RESPONSIBLE PURCHASING
We believe that great desserts start with ethically sourced ingredients that meet our criteria for corporate social responsibility. Our responsible purchasing policy reflects our commitment, awareness and willingness to understand and manage our supply chain while ensuring fair practices and respect for human and environmental rights. That's why all of our purchasers receive training in responsible purchasing.
Ensuring a sustainable and responsible supply chain:
Our use of materials and ingredients varies according to availability and environmental impact. We are working hard to define our precise requirements to reduce waste and ensure a balance between our economic and environmental interests. We work in close collaboration with our committed suppliers in the egg, dairy, wheat, chocolate and apple industries to support sound agricultural practices and respect animal welfare as we believe this leads to higher-quality end products. Where a category of raw materials has associated social risks, particularly in instances of animal- or plant-based ingredients, we ensure the appropriate monitoring and safeguards are put in place.
We select our vendors and service providers using the following criteria: quality, security of supply, social and environmental standards, and cost. We are committed, wherever possible, to long-term collaborations with our suppliers. The majority of our contracts are for a period of at least one year.
Fresh Egg :
Our pastries are prepared using fresh egg. Our Maidenhead site in the UK already sources 100% of its egg from free-range producers.
We endeavour to engage in long-term partnerships with our suppliers, processors, egg-breaking plants, egg producers or cooperatives, and feed suppliers, with whom we engage in contracts of up to three years. We require a guarantee of non-GMO feed and 100% recycling of poultry manure for use in fertiliser.
By 2025, we aim to source 100% of our egg from alternative (cage-free) producers, in line with client commitments and in collaboration with our suppliers.
Fresh Milk, Cream, Butter :
Our French sites use fresh, local milk sourced from dairies within close proximity to our production sites. The majority of the Group's supply comes from the Charente region in France. Our suppliers comply with recognized standards, including the charter of good agricultural practices created by the National Cattle Federation and the National Federation of Milk Producers in France. Our butter is derived directly from cream and we purchase summer or winter butter depending on the season.
Local Flour, Beet Sugar :
We aim to buy flour produced using local wheat, grown within 250 km of our production sites. All of the sweet pastry produced at our Dordogne site is manufactured using wheat from the Périgord region. Our Weert site in the Netherlands also uses local flour. The sugar used in our recipes is mainly derived from sugar beets grown in England, or in Northern France for our sites in France.
We also encourage our suppliers to reduce their use of crop protection products. Specialised tests for contaminants have been implemented at our sites and results are carefully monitored.
Chocolate From Sustainable Trade Practices :
We source our chocolate from suppliers who are committed to a socially responsible corporate approach. This guarantees a high-quality cocoa that results from a production process that attempts to minimalize its impact on climate change and follows a model of sustainable and profitable production for producers. 15% of our supply is currently UTZ-certified.
Promoting Environmentally Friendly Packaging and Eco-Design :
We choose mono-material packaging and recyclable plastics like PET (polyethylene terephthalate). For cardboard packaging, we strive to offer our clients a choice of recycled materials.
From the outset, we aim to adapt the primary function of all of our packaging to its aesthetic, legal and communicational functions. To this end, we only work with partners who are committed to enforcing environmental regulations and who are proactive in this respect. In the same way that our factories are IFS/BRC-certified, we give priority to partners with strategic certifications in their sectors.
We take care to ensure the food safety of each component in our packaging that comes in direct contact with our products. Our purchasers are sensitive to the evolution of materials and attentive to new developments in the market.
Ensuring ethical business practices :
Our purchasing team engages in ethical business practices and transactions and is committed to fighting corruption, ensuring fair competition, and providing visibility to suppliers.
We avoid situations where monopolies might occur and give suppliers and service providers the opportunity to challenge decisions through a board of appeal, if necessary.
Our purchasing team remain open to dialogue and attentive to supplier innovation with respect to new raw materials, technologies and equipment.
