This summer, French fruit and vegetable co-operative Cofruid'Oc celebrated its 50 years in the business, organising a day of conferences, a grand soirée and orchard visits near Montpellier to mark the occasion.
Present were all members of the Cofruid'Oc team, including the director of 24 years, Didier Crabos, as well as many of the company's customers, key industry figures and the mayor of Saint-Just.
In addition to discussing the company's history and the principal challenges faced by the industry in general, such as the drop in consumption, the renewal of orchards and the discovery of new producers, Cofruid'Oc unveiled its brand-new logo.
The new symbol shows a hand holding an apple aloft, the hand representing the human effort that goes into the production of the company's main product. 'When you eat a fruit, remember who planted the tree,' advised president Jean-Luc Leydier.
The strapline accompanying the new logo, 'Producers of true flavour', is typical of Cofruid'Oc's focus on the producer. 'The two most important parts of the supply chain are the producer and the consumer,' stated Crabos. 'We are committed to the continuance of our producers, which means the need for sustainability.'
Sustainability was a major theme of the entire day, with geographer and professor Sylvie Brunel called upon to discuss the future of agriculture, including the threats of climate change and a growing global population and the need for food safety, accessibility, diversity and quality.
'Farmers are both the pioneers and the sentinels of sustainable development,' she said. 'After the economic revolution must come the ecological revolution, allowing producers to grow more and better with less.'
The orchard visits included a look around the local research centre, the CEHM, founded 20 years ago to drive innovation, discover new varieties and help producers meet new regulations and requirements with a major focus on integrated pest management.
Cofruid'Oc also announced the launch of two new innovations for the new apple campaign. The first is 'La cueillette du chef' or 'chef's pick', which segments the fruit into three categories: crunchy, tender and good for cooking.
The second was new brand Tasty Granny, an apple picked at an advanced stage of ripeness, in order to encourage consumers to discover or rediscover the Granny variety.
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