit to ensuring that this name became a factor in identifying the product with respect to the consumer,” underlines the man who is also president of the Assembly of Departments of France. “We didn't want it to be an inaccessible brand, a luxury product that we dream of, we wanted it to be available to everyone, so that everyone could make it their own because we are all from somewhere, we are of his commune, his village, his department and of France, quite simply.”
“This brand is made first for producers”
Returning to the history of this “gamble”, François Sauvadet indicates that a meeting with Philippe Charlopin, emblematic winemaker of “Bourgogne Côte-d’Or” and present at this anniversary, initiated the work on 100% Savoir-faire Côte-d’Or.
An approach then supported by Vincent Lavier on behalf of the departmental chamber of agriculture: “we could not have won this bet without the involvement of the chamber and without the involvement of the producers”.
“This brand is made first for producers,” insists the centrist, “it is made first for those who produce food in our department and throughout France.” “It is a mark of recognition to say that at the source of the pleasure we have from gastronomy, which makes our reputation throughout France, throughout the world, there are producers. We must pay attention to our producers and ensure that they regain confidence in their future. (…) It is a mark of homage, of recognition of our farmers whose difficulties I know.”
In the context of the “recovery” of the State's public accounts, the president of the Côte-d'Or Department declared seriously: “there is one thing that I will not call into question, and that is the support that we provide to our farmers”, particularly in the face of the “challenge of climate change”.
“You dared to reinvent a modern local economy”
“We are fortunate to have restaurateurs who are involved in the process,” said François Sauvadet, addressing the chefs present. “Every time I go to a restaurant and I see this little blue square 100% Côte-d'Or, indicating that the dish is from us, it is a symbol of quality, of civic commitment, I follow you very grateful.”
Then, by broadening the subject to all those approved: “you dared to reinvent a modern local economy, part of its time and built around the word “pleasure””.
“Agricultural products are attached to a region,” confirms Vincent Lavier
“This approach immediately seemed to us to be of great interest to the agricultural profession,” confirmed Vincent Lavier, “it recognizes the quality of agricultural products and their diversity.” “It also confronts the consumer with their responsibilities, after which people act according to their desires and their means. (…) It is an identification factor which contributes to the promotion of our products, (…) agricultural products are attached to a region.”
“We must remind people, in difficult conditions like we have at the moment, that the products have an origin, they come from not far from their homes, they participate in the relocation of food,” insisted the president of the Côte-d’Or Chamber of Agriculture. “The food challenge is a real challenge, we can quickly become fragile in this area so we must protect our agriculture.”
“An entire economy stands out in our department,” says Yves Bard
“This idea of 100% Côte-d'Or know-how is about bringing pride and recognition to the producers and artisans who, on a daily basis, work for the Côte-d'Or and Côte-d 'Gold,' noted Yves Bard.
“It is added value which is produced on the territory, which remains on the territory”, supported the representative in Côte-d’Or of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Chamber of Trades and Crafts, “c “It's customers who buy locally.” “Through this brand, an entire economy stands out in our department.”
“In 100% Côte-d’Or, there is growth,” considers Pascal Gautheron
“The fair, for those who participate in it, is a place where they shine a light,” said Pascal Gautheron regarding the event, “this 100% Côte-d’Or platform gives light to those who are sometimes in the shadows.
“In 100% Côte-d’Or, there is growth because the label inspires confidence,” considered the president of the CCI Côte-d’Or-Saône-et-Loire, “confidence, it “is what we need every day to create business, to create trust between the consumer and the producer.”
“We are a link between the farmer and the consumer,” underlines Philippe Delin
“Our desire has always been to highlight our farmers,” recalled Philippe Delin. The entrepreneur invested 6 million euros to develop, around the Fromagerie Delin, in Gilly-lès-Cîteaux, an industrial tool making it possible to package cartons of UHT semi-skimmed milk while being supplied by local breeders. In 2024, one million liters of milk sold should be reached.
“We are a link between the farmer and the consumer,” he stressed, “all the stores play the game.” “We have departmentalized milk, it is starting to explode. We had a partnership with Lidl. (…) Producers can make a living from their profession.”
A birthday cake made by Lucile Darosey-Vigilant
During the ceremony, hosted by Laure Mattioli, François Sauvadet greeted Louis-Philippe Vigilant, chef of La Côte-d'Or, in Saulieu, a two-star restaurant in the Michelin Guide, who symbolically became the 21st ambassador of the “100% Côte -Golden”.
Another emblematic ambassador, chef Takashi Kinoshita recalled his professional journey between Tokyo and the Côte-d'Or, passing through the kitchens of the Palais de l'Élysée. He now heads the restaurant brigade at the Château de Cîteaux, in Meursault.
The director of the Longchamp Manufacture Philippe Orliac offered François Sauvadet a large banner to mark his first year of approval of the territorial brand. The plate designs imagined in homage to the Burgundy Canal were represented.
For her part, Lucile Darosey-Vigilant, pastry chef at the La Côte-d'Or restaurant, made a chocolate and blackcurrant cake to mark this anniversary.
Jean-Christophe Tardivon
