Casino Group prides itself having close relationships with its providers providers (small or medium-sized businesses, farmers/growers, cooperatives). As a player who is close to the agricultural world, it favours sustainable partnerships and it started many initiatives to support producers, cooperatives and/or farmers/breeder.
PARTNERSHIPS WITH COOPERATIVES AND AGRICULTURAL CHAINS
IN FRANCE
The Group has developed over 160 long-term partnerships with cooperatives and agricultural chains.
Therefore, it has implemented a “Charolaise Label Rouge” branch and an “Organic Chicken” branch with actors from Mayenne over a duration of 5 years and with guaranteed production volumes.
In 2019, the Casino Brand launched French organic ham, with nearly 50 pig breeders from the Unébio cooperative by signing a 5-year-contract. These partnerships helped with putting in place three-way long-term contracts, dealing with sales volumes and stable prices based on real production costs and quality products with total traceability. Casino organic ham offers profitable prices defined by breeders, with an organic label guaranteeing animal welfare and packaging made in 1/3 of recycled materials.
Other examples, with the Altitude cooperative, the Casino brand launched a dedicated branch, the Altitude prime heifer, which involved 50 breeders for Massif Central. The Casino brand has also put in place a lamb branch with the Unicor cooperative.
Since 2012, Franprix has been partner with Cant’Avey’Lot, a dairy cooperative which gathers 30 dairy milk producers located in Cantal, Aveyron and Lot. The brand sells many products from the cooperative including milk cartons and bottles, but also yoghurts, consequently fulfilling production specifications from the “Bleu Blanc Coeur” Charter. In February 2020, Franprix and Cant’Avey’Lot received the Prize for sustainable nutrition at the International Fair of Agriculture in Paris awarded by Bleu Blanc Cœur for their partnership.
Franprix has partnered since 2012 with Jean-Christophe Chassaigne who is a grower and a miller in Lot-et-Garonne. He produces cereals from organic farming and uses a stone grinder to produce high quality flour, which is sold in Franprix stores and also used in 5 organic breads from the South-West branch. From now on, thanks to a QR code on the packaging of organic breads from the South-West branch, consumers can discover in more details the work of this agroecology lover.
Finally, Casino Group signed the “Plus près de chez vous et de vos goûts” Charter with the Minister for Agriculture and Food showcasing farm and local products in stores.