Provence Producteur produces and sells eight varieties of salads including conventional and organic red lettuce. While last year’s campaign was characterized by low consumption and an abundant offer, the situation seems to be reversed this year. “The last season was very difficult for us producers. Consumption was very bad so we ended up with large volumes and no buyers,” explains Charly Rabattu, director of Provence Producteur. “This year, the situation is reversed. The producers have planted less, but the consumption levels are good, which means that prices are very good.”
The red lettuce season starts every year around the 15th of October and ends in late April. “We start the campaign just as the offer from the other production basins gets low. In the winter, north of Montélimar, especially in Île-de-France, it is more difficult to grow salads. But in the Provence region, the climate is milder and we benefit from the Mistral wind which cleans up the crops. This allows us to also export our salads to England, Germany and Switzerland where salad production in the winter is more limited as well.”
Besides these 7 million salad heads, all varieties combined, Provence Producteur also cultivates butternut and broccoli. In France and for export, the company offers its organic, Global Gap, GRASP, HEV and IFS certified production to small retailers as well as supermarkets.
For more information:
Charly Rabattu
Provence Producteur
[email protected]
