Patrick Brun created Anteus France in 2006, in order to meet a specific demand, originally identified on the German market. “After selecting the producers who met the expectations of my clients, I started exporting 100% to Germany. Today, the company still works on this market at 85-90%, and in parallel, we are trying to grow in France, Belgium and Switzerland in a controlled manner. In fact, we want to continue to select our clientele, which must endorse our project with rather specific requirements and manage a controlled growth,” explains Patrick Brun, director of Anteus France.
The company works mainly with products from Morocco and Spain. “The products we sell the most are vegetables. In the winter, we offer tomatoes, bell peppers and zucchinis grown on our own farm in Morocco. And at the same time, we work in partnership with producers in Spain for these same products, all packaged under our ‘Anteus Fruits’ brand, according to our very rigorous specifications. This variability in provenance provides our clients with an alternative, allowing them to choose the origin they prefer.”
“The French and German markets are completely different”
On the French market there is a great variety of “Third-Way” labels, such as Zero Pesticide Residue (ZPR), Cultivated without Pesticides, Bee Friendly, or High Environmental Value (HEV) just to name a few. On the German market however, the situation is quite different. “The German market remains focused on classic references like Global Gap and IFS. Without these certifications, it can be very complicated today to export,” explains Patrick. “The Germans are very attached to these certifications, much more than the French. It is sometimes impossible to export to the German market without these certifications. And then, next to this conventional offer, there is of course the organic supply, for which the market share in Germany is much higher than in France.”
According to Patrick, the quality and regularity of the supply are essential criteria to be able to supply German clients with fresh products. “The German market is very difficult to penetrate. The Germans are very demanding in terms of quality. They want certifications and of course, a price. But in return, once they are satisfied and convinced by the quality and we can bring them a regularity in supply - which is extremely important for our clients -, they remain loyal. The same cannot always be said of our French clients, most of which require a certain quality level while trying to push for the lowest possible prices. Some do not hesitate to turn to our competitors for just a few cents, even if we have been working together for years. This does not happen with our German clients.”
There is a form of protectionism of national products clearly identified on the French market, which pushes supermarket chains to increasingly prefer the French origin on their shelves. This is not the case in Germany. “The Germans are very well aware that the extent of their productive agricultural areas is not enough to meet the national demand in fresh fruits and vegetables. They therefore see no problem in getting their supply from various origins as long as the quality is met.”
“The Moroccan production is gaining in quality”
Offering products from Morocco to their German clients was no easy task at the beginning. “Moroccan fruits and vegetables did not use to have a good reputation on the European market. We really had to prove to our clients that we could offer them Moroccan products which would satisfy them fully in terms of quality,” explains Patrick.
According to him, the Moroccan products that the company wants to develop its production on through the Anteus Morocco branch are progressing in terms of quality and take new market shares each year. “The client who is truly premium oriented is more focused on the Spanish origin. However, the improved Moroccan quality, especially with us but in general as well, reduces the gap between the two origins. Many clients that were only interested in Spain now start to buy some Moroccan origin. It is the case of some clients dealing with luxury hotels, to whom I never would have imagined ever selling tomatoes from Morocco. Yet, they are slowly coming around. This year, after a successful first experience, we decided to offer a high quality bell pepper from Morocco on the European market.”
Besides bell peppers, Anteus continues to develop the production of other items like the red kuri squash in Morocco, as well as the cucumber and sweet potato in Spain. “As in most European countries, the red kuri squash is getting more and more popular in Germany. Last year, we had produced about 100 tons in the Rabat region of northern Morocco. The climate there is very favorable for the development of the plant, and the quality of the soil is not affected by intensive cultivation. This year, we are producing on 20 hectares, for a productivity of approximately 25 tons/hectare. We therefore expect to obtain nearly 500 tons of red kuri squash, which will be available until March-April. Since the consumption of this product is not cultural, very few operators are present on the market. Nevertheless, the quality is the same as for those produced in Europe.”
“We were among the first to be IFS certified, at the higher level”
Given the importance German clients attach to traceability and food safety certifications, Patrick wanted to obtain them from the time the company was created. “We were among the first to start, 7 or 8 years ago, with the IFS certification. At the time, the demand only came from supermarkets, so we were not directly concerned. However, we decided to certify our production through IFS, at the higher level, for our wholesale clients. Within our continuous improvement process, we obtained the ‘Higher Level’ certification at 99.03%. We chose to anticipate the demand at this level so as not to close our doors in the future with clients looking for high-end products.”
Also certified Global Gap, the company advocates reasoned agriculture and integrated pest management. “We are trying to move towards zero pesticides while maintaining relatively high yields and a healthy product in terms of taste,” explains Patrick. “We therefore carry out residue analyses very regularly and we are always looking for new varieties that are easier to work with and require less treatment.”
For more information:
Patrick Brun
Anteus Fruits
Naturopole - 3 Bd de Clairfont, Bâtiment G
66350 Toulouges
France
Phone: +33 (0) 411 641 283
Mobile: +33 (0) 613.686.987
anteusfruits@gmail.com
www.anteusfruits.com