One of the goals of our initiative is to promote our grain community by leveraging our agronomic expertise and developing our integrated supply chains Link by GMP.
Since 2020, we have been organizing"Les Routes des blés" to help our customers (re)discover the journey of wheat—from cultivation to its transformation into flour and then into bread—by taking them to the heart of our partners’ farms.
This year, ourinternational, industrial, andkey account clients had the opportunity to enjoy a special occasion for networking, discussion, and collaboration with key players in the wheat-flour-bread industry.
French expertise: a key asset on the global stage
For our client Central Milling, an American milling partner with whom we developed the “Liberté” flour as a co-branded product, meeting French farmers and learning from our French baking expertise is a real asset for continuing to grow its market share.
On June 6, the Central Milling teams were able to visit a test plot in Somme-Vesle (51) with a VIVESCIA agronomist.
The tour of our facilities continued with a visit to ourmill inParis-Gennevilliers, followed by a visitto the Paris School of Baking and Pastry.
This was an opportunity for our client to take part in a hands-on workshop with Vincent Mathieu (International Manager for the U.S., French Overseas Departments and Territories, and the Middle East) to showcase our flours and miller’s mixes available in the international product line.
On June 14 and 15, the export team then brought togetherfive other international clients forasecond“Wheat Tour” featuring a packed schedule, which helped strengthen the close relationships we maintain on a daily basis with all our partners.
Ecomab, Maroc Dessert, Sweat Wheat Bakery, ABS Barhain, and Bateel met with VIVESCIA farmers at a test plot in Tagnon, accompanied by a VIVESCIA agronomist.
The tour continued with a visit to ourmill in Reims.
Raising awareness of agronomic issues to ensure high-quality flour
On May 25, we invited five representatives from the food company“Les Ateliers du Goût,” a manufacturer of frozen and fresh products, to the grounds of our partner cooperative, Terre Atlantique, in Aigrefeuille d’Aunis (17).
This is an opportunity for customers to learn more about key topics such as the wheat growth cycle (from seed to harvest), major wheat diseases, food safety risks, field trials, variety selection, and industry initiatives.
The day continued with a tour of ourSurgères mill led bythe site manager. It was an informative way to deepen our understanding of the processes involved in making our flours, the production methods for puff pastry flour, and our wheat procurement policy, as well as to discuss our supply chain approach, which is specifically tailored to their needs.
On June 6, it was our clientDomino’s’turn to visit theValfrance cooperative’s testing facility in Villeroy (77), followed by a silo in Houssaye-en-Brie (77). The day concluded with a tour of ourmill in Verneuil.
This meeting provided an opportunity to highlight the cooperative, wheat variety trials, the wheat growth cycle, the current status of the crops, the context and production costs of wheat for the storage organization, and the process of manufacturing our flours at our production facility.
On June 7, 17 buyers from various regions around the world—including Italy, Turkey, and the United States—were welcomed to ourmill in Surgères. The goal of the day was to introduce them to the organization of our supply chain and the partnership between Terre Atlantique and Grands Moulins de Paris for the cultivation of wheat and the production of flour for100% Mie Harrys bread.
They were able to tour a test plot alongside a farmer, followed by a storage silo. The silo manager had prepared samples of the various products stored there.
We then presented the grain handling process (separation, cleaning, ventilation, etc.) and the collaboration between the storage facility and us in blending different batches. The clients were even able to watch a truck being loaded with wheat bound for the mill.
Finally, the clients toured our mill in Surgères and participated in a workshop to learn about milled products. The day concluded in the laboratory with a demonstration of the alveograph.
Finally, on June 15, the director of the“Au pain de mon Grand-Père”bakery chain met with a VIVESCIA farmer in Janvilliers and toured a test plot.
This meeting helped raise our client’s awareness of the challenges faced by farmers and provided insight into the importance of variety selection and crop rotation practices for flour quality.
For the second part of the day, we took our client to Reims for a comprehensive tour of our facility, including the newsourdough workshop.
This day highlighted the strong relationship between us and VIVESCIA and underscored one of our key priorities: local sourcing.
Our clients greatly enjoyed these eventful and enriching days. A big congratulations to everyone who helped organize and participate in these events.
Coming soon: the video recap!
