a three-way alliance to put organic and local meat on plates

The 1^is January 2025 will be a milestone in the new partnership forged between these players in the organic sector. The trio formed by the Éleveurs bio du Poitou (EBP) cooperative, Svep (Society of Meats of Parthenay Breeders) which processes the products in Châtillon-sur-Thouet and the distribution platform for organic foodstuffs intended for catering outside of domicile (RHD) Eat organic together (MBE) Poitou-Charentes, based in Bressuire, can boast of having won its first public contracts for the supply of beef, with contracts executed at the start of 2025 with the central kitchen of Rochefort-Océan (Charente-Maritime), that of Mellois-en-Poitou (Deux-Sèvres) and the municipal catering of La Couronne (Charente) . A panel that prepares nearly 5,000 meals every day.

“We have made an organic, local and quality offer accessible”

“Svep has been in RHD for around ten years, we have experimented with conventional but this is a first for organicwelcomes Julien Guérineau, sales representative in charge of RHD at Svep, a subsidiary of Caveb (Meat Producers' Cooperative). Today, that represents two calves per month and one cow every two months: it's derisory, of course, but it's easier for us than being directly with establishments, we did the hard work. »

“In the DNA of organic”

These volumes make it possible to sell whole carcasses. And present “the right offer to the right customercontinues Cécile Remeau, director of MBE Poitou-Charentes which has 250 clients for 83,000 guests and works with more than 70 producers for 560 tonnes of food sold in 2023. We are three complementary partners in this organic and quality sector. We are experiencing the first steps of a relationship that we hope will be more recurring. » A “launching pad” promising in the words of its president, Christophe Prouteau.

“This reassures us in the idea that we have a coherent offer in relation to the market: we have made an organic and local offer accessible, in line with the premium image that Svep has”adds Julien Guérineau. Quality meats thanks, according to him, to this local network. An example highlighted: animals are raised and slaughtered on the same territory, “transport time to the slaughterhouse is reduced and the animals are less stressed, this is reflected in the products”he assures. “It’s in the DNA of organic to be local: we want our animals to stay close to home and not cross France”asks Régis Baudoin, president of Éleveurs bio du Poitou (EBP). The young cooperative, a former section of Caveb which emancipated itself in the fall of 2021 and which today has 45 members and suppliers mainly of Parthenaise or Limousin meats, is thus seeing new outlets opening up, in parallel traditional butchers and stores specializing in organic products.