France consumes 42,000 tons of almonds each year but only produces 1,000 tons. Compagnie des Amandes wants to invest in almonds “Made in France”, with local varieties and short circuits, and to pool human, technical, scientific and financial resources.
With this perspective in mind, Compagnie des Amandes, presided by Arnaud Montebourg, has decided to create a new organization of producers in order to structure and strengthen the sector. It is also building a new cracking station for all French producers.
Cracking station / ©Compagnie des Amandes
New cracking station to serve the entire sector
The French production is increasing as the planted orchards gradually reach maturity. The current cracking stations are not enough to cover the needs, so most of the French almonds are cracked in Spain. Compagnie des Amandes then decided to build a new cracking site for all French producers, on an area of 7,400 m² in Signes (Var). Operational for the 2023 harvest, it should exceed 3,000 tons of almonds in shell.
“This cracking station is designed as a collective tool to serve the entire sector, regardless of the geographical location.” The almonds in shell are collected in the orchards and dried upon arrival if necessary. The quality controls, weighing and storage of the almonds in shell, the cracking, sorting, measuring and BtoB packaging (700kg/unit) are then done on site.
“It will be organized in such a way as to ensure total traceability of the products, according to their origin, variety and various certifications (Organic, HEV, Fair Trade, PGI), from the orchard to the final consumer.”
The cracking station of Compagnie des Amandes will be certified ISO 14001 (standard based on a voluntary approach to continuous improvement within the framework of sustainable development), IFS FOOD 7 (certification on the quality of the processes and products of food processing companies) and ISO 22000 (international standard related to food safety).
©Compagnie des Amandes
New organization of producers: “Amandiers de France”
The creation of this “organization of producers” will help the sector develop in France. The organization is indeed open to all almond producers in France and it offers support based on 6 strategic axes: the creation of a common operational program to take care of certain operating costs (advisors) or investments (equipment), subsidies for producers as well as prioritization criteria to renovate orchards, structuring marketing for a good remuneration of the producer through a contract based on an annual reference price defined by the organization, access to the cracking station at a special price, setting up an optional system of crop insurance including frost, and finally, contributing to the financing of new plantings through private investors by a Low Carbon label for new orchards.
For more information:
Compagnies des Amandes
5 rue des Allumettes
13090 Aix-en-Provence
https://compagniedesamandes.com/