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They set up at Rungis

Wholesaler portraits :

This month :

Previous portraits :
Nicolas Ivancic, Manager of Cantrel

Manager of Cantrel, a well-known charcuterie and cured meats store, Nicolas Ivancic is dedicated to promoting high-quality products…

"Above all, Rungis Market is a local hub distributing a wide range of high-quality products… "

How long have you been in this business?
I started out in the business in 1982, when I was just eighteen years old. After completing my baccalaureate, I joined the family firm located in the Senia zone. As the son of a butcher specialising in charcuterie and cured meats, I was used to helping my parents from the age of eight years. My dream was to work with my father who had forged his place in the business by sheer hard work and determination. My parents met through the job, later creating their own charcuterie-cured meats company and working the markets - sometimes up to a good dozen markets each week. With their experience of the wholesale business, they then set up a business in Ris-Orangis (Essonne) which covered three separate sectors: production, wholesaling and warehousing. They manufactured a whole range of charcuterie products with a special focus on delicatessen products, charcuterie-based salads, savoury meat pastries, and so on. When I started out, the company had twenty-odd employees. I began in the refrigeration sector, putting packages away, preparing orders, cleaning the company premises and trucks. I remember that my father was pretty demanding and never let anything escape his notice.

When did you become a company manager?
In 1992, when I took over the running of a small company, Olivet Salaisons, near Orleans, that had just three delivery lorries. I developed the company, expanding its workforce to some twenty employees and ten or so lorries. In addition to wholesaling charcuterie products and cured meats, we also sold fresh meat. After ten years of growth, consumption started to drop and I decided to sell the company.
In 2004, I bought Cantrel, a well-known store in the charcuterie and cured meats sector, which was the first wholesaler to put their trust in us when my parents built their first plant in 1988. Created at the Halles de Paris by Jacques Cantrel, and transferred to Rungis Market in 1969, the company was bought out by Orly Salaisons in 1998. Located in building E5, the business had about ten employees.
We decided to expand by taking on another premises in building V1M, rue de Bresse. We then decided to leave our premises in building E5 which we had sold to Carniato, in order to group the business at V1M, thus improving our logistics organisation.

What is your development strategy?
We only sell charcuterie and cured meats. We have based our development strategy solely on these products and have no wish to diversify. This is why we don't sell any grocery products or liquid goods. When customers come to us, they can find everything they would normally find at the delicatessen counter i.e. mixed salads and delicatessen products. Our range covers some 800 product references, the flagship

  products of which are mixed salads, savoury meat pastries, dried products (hams) and pâtés. We are registering increasing sales of these products despite the general trend towards lower consumption. We have also been marking continuous 6.5% growth in annual sales on the trading floor. This explains why our sales policy is geared to top-of-the-range products only. Ninety-five percent of our customer base consists of retail customers in Paris and the Ile-de-France, mainly local butchers-charcutiers with a stringent list of requirements. These are people who listen very carefully to their customers needs, and who therefore require from us nothing less than the very best. We also supply a small number of restaurateurs and fishmongers (seafood terrines). We have two types of supplier: flagship national trade names and SMEs, even artisan-sized companies, capable of providing us with the traditional quality we seek. Competition is fierce on the present-day market and one sure way for companies to outpace their rivals is by the quality of their products. Overall, we sell a little over 900 tons of produce per year for a turnover of €4.5 M.

How do you see the future for your sector?
I am fairly confident that our business will continue to grow as we have seen a significant skimming of the trade over the last five years meaning that now only the serious contenders are still in the field. Quality was the primary basis for selection and is still the market's driving force. Furthermore, we operate in a fairly innovative sector that is always coming up with novel ideas for new products, such as by proposing new recipes designed to satisfy customers who must be constantly won over...

