Our Commitment to a Sustainable Future
86% of French people have high expectations regarding information about the products they buy*, and 89% say they prefer products from their region**. That is why we have implemented numerous initiatives to reduce our environmental footprint, as outlined in our“A TABLE!” initiative.
One aspect of our commitment— contributing to a healthier future —includes, among other things, the transportation of our raw material: wheat. To transport wheat to all our mills, we prioritize eco-friendly transportation whenever possible: by barge, train, or via a conveyor belt that connects the wheat silo directly to the mill. Our wheat comes exclusively from France.
Transporting wheat by barge to our mill in Paris-Gennevilliers
Our mill in Gennevilliers, Paris, is the closest to the Eiffel Tower! Just 7 kilometers from the outskirts of Paris, this mill has the advantage of being located on the banks of the Seine.
Thanks to this location, since the mill was established in 1996, two-thirds of the wheat has been delivered by barge. Most of this wheat is grown within a 125-kilometer radius and comes primarily from the Île-de-France region via the Seine, Yonne, Marne, and Oise rivers…
We had the opportunity to meet Sébastien Picaud, the captain of the Capricieux, and Mr. and Mrs. Maingault, the captains of the Pen Duick. They have been supplying us with wheat by barge for many years. They are deeply passionate about their boats and share a strong commitment to the environment.
“We started working for Grands Moulins de Paris in the 2000s, and since things went so well, we’ve kept at it. Today we have a very good relationship with Grands Moulins de Paris; they can always count on us,” said JasmineMaingault,a boatwoman on the Pen-Duick.
Transporting wheat by barge: how does it work?
The job of a boatman involves transporting goods from point A to point B by water.
Barges can be resupplied in two different ways:
• The boats are loaded from silos located along the Seine, which are supplied by trucks.
• The ships are loaded directly by trucks that have picked up the wheat from silos located inland.
Regardless of the type of shipment, loading is always supervised by an inspector who analyzes the quality of the wheat and inspects the cargo as it is being loaded.
Certain requirements must also be met in order to transport wheat, a food commodity: the hold must be clean, sanitary, and dry, and the ship must be covered to protect the wheat from the elements and dust. Loading and unloading must also take place in dry conditions, when it is not raining.
Once in Gennevilliers, unloading is done using the Vigan, a kind of large vacuum that sucks the wheat directly from the barge’s hold and feeds it into the mill.
Both loading and unloading take several hours.
Transporting wheat by barge: an eco-friendly mode of transport
“Today, it’s very important to take action for the environment. As a boatman, I see firsthand the impact on nature and the changes over the years: floods are becoming more frequent, and the water is rising higher and higher…” Sébastien Picaud, boatman on the Capricieux.
We have chosen to prioritize shipping by boat because it allows us to ensure a reliable supply chain while adopting an eco-friendly approach. In fact, depending on its size, a barge can replace the equivalent of 10 trucks on the road, thereby reducing the pollution caused by road transport.
* (Source: Opinion Way and Ifop 2018)
** (Source: Kantar 2020)
