Ua company which is recovering after two years of receivership, another which is sinking into difficulties. Lucien Georgelin and the Unicoque cooperative are responding to the crisis with a common front to defend Lot-et-Garonne agricultural production. In an unprecedented partnership, the two companies from Virazeil and Cancon are jointly launching a range of dried fruits and “gourmet” local products.
Sachets of shelled or roasted hazelnuts, chocolate-coated or caramelized hazelnuts, Bordeaux fig jam with Lot-et-Garonne nuts, Lot-et-Garonne hazelnut spread, foie gras pâté and Lot-et hazelnuts -Garonne… Around thirty Unicoque / Georgelin branded products will be distributed in large and medium-sized stores from December.
“A range certified 100% Lot-et-Garonne”
“In less than a month, we’re getting started. The consumer knows us. And with our commercial strength throughout France, it is a plus for promoting Unicoque hazelnuts,” says entrepreneur Lucien Georgelin. The number two jam maker in France is just getting its head above water after two years of receivership. But it is now for Unicoque that times are tough with extremely low harvests this fall (50% drop).
Lucien Georgelin presents the products from the range launched with Unicoque, including a pâté with foie gras and hazelnuts from Lot-et-Garonne.
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The partnership imagined several months ago should allow everyone to be stronger and conquer new markets. Wooden displays in the colors of the two Lot-et-Garonne companies are ready to be deployed in the fruit and vegetable and dried fruit sections of supermarkets.
The Lot-et-Garonne map
“We have been supplying hazelnuts for Lucien Georgelin spread for seven or eight years. We know each other well, we are used to working together,” recalls Jean-Luc Reigne, director of Unicoque which represents 90% of hazelnut production in France.
“The idea is to go together and take a position in the fruit and vegetable and dried fruit sections. Many players are not transparent about the origin of products. We wanted to take the opposite approach to this by offering a range certified 100% Lot-et-Garonne. We are also transparent about our weaknesses and the need to have the support of consumers to allow our producers to develop and survive. »
The major crisis that Unicoque is going through can be explained by the devastation caused by the balanin and the evil bug. The two insects are responsible for the destruction of half of the crops this year among the 300 producers (7,000 hectares) in the cooperative. Despite the considerable losses, the production necessary for the partnership was secured. “We are assured that there will be the volumes. I am not embarking on an adventure that would have no chance of succeeding,” reassures Lucien Georgelin.
“This new range only represents a very small percentage of our production,” adds Jean-Luc Reigne. “But we make it a priority. The transformation of our products internally and the distribution in small weights in large and medium-sized stores thanks to the logistical and commercial capabilities of Lucien Georgelin are for us one of the solutions to emerge from the crisis. »
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