What do you think of Rungis Market?
For me, Rungis Market represents a childhood dream, and my father's dream as well. Above all, Rungis Market is a local hub distributing a wide range of high-quality products.
The Market provides us with an important synergy through our contact with a large number of customers. In addition, it is a traditional market located on a strategic axis, and which benefits from an exceptional logistics organisation. Rungis is a unique showcase and I just cannot imagine being anywhere else, especially since my eldest son is planning to join me in two or three years once he has completed his studies. He loves this business and all our charcuterie products.

Background
Born in Orsay (Essonne), Nicolas Ivancic started out in the business at the age of 18 years once he had completed his baccalaureate. He joined the family company located in the Senia zone, and then went on to create his own company in Orleans in 1992. After twelve years, he sold this company in order to buy Cantrel.
Having played ice hockey for many years, Nicolas Ivancic is currently an enthusiastic amateur rugby player.

Key figures

Workforce: 10 employees
Volumes: 900 tons
Turnover: €4.5 M
Jérôme Desmettre, CEO of Desmettre

CEO of Desmettre and a professional with extensive experience of the fruit and vegetable sector, Jérôme Desmettre has opted for a winning strategy - "specialist-discounter" …

"Just like our company, Rungis Market is increasingly becoming a market of professionals targeting a professional customer base…."

When was the company created?
Desmettre was originally a Flemish company trading in fruit and vegetables, created by my great-grandfather and passed down to his son Pierre, my grandfather, after the First World War. My grandfather used to trade at the markets and trading floors in Lille and Valenciennes. One of his sons, Georges, used to visit the major ports such as Le Havre, Nantes, Rotterdam, etc. once a week when the boats came in, in order to buy fruits from southern hemisphere countries. Even way back then, Desmettre had already made a name for itself by supplying out-of-season produce.

How did the company develop?
My father, Emile, ran Desmettre in Lomme (Nord), while his two older brothers set up at Rungis in 1971 under the name Pierre Desmettre et Fils. At the time, the company counted eight store openings on the trading floor and sold tomatoes and out-of-season products by the pallet load.
I arrived at Rungis at the age of 25 years, and started by selling out-of-season products over the phone. I then began selling on the trading floor, going on to work as a sales clerk, cashier, telephone clerk and administration clerk.
My uncle Adolphe retired in 1991, at which point my father took over as President and CEO of the Rungis store, and I became Director. In 1998, I bought out my father's and uncle's share of the business, the latter being the CEO of the Desmettre store in Lomme. In 1999, I became President and CEO of the whole company.
In 2001, we expanded the Lomme store and purchased three store openings from Fauchart, my neighbour at Rungis. The following year we purchased Poujade (eight store openings) at Rungis. In 2007, we continued the company's expansion by buying out Sodepa (three store openings), also at Rungis. This gave Desmettre Rungis a grand total of twenty-two store openings. Desmettre and Poujade merged in March 2008.

What is your development strategy?
We have a two-pronged development strategy. Firstly, "specialist-discounter" sales on the trading floor: a professional providing a service to other professionals. Secondly, over the last five years we have been developing a specific import activity that is quite separate from our business on the trading floor. In fact, we will soon be introducing new strands in our development strategy for the second key direction.
We import our products directly in order to avoid having to deal with middlemen. I know and have met every one of my producers the world over, and regularly travel in search of new contacts who can supply products of novel origins and varieties at market-adapted prices. For the last two years, we have been considering bridging the gap with upstream and production sectors.
Our product range is based on an "extra" standard quality (promoting product freshness, origin, taste, etc.).

   Do you have an export activity?
Six months ago we started developing an export activity targeting both the EU and Central Europe. Even though the Central European market is still fairly disorganised, we have now started sending goods shipments there. Export represents an important line of business development, especially given the new market opportunities that are opening up for us (with Asia and the Middle East) in terms of production and consumption.

In your opinion, what is the outlook for the fruit and vegetable market?
I remain optimistic as these products benefit from one very obvious fundamental quality. They are good for your health, and they taste good into the bargain. They also feature in the nutritional "plans" recommended by nutritionists and health authorities. Added to which, fruits and vegetables are best suited to meeting continuing consumer demand for better quality and better tasting foods. I genuinely believe in the retail trade, which is perfectly equipped to provide consumers with a food offer of better quality and greater diversity than that available in supermarkets and hypermarkets.

