Chez les Producteurs

10/2016

This collective outlet was born in 2015 from the minds of farmers from the Aix Marseille Provence Metropolis, with the support of CETA Pays d’Aubagne (Centre for Agricultural Technical Studies). After one year of continuous work of the farmers, and thanks to the support of local authorities and CETA to launch a market research study and look for funding, the collective outlet was opened in Aubagne. Today, it brings together 26 local producers who manage it themselves.

Contact details

Legal framework & Budget

An association was created in 2016, chaired by Bruno Knipping, an organic market gardener from Aubagne. It received grants worth € 15,000 from Aix Marseille Provence Metropole, SUD Region and Bouches-du-Rhône Department to start the project. Today, it works autonomously. A portion of each producer’s sales is used to pay the rent, bank charges and the 2 employees’ wages.

Activities

Chez Les Producteurs is a collective outlet managed by farmers, with the support of 2 employees. It offers a wide range of products, all organic or environmentally friendly: fruits and vegetables, fish and meat, sheep and goat dairy products, wine, beer or bread. They are sold at farm-gate prices by an external employee, with at least one farmer every day. Most producers belong to the “Jardins du Pays d’Aubagne” brand. It contributes to democratising the consumption of local, seasonal and quality food through direct contact between consumers and producers as well as awareness campaigns. The outlet also has a social role to strengthen the local community of farmers.

>Innovation & Outcomes

Thanks to cooperation and public support, local farmers have developed a new model for food distribution that combines economic values with a collective dimension. Farmers’ self-organisation, with steady support and supervision of CETA Pays d’Aubagne, has generated yearly revenues five times higher than expected, attracting more and more producers (from 16 to 26 today).