Announced a few months ago, the packaging activity of Pouliquen's organic traditional shallots was officially launched at the beginning of March.
The facilities were extended by 500 m² to accommodate this new activity at the company's headquarters in Brittany. The building is now equipped with the necessary machines and a dedicated team, for an annual potential of 500 tons. “Today, we offer packaging near the production basin to offer a finished product ‘Made in Brittany’.” And this new range is aimed at the French market as well as exports. “We have started selling in Germany, Denmark, Italy, as well as on the French market,” explains Gérard Quillévéré, co-director of SAS Pouliquen.
Organic braided shallot, packaged by Pouliquen
Making organic products accessible to as many people as possible
“Our objective is to make the price of organic traditional shallots accessible to the greatest number of consumers. It is not because a product is organic that it has to be three times more expensive than the conventional one. A price difference between organic and conventional traditional shallots is justified by the higher cost of organic production but it should be limited to this difference. Our new activity is also a way for us to support organic producers.”
At the moment, “the organic sector is suffering from the drop in purchasing power - in exports and on the French market - with a slight decrease in demand. But Pouliquen wants to stand out by “trying to find meaning in the creation of the product, in the way it is packaged or presented for example, by using the most natural products and the least amount of packaging possible.”
© Franck Betermin
Two packaging formats proposed
Two packaging formats are proposed for the organic traditional shallot: braids and nets. The 350g braid is exclusive to Pouliquen. This format allows the company to offer a high-range product, which consumers will love to buy and keep in their kitchen. The weight of 350g makes it possible to propose a braid of organic traditional shallots in the same price range as the conventional braid of 500g.
The second format proposed by the company is the net of 250g, which meets the general expectations of the market.
Eco-responsible packaging
Pouliquen's organic traditional shallot braid is made with bamboo stakes and linen thread, which are 100% compostable. The net is made of wood cellulose. The labels of these two references are made of 100% recyclable raw paper.
This eco-responsible packaging makes it possible to propose a coherent global offer that meets the expectations of consumers of organic products and, above all, the current environmental imperatives.
The packaging of organic alliums: a complementary activity
This new packaging activity is completely independent from the first one and requires additional means but the volume of conventional packaging and the preparation time remain the same. 1,500 tons of organic traditional shallots are produced each year by the Prince de Bretagne producers. With this new range, Pouliquen reaffirms its support for its producers, both conventional and organic.
For more information: 
Gérard Quillévéré
Pouliquen
Phone: +33 2 98 19 51 00
info@pouliquen.com
pouliquen.fr