What do you think of Rungis Market?
Rungis Market is a skills-based market where operators are grouped into sectors, therefore enabling them to provide a wide range of produce tailored to current demand. Competition and emulation are fundamental ingredients of the drive to develop both the market and the wholesalers that work there. Just like our company, Rungis Market is increasingly becoming a market of professionals targeting a professional customer base.
We both have an excellent communications network and have both built up a solid reputation for the freshness and quality of our products. It is important to make sure people talk about this as it is a quality benchmark.
While considerable efforts have been made in a number of areas, more could be done to make extra space available at the back of the buildings, especially as far as unloading operations are concerned. Lastly, it's a shame that the wholesalers were not able to benefit from the move to open the company up to new shareholders.

Background
Jérôme Desmettre (43 years old) was born in Lille (Nord) and completed his studies there (Baccalaureate B - Economics and Social Studies followed by Business School). Following his national service in the cavalry, with the rank of Aspirant, he went to Spain and England to develop his language skills. Prior to joining the family business, he took a skills development course at the CFL (Fruit and Vegetable Centre) in Avignon. As an active player in the trade union sector and the working environment, Jérôme Desmettre is a member of CSCGFL (French Association of Fruit and Vegetable Wholesalers) and CSIF (French Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Importers).

Key figures

Workforce: 70 employees (distributed among the whole group)
Volumes: 60,000 tons of fruits and vegetables
Overall turnover: 45 million euros (€28 M for the trading floor and €17 M for import/export)
Flagship products: Tomatoes, citrus fruits, apples and pears
Customer base: 70% (retail), 30% (wholesalers, semi-wholesalers)
Michael Robart, manager of Orchidis Jardin

Michael Robart, the business-sharp manager of Orchidis Jardin, sticks closely to his golden rule: "do what you do, and do it well".

“Friendliness, professionalism, diversification: three good reasons to buy at Rungis”

 How did you become manager of the company?
When I left law school, I wanted to become a legal advisor, only I realized that I didn’t have the diplomacy skills needed… So I looked for the kind of career that would let me get more hands-on... I hesitated a while between restaurants and the chainstore sector, and eventually opted for chainstores, a sector I’ve been in for five years now. The company was a major DIY and garden centre retailer. However, I was still looking for a more mobile position, a position in marketing. That’s how i got to join Orchidis Jardin (ORganisation ChImie DIStribution), which is a subsidiary of the Brenntag Group. This chemicals trading specialist was headquartered at Rouen. It had three sites – Orleans, Cambrai, Villeneuve-le-Roi – and a warehouse at Rungis Market. They ran wholesale business in horticulture and garden products (plant protection agents, fertilizers, fungicides, etc.). I was recruited as director of the Rungis warehouse, although I had applied for a sales and marketing position. A year down the road, head office offered to let me buy into the Rungis warehouse, as they had decided to cut certain business outlets following restructuring to refocus on their core activity. So in March 1999, I took over the warehouse with a partner, and in 2002 I became outright CEO of Orchidis Jardin. My wife Yvonne works with me, she runs the back-office...

What is your product offering?
Our range is targeted towards the horticulture sector, more specifically the equipment and products side, excluding flowers and plants. We have between 5000 and 12,000 listed products depending on the season and climatic conditions. In fact, we make 70% of our turnover in the spring. Our flagship products include potting soil and pottery. We also sell soil improvers and treatments, plastic containers (with or without water reservoirs), plus tools, seed, grains and turf, bulbs, watering systems… and a whole lot more. We only sell manufactured goods. It is becoming clear that the products are becoming increasingly environment-friendly, that the trend is towards more natural, ‘organic’ products. We have entered the age of sustainable development… All things considered, the gardening market is holding steady, as customers are increasingly looking for turnkey product solutions. They don’t want constraints; they want to be left free to enjoy their garden as much as possible. This reason, combined with other factors, is why it has become difficult to operate as a multi-specialist.

