On the occasion of the 2022 International Agricultural Show, the VIVESCIA Cooperative Group and the French Federation of Food Banks signed a three-year partnership agreement aimed at meeting the annual Francine flour needs of food-insecure populations in the territories covered by the VIVESCIA Cooperative, including the departments of Marne, Aube, Ardennes, Meuse, and Haute-Marne.
Signing of the partnership agreement at the Salon de l’Agriculture in the presence of Christoph Büren, President of VIVESCIA, and
Claude Baland, President of the French Federation of Food Banks.
A natural partnership that follows several concrete initiatives carried out in 2020 and 2021
In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, aware of the hardships caused by the first lockdown for the most vulnerable members of society and out of a sense of solidarity with its local community, VIVESCIA decided to launch a campaign to distribute Francine flour free of charge. In total, more than 8 tons of Francine flour were distributed to humanitarian organizations, notably the Marne Food Bank, throughout the Cooperative’s territory.
As part of the 2021 Châlons-en-Champagne Fair, spearheaded by the association “Les Agriculteurs ont du cœur!”, VIVESCIA also stepped up to address the growing needs of food banks by organizing a campaign to collect as many pledges of wheat donations as possible from its member farmers: a commitment by the VIVESCIA Cooperative and its milling company Grands Moulins de Paris through its Reims facility, which made it possible to donate 11,000 packages of Francine flour to the Marne Food Bank.
Building on these various initiatives and recognizing the needs of food banks, the VIVESCIA Group wanted to take things a step further to ensure that this commendable effort—which mobilizes cooperative farmers and demonstrates the solidarity of its businesses—is sustained over the long term and expanded to other departments within its cooperative territory.
Launching a local, community-driven solidarity initiative called VIVESCIA to support the regional food banks!
“It’s a matter of nutritional balance,” explains Claude Baland, President of the French Federation of Food Banks, “especially since flour is an essential item in high demand among the families we serve. And it will come from the very region where these people live. It’s a wonderful example of solidarity at the local level.”
Christoph Büren, Chairman of the VIVESCIA Group, said: “This partnership is a concrete expression of the cooperative, human, solidarity-based, and responsible values that have defined the Group for 100 years—values shared by the 10,000 farmer-members who own the VIVESCIA Group and its employees. It reflects a deep commitment and close connection to the regions and their residents.”
This partnership will help sustain the spirit of solidarity, which began in 2021, for the next three years, with an annual collective challenge for VIVESCIA farmers and employees: 70 tons of wheat donations, 50 tons of flour donations—equivalent to 50,000 1-kg packages of Francine flour —to the Food Banks in the departments of Marne, Ardennes, Aube, Haute-Marne, and Meuse. These donations will cover the annual flour needs of the Food Banks in each of these departments. A powerful gesture of solidarity from the entire VIVESCIA supply chain to address a major need: grain products, essential for proper daily nutrition, account for 29% of the food distributed by Food Banks. Through this partnership, they are moving a step closer to their goal of providing varied, high-quality… and local food aid.
