In the final straight before the start of the Vendée Globe this Sunday, November 10 from Les Sables d'Olonne, France Bleu Loire Océan offers you a series of five guests to understand all the challenges of sailing around the world alone. After the CEO of the Dubreuil group sponsor of the boat of the same name, the new race director, Hubert Lemonnierone of the Vendée skippers, Benjamin Dutreuxwe were, this Thursday morning, with the co-president of the Vendée company Sodeboone of the main partners of the race for 20 years.
“A form of excitement to see the departure arrive after 4 years of work”
Patricia Brochard, when you are a partner, how do you feel three days before departure? “Quite naturally, there is a form of excitement to see everything that has been done over the past four years, since in fact, these are races that have been preparing for four years. And to see that it is soon the departure and that these sailors will set off again on a solo round-the-world trip which, above all, should never be considered as something trivial, it's quite incredible.”
“Our notoriety has jumped thanks to the Vendée Globe”
Sodebo arrived in the Vendée Globe in 2000, first with a boat. Why did you start at this time? “We were contacted by a skipper who wanted to do the Vendée Globe. At that time, we considered ourselves a small company and we didn't think it was possible to support a sailor. Sodebo was already the leader in its market, but not known. So, it's basically a communication project. We started with almost zero awareness and today, spontaneously, we have more than 70% awareness of the Vendée Globe. and sailing, in general, has been a huge driver in developing the company's reputation and image.”
“A pride to be associated with the race”
You liked it so much that in 2004, Sodebo became a partner of the Vende Globe. “Our project has evolved in terms of boats because we moved from monohulls to multihulls, but on the other hand, we always had a strong attachment to the Vendée Globe. We are a Vendée company and it is a real pride to having been associated with the Vendée Globe in 2000. So when we were offered, obviously, to be partners, we immediately committed to the project because it was a strong link that we had already started to establish .”
“4 million euros of investments over 4 years”
What investment does it represent for Sodebo to be a partner of the Vendée Globe? “There are several types of investment. There is a financial investment which is spread over four years since today, beyond the Vendée Globe, there are two other races which start from Les Sables, the New York Vendée and the Vendée Arctic, with which we are also associated And it is an investment, a partnership of 4 million over four years, so 1 million per year And then, there are also many teams working on this subject. , to prepare it. And there, just during these three weeks in the village, we have 150 people who participate in the presentation of our products. The rest of the time, they can be making sandwiches or cookies. pizzas, salads or boxes.”
“We improve, we grow together”
Is Sodebo already planning to leave for the 2028 Vendée Globe or is it an investment that could be called into question by the economic context for example? “For us, loyalty is something that is important because we build on loyalty, we improve, we grow together. It nourishes the brand and nourishes the company’s projects.”
