ProNatura: 50,000 t of fruit and vegetables every year

ProNatura was founded in 1987 with the aim of marketing organic fruit and vegetables grown in Provence. Over the years, it has become one of Europe’s major wholesale companies. Employing 237 people, it achieved a turnover of 84 million euros in 2009 and growth of 10 % is anticipated for 2010. ProNatura operates branches in Perpignon, Brittany and Paris. It also owns wholesale businesses in Morocco, Spain and Togo. In 2006, it took over Bio-Marché and changed its name to ProNatura Belgium, but this company has now been closed because of lack of profitability.

A year ago, the company opened a branch plus warehouse in Rungis, (the world’s largest wholesale market for fresh produce) in the south of Paris. “We’re very happy with the success of our platform in the Paris region,” is how Olivier Sainte Georges (picture on left) sums up this new venture in an interview with Organic-Market.Info. This facility stocks the whole product range (1000 food lines), with 120 items being available at any one time. It was important for the company, based in southern France, not only to have a strong presence in the province but also to be represented in the prosperous Ile de France. The new warehouse now supplies the whole of north and western France.

A vitally important feature of ProNatura is close cooperation with producers, and many of the producer groups were founded with the help of ProNatura itself. They are assured of quick and effective marketing. In Provence alone, around 400 organic farmers are involved – the biggest group, and in Brittany there are about 100. Taking into account the farmers in foreign countries, ProNatura markets the goods of about 1,000 farmers. To ensure optimal production for the market, cropping plans are discussed at the beginning of every year at meetings of all producers. (Picture on right: About a dozen of their own juices)

To ensure that new farms come on stream all the time, the company set up its own service to advise farmers on conversion to organic and on issues like choice of varieties and organic certification. The result is a good 30 new farms in conversion every year and available to supply produce. In 2009, an own brand was created with a range of own juices (picture above on right) – either single variety or from one region. The common factor is that on the back of the bottle there is precise information about the producer. Whereas apple juice comes from Provence, pineapples, mangos and bananas are imported. The mango juice comes from Burkina Faso, the pineapple juice from the company’s own project in Togo, and the bananas come from Equador. The latest juice, soon to be on the market, is a pink grapefruit juice from Corsica.

From the outset, ProNatura has focused on the specialist wholefood trade in Europe to sell its goods, and it accounts for 65 % of turnover. 31 % goes to the conventional retail trade and 4 % to the catering trade. “We’re particularly indebted to the specialist trade, because these stores stock the biggest array of organics and are the best outlets for our speciality products. Moreover, you can collaborate with the specialist trade on a very long-term basis,” explains Sainte Georges. Whereas a 15 % growth in turnover is likely this year thanks to the specialist trade, supplying the conventional trade is expected to produce the same turnover as last year.  ProNatura achieves 76 % of its turnover in France and 24 % abroad. Customers in Belgium and Germany each account for 7 % of turnover, in Britain for 4 % and customers in other countries for 6 %. (Picture on left: View of the sales office in the ProNatura headquarters constructed to building biology standards in 2001)

It all began when the founder of ProNatura, Henri de Pazzis, gave up his job as a musician in Paris and cultivated a plot of land belonging to his parents in Provence. He planted fruit trees and grew potatoes and vegetables. At the time, he was a twenty something dreaming, like lots of people, of a different world. He had his first experience of selling organics at a local market. (Picture: Among the main products in the 5,000 m² storage facility that are traded by ProNatura are tomatoes, aubergines, zucchini, melons and squashes)

 

In the early days, ProNatura not only established itself in Cavaillon (about 20 km south east of Avignon) but also opened branches in other towns and countries. In 1996, it opened a branch in Morocco, and in 2003 it took over the firm Maraichers Bretons (founded in 1988) and changed its name to ProNatura Bretagne. In 2002, for the first time venture capital flowed into the firm to finance further growth. In 2003, more of the firm’s shares went to ViaBio. In 2005, the subsidiary ProNatura West Africa was created in Togo. In 2006 came the takeover of the Belgian fruit and vegetable wholesaler Biomarché (founded in 1987) and its renaming as ProNatura Belgium. In 2007, Bioprim was bought – a fruit and vegetable wholesaler founded in 1985 in its own region of Provence. Bioprim has now been renamed ProNatura Méditerranée. In 2008, an intermediate storage facility was created in Perpignan. (Picture on left: ProNatura’s product range includes a wide selection of tropical fruit and Mediterranean fruit like apricots and peaches)

The volumes of fruit and vegetables traded are impressive. The company lists a total of 150 products, although they are available according to season. Availability can be increased by supplies coming from countries like Morocco or other African countries. Products can be sourced there when goods from Spain, for example, are still not ready for the market. In 2009, a total of 50,000 t were marketed, of which 28 % came from France (14,000 t), 13,000 t were imported outside the European season, 6,000 t came from Spain and Morocco, and 17,000 t were citrus and exotic fruit like mangos and passion fruit. Long-distance transport is carried out in chilled lorries by a haulage firm. For example, the journey from Morocco to Berlin (3,500 km) takes three to four days. (Picture on right: Chilled lorries belonging to the firm Gagne-Frigolines wait to be loaded in Cavaillon)

Despite its international involvement and importing, ProNatura regards promoting organic production in France as a basic aim of the business. As well as maintaining  bases in Plouha (Brittany), where the cropping and supply of potatoes, carrots, strawberries, cabbage and broccoli are coordinated, and also in Drome – an agricultural area north of Avignon, the intention is gradually to promote the growing of organic fruit and vegetables in other regions of France.
(Picture on left: Since 2003, ProNatura’s main warehouse in Cavaillon has had a three-chamber banana ripening facility)


Tip:

www.pronatura.com