  

How are you organized?
Our principle is to try to do what we do, and do it well. Just eleven years ago, we were dealing with an important customer category: seedsmen. However, seedmen, as a trade, are unfortunately on their way out. The vast majority of our current customer base (70%-80%) is made up of retail florists and landscape gardeners, which boils down to a thousand or so active customers and very few garden centres. We are on a fairly competitive market segment, and we have been forced to adapt our offerings. We are shifting towards more ‘deco’ products, particularly the most attractive Italian and Asia-sourced pottery. Sales volumes are tending to slip a little, pushing us to refocus on our core activity. This means we are increasingly running stock rotation, working more and more to just-in-time logistics flows. We are currently operating with 40% less stock than a decade ago. This is why we regularly destock certain product ranges. Nowadays, our business sector pushes us to resource and renew our products, improve our management systems, and be even more stringent than before.

What is your perception of Rungis Market?
I see Rungis market as very important, as a forefront hub. We admittedly take advantage of the fact that customers are passing through Rungis and its cut and potted flower sectors. I simply don’t think my business could be without the C1 pavilion and the operators I work there with. We are part of a group that works in synergy, with complementarity. We work with intelligence, sending each other customers. The aim, at the end of the day, is to make sure customers are satisfied so they come back to Rungis, because Rungis Market is at prerequisite to the very existence of my company and its future development. Friendliness, professionalism, diversification, that’s three good reasons to buy at Rungis”.

Background

Michael Robart (39 years old) was born in Béthune (Pas-de-Calais), and his parents were teachers employed at the Alliance Française. He spent the first 18 years of his life living abroad: Canada, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Argentina... It was in Argentina (at a French high school) where he passed his baccalaureate. When he returned to France, he obtained a vocational diploma in international trade before heading for ‘uni’, where he left with a double Masters degree in law and a postgraduate certificate in political science. He switched from becoming a legal advisor and dived into the world of commerce…


Key figures


Staff : 7 employees
Product ranges : 5000 to 12,000 listed references
Customer base : one thousand, 80% of which are florists and landscape gardeners
Eric Payen , Director of Sodifrais

Director of Sodifrais, Eric Payen is a recognised specialist in the export sector and quality products…

"Rungis enjoys a strong regional identity and is famed for its quality"

Can you tell us something about your company's business and origins?
We are an independent company specialising in large-scale exports, particularly supplies of top-of-the-range fresh produce for gourmet grocers and supermarkets on a worldwide scale. We are an exclusive air supply provider of the group Mercure International of Monaco for its fresh produce distribution segment throughout West Africa (Senegal, Congo, Cameroon, Gabon, Ivory Coast). This segment covers three hypermarkets, a number of supermarkets and some thirty-odd other large stores. Mercure International of Monaco is a Monaco-based group that deals in two lines of distribution - food products and sports articles.
We subcontract our logistics services, including goods pick-ups, to SDV to enable us to focus on our core business area - the purchase and sale of fresh produce, as well as on communications with a broad customer base that, in addition to West Africa, includes Asia (exclusive stores in Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok), the Middle East and, since 2001, the Near East, particularly the United Arab Emirates.
We also have contractual engagements with the stores we serve, i.e. the former stores of the West African Trading House (SCOA). We took over the former fresh produce supply organisation from a subsidiary of the Arcor group which was based in the Senia area at the time. We also have some limited business dealings in the hotel-restaurant sector.

