La Blottière®, pear and apple cultivar owners and growers from France, celebrated the company’s 60th anniversary with partners and customers at Fruit Logistica 2023. David Socheleau, manager of La Blottière Group, looks back at the company history.
"The 60’s and 70’s were devoted to the development of our orchards. This development continued in the 1980s with direct sales to stores and a few attempts at local exports. With the implementation of central purchasing services in the 1990’s, we developed and structured partnerships with other apple growers while continuing to develop our own orchards. The 2000’s marked a real turning point in the company's history, with a national extension in particular, but also the start of varietal projects such as Antarès. As for the 2010s, this decade was marked by the development of the pear, in parallel with the start of exports linked to our establishment in Chile, and creation of Apple-Bird® and Daisy® brands. This is a strategic choice whose goal is to supply our export customers 12 months out of 12."
La Blottière, with historical orchards and head office in the Loire Valley, France, also established itself in the Southwest in 2018, around a fruit packhouse and a group of growers. This year is marked by its diversification into cherries in Chile. They also launched the Qtee pear in 2020 along with major planting programs and investments in infrastructure. Out of 88 000 tons of fruits processed in 2022, 60% has been sold in France and 40% for export and overseas markets.
Strengthening its international presence
La Blottière's objective is also to strengthen its international presence. "We are well aware that in the medium term, apple consumption will increase in regions that will always have difficulty growing apples. This synergy between the northern and southern hemispheres and our know-how allows us to increase volumes, the value of our products and our presence on the market outside Europe, even in this difficult context. It is quite virtuous, since one origin is of benefit to the other. In a difficult context regarding harvest quality and economic situation, we have been able to adapt to international demand and also to adapt our offer," says Socheleau.
He says they have objectives for the coming years that will not be achieved without a certain resilience and adaptability. "What makes our line of conduct and which is a strong marker for us as well as for the growers with whom we work, is to have an ability to question very early and upstream, anticipate what will the fruit sector look like in a few years and adapt to the economic reality in which we evolve."
For more information:
Camille Marues
La Blottière
Tel: +33 2 41 29 29 87
Email: Camille.MARQUES@lablottiere.com
www.levergerdelablottiere.fr