“It’s the shot, yes!” », smiles Claude Ravalec, despite everything serene, in this winding corridor which serves the laboratories of Maison Ravalec. This family-run delicatessen has been based in Bénodet (29) since 1964. The boss, associated with his brother Arnaud, is on his thirtieth Christmas rush.
A time of year that is not insignificant in the Maison's accounts since December brings around 10% of the 5.4 million euros in annual turnover. It must be said that the time, sixty years ago, of the parents' small business, combined with a café, is over, even if there remain traces of an original lab and cold room. On the eve of Christmas Eve, the 47 employees are busy behind the scenes and in stores, including two in Pont-l'Abbé (29) and Quimper, to satisfy hundreds of customer orders.
Eighteen thousand cocktail pieces
In the “cocktail” room, between the store and the delivery dock, five employees are preparing, this Sunday, December 22, canapes and reductions intended for festive aperitifs. Pierre, Claude's son, is one of them. Charlotte on his head, white apron, he tries to combine ingredients. “This is a canape of mackerel rillettes, with orange wakame chutney, with anchovies, buckwheat seeds and chives,” he describes. At his side, a young colleague prepares a small waffle with eggplant caviar accompanied by peas and peppers. In total, we learn, 18,000 cocktail pieces have been reserved for Christmas!
More than 500 menus ordered for Christmas with prices varying from €22.90 to €39.80
A few meters away, Stéphane and Pascal are busy in the butcher's laboratory converted into a Parisian-style half-lobster training workshop. There are 130 of them on the long table. “It’s more expensive (€21.80), it doesn’t sell as well as the Breton-style scallops, a sure bet! We are going to make around 400 for Christmas,” comments Claude Ravalec. List in hand, he lists some successful orders: more than 500 menus whose prices vary from €22.90 to €39.80, some 450 pieces of monkfish and nearly 460 pieces of roast capon. The list is long.
These roasts of Landes farm capon, cooked the day before, are just put in a tray this morning of Sunday, December 22, in one of the neighboring laboratories. Like all the products concocted here, they will be put in cardboard boxes or bags before being stored in the Bénodet refrigerators or sent by truck to the two other stores. “It’s well-oiled logistics, to the extent that, four times a day, we looked at the level of orders to ensure tight flow,” explains Claude Ravalec.
No leave for fifteen days
Around 35% of these orders were placed online, the rest in stores, by customers generally attached to Ravalec know-how. Over the course of a year, the three businesses provide just under 70% of turnover. External services for businesses, weddings, receptions (etc.) complete the activity. But these were almost interrupted this week to allow the teams to concentrate on festive tasks.
“There is no question of taking leave for fifteen days, there are sometimes also overtime hours. We have only recruited two more people”, explains the boss, who anticipates “a little less volume, but more grouped orders”, in view of the second end-of-year New Year's Eve, for which orders will close on Saturday .
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