Prince de Bretagne, which produces 80% of France's broccoli, reports on the start of the season and consumption of this summer/autumn cabbage.
Early production in Brittany
In Brittany, the first conventional and organic broccoli harvests began 3 weeks ago. While volumes have remained fairly insignificant until now, this week marks the arrival of more substantial volumes. "Volumes will gradually increase until they are fully available from mid-June." But this year, the summer temperatures in the region brought the campaign forward a little. "Usually, Spanish supply is present on the French market from October to May/June, and our supply from Brittany is available from June to November. So the two origins usually complement each other quite well," explains Emilie Bardin, product manager at Prince de Bretagne. "Depending on the weather, the two campaigns can overlap to varying degrees, which is the case this year. We are in the process of turning the corner, but production in Brittany is ahead of schedule this year because of the heat. Last week, for example, we had twice as much volume as last year during the same period."
Stable volumes
In terms of volumes, the campaign is stable compared to last year. "We had a 12% increase in 2024 compared to 2023. For several years now, production has increased by an average of 10% each year. But this year, we are entering a phase of stability, since we have developed sufficient volumes to meet the demand on the French market." Volumes are present, and so is the quality. "So far, we are very happy with our product at the start of the season," explains Emilie Bardin.
Consumption on the rise, but mostly in winter
Consumption of broccoli in France is up 16.1% in terms of volume, but also in terms of expenditure (+3.1%) - Kantar Worldpanel CAM data to end 29/12/2024. It even ranks 5th after sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkins, and peppers, in terms of expenditure by the under-35s (the under-35s are over-consumers, and the under-50s account for 38.3% of purchases - Kantar Worldpanel CAM data to end 14/04/2024). This growth is being driven in particular by pre-packed foods (which account for 55% of purchases, up 22% from 2023). Bulk sales are up by 9%. However, broccoli still suffers from its image as a winter vegetable, and is therefore mainly consumed during the Spanish supply period. "If we look at the latest Kantar figures, broccoli consumption is increasing at all times of the year, so that is positive. But consumption peaks in France are from January to April, which coincides with the Spanish supply. Consumption even doubles in January. But broccoli is also, and above all, eaten from June to October, which is the peak season in France," explains Emilie Bardin, who is working on marketing the product to the general public.
For more information:
Emilie Bardin, product manager
Prince de Bretagne
[email protected]