News

A unique collaboration with high added value

 Halle/Ruiselede, 6 July 2018 - BioVar.be, Delavi and Colruyt Group are launching a 100% Belgian biological pork chain. With this innovative collaboration, the partners want to provide a solution to the ever growing demand for biological pork and to deploy local workmanship, showing respect for animal welfare and the environment. BioVar.be will take care of rearing biologically farmed pigs and Delavi will be responsible for coordinating transport, slaughter and slicing. Colruyt Group undertakes to buy pigs in exclusivity, the meat of which will be sold initially in Colruyt Lowest Prices and Bio-Planet stores from the summer of 2019. The three partners want to play a pioneering role in offering tasty, top-quality and sustainable agri-food products by bringing the producer closer to the end consumer. Last Wednesday, the first sows were reared in a brand new sty and the project can officially begin.

 Expertise for the customers’ benefit

The aim of this collaboration is to launch a chain for biological pork of Belgian origin through a transparent model of cooperation in which each partner contributes his own expertise. BioVar.be, with considerable experience in supporting pig farmers and in pig rearing itself through its sister company Hapro, converted one of the existing pig holdings into a specialist stall dedicated to biological production. The pigs that come from this chain are brought to Delavi via the slaughterhouse authorised locally to that effect. Delavi, whose slicing hall meets the requirements for biological certification, will process and transport the meat. Colruyt Group then undertakes to buy the pigs. This meat will initially be sold in Colruyt Lowest Prices and Bio-Planet stores.

Transparent collaboration

Colruyt Group has already set up similar forms of collaboration in the past, including those with apple and potato producers. “We want to take our responsibility seriously by giving our customers the opportunity to make well-informed consumer choices. The fact that we collaborate directly with the farmer ensures that we can respond in a responsible manner with an emphasis on quality. Stimulating the supply of local products with real added value is what we want to achieve here. In terms of transparency: this innovative approach allows us ultimately to link the consumer to the producer”, explains Stefan Goethaert, Managing Director of Fine Food, Colruyt Group’s production department.

Born, reared and slaughtered in Belgium

In Belgium, the demand for biological pork exceeds the local supply. To meet this demand, distributors have to import this meat from abroad. This new chain will help overcome the shortage, but will also further develop biological farming in Flanders. “It’s a project that is close to our hearts”, confirms Wim Haeck, BioVar.be business manager. “It matches the vision of sister company Hapro perfectly, contributing in the well-established pig sector to the sustainability of production by setting up transparent forms of collaboration between the various links in the primary chains. By focussing on biological pig farming through BioVar.be, we want to open the way for farmers who see the potential in the switchover. Together with them, we are constructing a demand-based chain narrative, which creates added value for all parties in the chain. It is important here that we share the same values, just as we have with our partners such as Delavi and Colruyt Group.

Demand-based narrative

Closed-circuit production, strictly controlled and adapted to meet demand, will help the various partners obtain a correct price without losing the link with the market. And all this while conventional production has continued to suffer under structural overproduction and therefore a pork price that is very dependent on international fluctuations. “The recent pork crisis and past events that have dealt a blow to the meat sector as a whole have exposed a particular vulnerability among the parties in the chain. This collaboration guarantees us a correct price, since this will be calculated with an open book, in total transparency, reveals Kris De Laere, Delavi’s director. “It is the practice of Delavi, Biovar.be and Colruyt Group to give priority to long-term relationships. There is therefore complete confidence.” The BioVar.be establishment, located in Ruiselede (West Flanders), currently has a hundred sows. The first piglets are expected in early 2019.

For more information, please contact:

·         Hanne Poppe (NL), Colruyt Group’s Press Officer, hanne.poppe@colruytgroup.com / 0473 92 45 10

·         Wim Haeck, BioVar.be BVBA business manager, info@biovar.be, 051 460 790

 

About Delavi

Delavi is a family firm of thoroughbreds, three generations of whom have been working in the meat sector. Delavi is the link between pig farmers and meat-processing companies, the aim of which is to offer healthy, top-quality pork tailored to domestic and foreign customers in food service, retail and industry. Delavi always strives for a long-term collaboration with everyone concerned. This results in sound growth, enabling them to make further investments. This is how Delavi is able to maintain its distinctive position in terms of quality, service, continuity and the environment. To achieve these objectives, expertise, loyalty, flexibility, proactive thinking, smooth communication and a personal approach are our first consideration.

About Hapro

As a neutral partner, Hapro puts itself at the service of companies working in the pig sector (from breeders to slaughterhouses and slicers to processing firms and retailers). Hapro is constructing a strong regional network in the region of Wingene. Hapro guarantees a constant and secure supply and reduction of the animals for both sow breeders (producers of piglets) and pig producers (pork producers). Depending on needs, Hapro adopts the role of director, among others, to achieve the quality required. Hapro also consciously opts for a sustainable package and for investments in innovative projects of an energy-conscious and efficient nature and with respect for the environment.

About BioVar.be

BioVar.be BVBA is part of the Hapro family group, working in the Flemish pig sector. BioVar.be is becoming an active player in the biologicalally-farmed pig sector, which is adopting a pioneering role and which, together with other producers, is establishing a demand-based chain narrative to be able to guarantee the added value of biologicalally-farmed pigs.

About Colruyt Group

Colruyt Group operates in the food and non-food distribution sector in Belgium, France and Luxembourg with approximately 550 own stores and over 580 affiliated stores. In Belgium this includes Colruyt, OKay, Bio-Planet, Cru, Dreamland, Dreambaby and the affiliated stores Spar and Spar Compact. In France, in addition to Colruyt stores, there are also affiliated Coccinelle, CocciMarket and Panier Sympa stores. The group is also actively involved in the foodservice business (supply of food products to hospitals, company canteens and catering businesses) in Belgium (Solucious). The other activities comprise the sale of fuel in Belgium (DATS 24), printing and document management solutions (Symeta) and the production of green energy. The group employs over 29.300 employees and recorded a EUR 9,0 billion revenue in 2017/18. Colruyt is listed on NYSE Euronext Brussels (COLR) under ISIN code BE0974256852.