It was at the beginning of the “strict” lockdown in France that the bomb exploded. The strawberry market stopped completely after Tuesday, March 17th. Consumers rushed to get basic necessities, abandoning several “more pleasurable” products like the strawberry or the asparagus. In order to rescue the French production, most French retailers stopped importing round strawberries from Spain and put the focus on communication and promotional actions to push consumers towards fresh French products. This completely rebooted the market and from March 24th, the situation turned around. “Today, three weeks after the beginning of the lockdown, the demand for Gariguettes and round strawberries is higher than usual, and this is partly thanks to the large retailers which did everything in their power to boost consumption,” explains Mickaël Bazile of Sacfel.
Mickaël Bazile
The company is working with usual volumes for this time of year, so the demand for round strawberries clearly exceeds the offer. “Retailers, who normally offer Spanish round strawberries wish to substitute it with the French origin. Unfortunately, we will only have significant volumes in the southwest around week 16 or 17, if the weather is favorable. I think that at the moment, none of the French producers and shippers have enough round strawberries to properly serve their clients.”
Luckily, the French consumers who do not find round strawberries in the stores can turn to other varieties, like the Ciflorette, Charlotte, Dream or Magnum. “These varieties have a very high taste potential. This period will allow new consumers to discover them; they will not be disappointed!” Indeed, Mickaël is very satisfied with the quality of the strawberries which is exceptional at the moment. “The fruits are good, they look nice and keep well. The weather helps: a lot of light during the day and cool temperatures at night. We are very happy to be able to serve such good quality products in these difficult times. Many consumers have called us or sent us messages to show their support and it was really heartwarming.”
Eco-friendly tray
For the first time this year, Sacfel offers strawberries in trays made entirely from recycled plastic (100% RPET), with a biodegradable film. “It is not the perfect solution yet, far from that, but it is a first step towards truly eco-friendly packages. We have to start somewhere. Up until now, we had not really thought about the sustainability of our packages, so this is really a huge step in just a few months,” explains Mickaël. “For strawberries, eco-friendly packaging is a very delicate topic. Cardboard trays, for example, need to be covered by a thin plastic film to prevent them from getting soft and to keep the strawberries in place. It is not satisfying. We would feel like we are fooling our consumers, thinking they were buying 100% cardboard trays. Besides, the quality of the product still would not have been optimal. We therefore decided for 100% RPET packages, after trying out dozens of different materials. We are pursuing our search for the perfect packaging which will respect all environmental, economic and social criteria.”
Committed employees
In terms of employees, Mickael claims that they are all very committed. “More than usual, we feel that there is a true solidarity within the company, as well as in France in general. We have received calls from people offering their help after hearing about the lack of labor for the harvests. We did not expect that.”
Sacfel works hard to protect its 100 employees in the warehouses, by implementing barrier gestures, wearing plexiglass helmets, gloves and gowns. Washable masks for all the employees are also expected to be delivered next week.
For more information:
Mickaël Bazile
Sacfel
Route de Mont de Marsan – 47190 Aiguillon
Phone: 05 53 79 61 88
Mobile: 06 33 84 82 70
Fax: 05 53 88 10 82
[email protected]