Can you tell us about your product list?
We only deal in products that have been through a strict selection process. We sell standard products like creams and butters, fruits and vegetables, charcuterie, etc. and also high-end products such as foie gras, caviar, smoked salmon, etc., in addition to a certain number of gourmet grocer products. Our business focus is fresh quality produce from France (label, regional, organic, AOC, etc.) and Europe (cheese, charcuterie, delicatessen products, dishes and desserts, etc.). We sell a little over 100 tonnes per month, half of which goes to West Africa, the remainder being shipped worldwide. Eighty-five percent of our produce is shipped by plane and fifteen percent by ocean-going freight. We sell traditional products such as poultry, fresh seafood, fruits and vegetables (20%), cheeses (30%), plus a diverse range of dairy products such as yoghurt, ultra-fresh dairy produce, butter, desserts (20%), charcuterie and delicatessen products (20%) and gourmet delicatessen products (10%).

How would you describe your customer base?
Our customers include supermarkets, retail stores and gourmet grocers whose own customers are buyers with high purchasing power (expatriate families, business executives, retailers, local gentry). Our sales

  

policy is to provide a comprehensive service that fully meets our customers' needs by selecting a certain number of ranges of the highest quality products, identifying any new trends likely to interest their own customers through varied collections of festive, label, regional and seasonal products, and also by organising promotional events showcasing a select range of products such as wine shows and tours of certain manufacturers and suppliers i.e. major Paris delicatessens, fresh produce markets, or even oyster parks and other production locations.

How do you see your sector developing?
The future for the shipping business lies in strengthening its professionalism. Leaving business concentration aside, it is obvious that we are moving towards greater specialisation via an increasingly niche-centred approach. We may also see some pooling or segmentation of the destinations, products and customer bases in each business area. We have chosen to dedicate ourselves to being generalists. However, to ensure success as a large-scale exporter means having to ensure impeccable product quality, competitive delivery costs, sound knowledge of customer countries, and products and, especially, of the rapidly changing regulations that vary widely from one country to the next, and to which we will continually have to adapt.

What do you think about Rungis Market?
For an exporter, Rungis is a prestigious name of worldwide renown. This gives us a considerable edge in logistics terms, as well in terms of supplies of fruit, vegetables, fresh seafood, creamery produce, delicatessen and foreign specialities, etc. Our purchase volumes of all these products taken together tops 30%, mainly in fruits and vegetables (salads, fruits, fresh herbs, etc.). Our only concern would be that Rungis is still too focused on the traditional markets of Paris and the rest of France.

Background
Born in the Nantes region, Eric Payen (51 years old) is the son of a surveyor. He spent part of his adolescence in Algeria where he completed a baccalaureate in economy and social sciences, followed by a degree in management. Back in Aix en Provence, he obtained a post-graduate degree (special option: internal audits, finances and management). He completed his military service in Hong Kong through the partnership that led to his being recruited by the SCOA (West Africa Trading House), which specialised in the distribution and management of foreign supermarkets. He took over as director of Sodifrais in 1995 (which took over the former 'Etablissements Papet', at that time controlled by a subsidiary of the Accor Group).

Key figures
Staff: 9

Customer base: hypermarkets, supermarkets, large stores, gourmet grocers (West Africa, Asia, Near and Middle East)

Turnover 9 million euros (up 45% in three years).
Michel Lemeunier , Director of Perez-Lemeunier

Director of Perez-Lemeunier, a well-known name in the fruit and vegetable sector, Michel Lemeunier steers the reputation and staying power of his company with a steady and highly-professional hand.

"Rungis, the fruit of a dedication to quality"

How was your company first established?
Having learned the trade from his parents who worked as retail merchants at the Paris markets, my father set up at Rungis Market with my mother Yvonne, herself daughter of fruit and vegetable traders at the Halles de Paris. He then bought the Pascual company, specialising in apples, pears, strawberries, cherries, melons, etc. His next step was to form a partnership with Mr Raymond to create the company Raymond - Lemeunier which came to Rungis in 1969. My father separated from his business partner in 1972 and bought the Chastagnier firm in 1974. It was at this period that I joined the family business as my father needed my help. He retired in 1987 and I continued to work alone until 1997 when I and my neighbour Mr Jesus Llusar, director of Perez who was preparing his retirement, decided to merge our two companies. The company therefore became Perez-Lemeunier - exclusive distributor of the Spanish citrus fruit brands "Toi et Moi" and "La Violette".

