Terrena’s new French poultry firm focuses on growth

Following the takeover of one of the country’s top poultry companies, French cooperative, Terrena, has relaunched its poultry division under the name, Galliance, with the view to regain market share, both at home and in export markets.

Photo by Andrea Gantz
Photo by Andrea Gantz

Following the takeover of one of the country’s top poultry companies, French cooperative, Terrena, has relaunched its poultry division under the name, Galliance, with the view to regain market share, both at home and in export markets.

Terrena took on troubled poultry firm, Doux Group, earlier this year, and brought it together with its own Gastronome business to form its Poultry Division. The new entity, Galliance, aims to regain the domestic market and to export French quality internationally, the company says.

Combining the two poultry businesses will put Galliance in second place on the French market – behind LDC - and make it the country’s top poultry meat exporter. Terrena also justified the move by saying it will help promote the image of France internationally as a trademark of unique know-how, as well as giving a new platform for the reputation of the nation’s poultry breeders for quality products produced to market requirements.

With an annual revenue of EUR1.3 billion (US$1.37 billion), Galliance has 1,400 farmer-members and 6,000 employees. It will maintain four divisions, covering fresh chicken meat, processed products, turkey and exports. The latter will retain its identity as Doux S.A.

Terrena to boost Père Dodu brand

Previously, Terrena announced investments of EUR50 million (US$53 million) annually for the next three years. It has announced plans to construct a new slaughterhouse in Ancenis in the department of Loire-Atlantique in western France as well as developing new products for export. It also aims to boost the profile of its Père Dodu brand of processed and chilled raw products in French supermarkets.

“In a particularly difficult environment for the agricultural world, we want to invest to provide sustainable opportunities for our producers,” said Terrena’s president, Hubert Garaud. “We want to build through innovation and quality, a creative poultry value chain, able to defend the positions of French poultry producers on the European and world market.”

Centred in western France, Terrena is a leading player in agriculture and agribusiness. In 2015, it had an annual revenue of EUR5 billion (US$5.3 billion), 14,000 employees and 22,000 members. According to the company, Père Dodu is currently the top brand in fresh breaded processed products in French supermarkets and restaurants, it is second in the fresh poultry sector with a market share of 15 percent, and its turkey division is also at number two with a share of 11 percent. Poultry exports of EUR430 million (US$456 million) put the company at number 3 worldwide last year.

Page 1 of 33
Next Page