Agri-food is the biggest French manufacturing sector in terms of jobs (employing 436,000 FTEs in 2019) and turnover (nearly €200 billion in 2019). It is driven by more than 16,400 companies that represent real export power, given that agricultural and agri-food products recorded a trade surplus of €8 billion in 2021, 109% of their pre-COVID levels.
With global turnover worth $930 billion in 2021, the dairy products and eggs segment came in fourth, after confectionery and snacks at the top ($1.47 trillion), bread and cereal products ($1.12 trillion) and meat (also $1.12 trillion). If we take a closer look, we can see an upswing in the consumption of eggs, with 91% of the French population consuming them at least once a week (compared to 84% in 2019). In this context of rising demand and heightened consumer expectations, the identification of trusted suppliers has become a major issue for agri-food sectors.
Agri-food manufacturers pursuing trustworthy suppliers
The agri-food industry is very sensitive to the question of purchasing. For these manufacturers, surrounding themselves with trusted partners is a matter of necessity, in order to preserve the quality and longevity of their products.
From farm to table, traceability has taken on special importance. Traceability is what guarantees the quality of finished products, providing proof of their origins, compliance with specifications, time between harvesting, processing and consumption, etc. In addition, agri-food businesses require continuous supplies to keep their activities up and running, especially when it comes to perishables. As a result, the quality strategy implemented by their partners is decisive to ensuring the necessary availability over time.
Further, production conditions also factor into the choices made by customers purchasing finished goods, whether those customers are restaurateurs, distributors or members of the general public. Suppliers that are committed to improving their practices, for example by making the move to organic farming or enhancing animal welfare, are becoming more and more of a must for any company that wants to be able to satisfy societal expectations.
Cocotine for high quality egg products
Since Cocotine was first founded, the co-operative has positioned itself as a trusted supplier of agri-food businesses. Our 230 member farmers work hard every day to produce high quality eggs. Processed at one of six production plants spread across France, Cocotine meets the highest standards of traceability, ensuring our provision of high quality French egg products.
As a co-operative brand with an integrated value chain, Cocotine is able to manage the entire production chain, from chicken farming to the delivery of our egg products, with end-to-end visibility of the production cycle. The absence of any middlemen also improves traceability, as demonstrated by our methods and certifications, including ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000 (food safety management), BRC (British Retail Consortium) and more.
Our understanding of industrial needs led us to develop tried and tested processes capable of supplying large quantities of egg products, particularly liquid egg.
Our commitment to animal welfare can be seen in our planned elimination of Code 3 (caged) eggs and by our partnership with the NGO Welfarm, which aims to improve our chickens’ living conditions (special arrangements and equipment, winter gardens, ability to engage in natural behaviour, and so on). In turn, food processors can promote all these commitments to their own customer bases.
Aside from agri-food businesses, Cocotine also supplies egg products tailored to the day-to-day needs of commercial restaurants and institutional caterers.