How did the company develop?
Being of a fairly independent frame of mind, I asked my father to give me free rein in developing the departments, guiding the company towards high-end products and building up a customer base with a strong attachment to these products. However, this meant that we eventually gained a level of quality that did not quite match the overall demand. I therefore reviewed the situation with my suppliers and asked them to slightly modify their working methods; many of them also accepted to review their tariffs. Thus, we were able to maintain a high-end customer base while still developing our sales volumes.

Which products do you sell?
We sell around 6,000 tonnes of fruit, evenly sourced in France and Spain, which breaks down as 4,000 tonnes of citrus fruits, 1,000 tonnes of apples and pears and 1,000 tonnes of miscellaneous fruits such as cherries, grapes, apricots, strawberries and so on. We provide the same range of produce all year round, including Perlim brand apples. Our flagship products are citrus fruits (clementines, oranges), cherries, grapes (chasselas from Moissac and muscat from Ventoux), apples and pears. We serve Cours des Halles in Paris, various markets in Paris and its suburbs, some markets in the petite province (in the vicinity of the capital) and provincial wholesalers who distribute the "Toi et Moi" and "La Violette" brands. This represents 70% of standard sales and 30% of wholesale (excluding Rungis). We took advantage of the switch to the euro to develop products that had not previously interested consumers. Fruit prices are perfectly justified given their quality.

 

In your opinion, what is the outlook for the fruit and vegetable market?
Overall, consumption has fallen by about 30%-40% over the last ten years. However, the sector still lacks the means necessary to communicate effectively enough to curb the power of the major agro-food groups. We need to build up a more dynamic approach to showcasing our products. Supermarkets and hypermarkets currently capture 70% of the market against 30% for wholesale traders. I remain optimistic, but producers must be encouraged to develop a real expertise in taste. Our customers are demanding because consumers are very choosy about what they buy. We must avoid making products too commonplace as that would only lower the market. As such, wholesalers represent a genuine trade skill and are absolutely vital to the distribution circuit where their expertise is important to ensuring the best product is offered at the best price. Kiwis and other exotic products were introduced to and made popular with consumers through wholesaler traders.

What do you think about Rungis Market?
It is still the world's largest market for fresh produce. The quality of the products combined with their sales volumes attracts a customer base found nowhere else. Despite this, there is a growing tendency to rely more on stocks and work less to tight flows. It is absolutely essential that we restore our former energy and drive. Our work tool means we are able to procure the freshest possible produce and secure very fast stock rotation times. Rungis, the fruit of a dedication to quality… is a reality that must last.

Background
Born in Paris (15e), 57 year-old Alain Mottier is son and grandson of fruit and vegetable wholesalers. He studied at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Paris (Advencia) and started his professional career at IBM before joining the family business 1974 as manager of the fruit and vegetable packaging centre. Following the purchase of the Chastagnier firm in 1974 and his father's retirement in 1987, Michel Lemeunier decided to amalgamate his business with that of his neighbour, Mr Jesus Llusar, director of Perez; in 1997, the company was reborn as Perez-Lemeunier. He currently co-directs the company with Isabelle Dalsoglio, the daughter of Mr Llusar.
Administrator at CSCGFL (wholesalers association at Rungis Market) for several years now, in 1995 Michel Lemeunier received the Nef d’Or, which is awarded by the CCIP to companies demonstrating high performance. He is also a member of the "Confrérie des cerises du Mont-de-Venasque et des melons du Haut-Poitou".

