Primver deploys its activity internationally at the fruit terminal of the port of Sète (Hérault)

A site with its feet in the water. At the edge of the quay. The only one in the port able to directly accommodate a boat. On the map where the Primever group's locations are multiplying, the arrival in 2023 of the Lot-et-Garonnais transporter and logistician at the Sète fruit terminal, the second in terms of activity after Marseille, marks a strategic evolution.

“The majority of Mediterranean ports are saturated, and the supply of fruits and vegetables is limited. Here we have 23,000 m² of a cold storage warehouse to meet the needs of our customers and support them towards new markets. From Sète, we can also supply them with off-season products throughout the world or export their production internationally, for example apples, kiwis, tomatoes, garlic or even potatoes. Finally, this port is close to the major national fruit and vegetable markets (Saint-Charles, Cavaillon and Châteaurenard) and easily accessible by road hauliers,” explains Stanislas Fanou, head of Primever Logistics South-East. In these facilities, 15,000 pallets can be stored in total.

In these facilities, 15,000 pallets can be stored in total

Ripening

From the start, his team got to the heart of the matter with, last December, the unloading of 8,500 tonnes of lychees from a boat coming from Madagascar. The desire is to welcome a second this year. The goods intended to transit through Sète are fruits and vegetables, as well as seeds. Four French professionals export their seeds from Hérault. “We are going to the countries of the South. The creation of a regular shuttle to the Turkish ports of Izmir and Yalova is also in the works,” continues Stanislas Fanou.

Since August, the site has had a banana, avocado and mango ripening facility. Fifteen rooms were opened in the central part of the warehouse to bring them to the ideal temperature. “It’s a heating process that can take four or five days. We receive three or four containers per week, and these foodstuffs are then shipped throughout Europe. »

Opportunity

“The idea is always to provide a solution for our customers. The group was asked to work on export. We got closer to producers of apples and kiwis, and we discovered the container business for large exports with sectors such as bananas and citrus fruits in the Southern Hemisphere. French products are not available all year round, there are seasons and, in the off-season, there are imported products such as lychees, pineapples, bananas from South America or even the lawyer. We are interested in this market in addition to our road activities to provide our customers with global solutions. We provide not only transport, but also logistics, order preparation and, now, customs clearance and maritime freight management activities. Sète is an opportunity. There is little activity in Mediterranean ports on major imports from the Southern Hemisphere. Most of the volumes tend to go towards northern Europe. In a logic of CSR and flow management, we believe in the ability to reintegrate some products via this route and develop a healthier transport logic for tomorrow,” explains Julien Garnier, the group's CEO.