Key figures

Staff : 10 employees
Sales offer: 6,000 tonnes of fruit per year
Customer base : Retailers and markets (Paris, Paris region, 'petite province' and provincial wholesalers).
Turnover : 11 million euros
Philippe Halter , Amouroux company

Philippe Halter runs Amouroux, a well-known company at the Fresh Seafood Pavilion. An enthusiastic professional, he weighs anchor each day to throw his nets over a choice range of the highest quality products…

"Rungis has to keep on course for quality…"

How did you get started in this business?
I was already in my thirties when I started at the Fresh Seafood sector, working my way up from assistant, to assistant-salesperson and finally to salesperson, for a company that closed down several years ago. In fact, I had two jobs at the same time. I worked days as a chiropodist, a profession I had already practised for twelve years, and nights at Rungis Market, starting at midnight. It was a difficult time that saw me regularly working up to twenty hours a day, but, nevertheless, it gave me the means to satisfy my passion and taste for seafood products.

When did you become managing director of Amouroux?
Amouroux was created in the 1950s, by a Mr René Amouroux at the Halles de Paris, and had a good reputation even way back then. The company followed the transfer to Rungis where it offered a range of excellent products such as sea bass, sole, cod, red mullet, etc. together with some langoustine. At the time though, the company supplied retail fishmongers only.
Things changed in 1991 when Mr René Amouroux decided to retire and, due to his appreciation of my expertise and professionalism, offered me the opportunity to buy his company. After some thought, I accepted, starting out with just one cashier and one salesperson, Pascal, who already worked there and has since become my trusted right-hand man. The company currently has a fifteen-strong workforce.

How has the company developed?
While holding on to our pool of retail fishmongers, I also developed and diversified our customer base to include the catering sector in general, with a roll-call of a few famous names (Pavillon Ledoyen, Ritz, Bristol, Leduc, etc.), plus charcutiers-delicatessens and semi-wholesalers.
I have loved the catering business ever since having worked in the family restaurant when I was very young; I find it easy to speak with chefs and restaurateurs because I understand their job and their requirements.
I also created a broader and more comprehensive range, including fish, crustaceans, shellfish and cured meats to cater to the needs of all our customers. I often like to make the rather tongue-in-cheek remark that any customer leaving our shop should be perfectly "dressed".
At the same time, our association with the company La Pêcherie des Lilas means we can also offer a certain number of services such as filleting. Run by Nadine Guéricher, La Pêcherie des Lilas has the Pavilion's largest approved food laboratory.

 

We prefer to trade in French fishing products from Brittany, Normandy and Vendée, which represent 75% of our product base. This mainly includes top-range products, sought after by our customers. You can't really go wrong when you choose to work only with quality products, but, this also means you have to be reliable and motivated, stay aware of what's going on, and be highly proficient at the job. We have a panel of some three hundred carefully selected suppliers that means we are always able to source the very best quality products. Our flagship products, all wild, are sea bass, turbot, large langoustines, lobster, and many others.

What does the future hold for the fresh seafood market?
I remain fairly optimistic about the future of the fresh seafood market, despite the sharp and continuous fall-off in fishery resource levels. This is becoming ever more complicated to manage, and consequently, ensuring regular supplies is also becoming more difficult to control. To succeed, you have to base your work ethic on a thorough, reliable approach, coupled with solid professional expertise. When the resource goes down, prices go up along with customers' requirements.
There are a number of other limiting factors such as unpredictable weather conditions, or even the multiplicity of often contradictory regulations that are making it increasingly difficult to work in our business.

What is your opinion of Rungis Market?
Rungis Market is without a doubt the best food market in the whole of Europe. This market brings together all the very best quality products, and literally has something for everyone. It is a superb showcase, and it is absolutely essential to maintain its reputation for quality as we should always strive to choose quality over quantity. To maintain its reputation, Rungis has to maintain its focus on quality.

Profile
Born in Paris, in the 13e arrondissement (Rue de Rungis, no less!), Philippe Halter (56 years old) is the youngest of a family of three children. His parents ran a restaurant called "Ohé-Ohé !" in Saint-Maur des Fossés (Val-de-Marne). Not being particularly interested in scho