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CROC LA VIE builds lasting relationships with its suppliers

5. Fair Operating Practices

Responsible purchasing

Context

Created in 2009, Croc La Vie offers daycare centers from the Nord-pas de Calais region “home-made” meals that are prepared with 100% organic, quality and in-season products. Through children, who are at the heart of parents' concerns, the manager wants to educate the whole family about the issues of culture and eating behaviors. Social and environmental impacts are systematically taken into account in the company's strategy and in simple daily decisions, in the same way as purely economic criteria.

Objectives

·        To establish close and lasting relationships with suppliers.

·        To provide fair remuneration to players of the industry while providing meal prices that are accessible to all.

APPROACH

Croc La Vie works in short circuits with 8 selected and loyal suppliers or wholesalers.

Among other things, the choice of local supply makes it possible to promote biodiversity and respect seasonality.

Eggs and bread come from the region. Fish comes from the North-East Atlantic. Fruits and vegetables systematically come from the region when available (for instance, in the transitional period going from April to June, Croc La Vie may from time to time purchase its vegetables from other regions).

For dairy products (except for yoghurts and fromage frais) and meat, the company gets its supplies from national organic wholesalers who are carefully selected according to their social and environmental charter. Indeed, for these products, the region does not have any organic suppliers suiting the health standards that are demanded in mass catering. However, the industry is under construction and this portends positive changes in the future.

The price is not the only selection criterion when choosing raw materials. In addition to the quality of the products (their taste, organic quality and local origin), fair remuneration of the producers is a priority. For instance, the company has offered to increase the price of the organic yoghurt sold by a farm from the Avesnois arrondissement, out of concern for the producer's fair remuneration, but also for the consolidation of its market and for the building of a relationship of trust with the supplier.

Sustainability and environmental degradation are also considered in the selection process for other purchasing such as office supplies, cooking equipment or subcontracting services.

CONTRIBUTION TO COMPANY PERFORMANCE

 

  •          Turnover x 5 between 2009 and 2013
  •          Close and lasting relationships with suppliers
  •          Customer retention rate = 100%

Benefits

 

  •          900 meals distributed each day
  •          37 daycare centers supplied
  •          Fairly remunerated producers
  •          Reduction of CO2emissions
Workforce
7
Turnover
432 k€
Country
France

CROC LA VIE

Parc d’activité des Moulins de la Lys
Rue Fleur de lin, bâtiment 6
59116 HOUPLINES

www.croc-la-vie.com/

Mise à jour le 13/11/2017

Creative Commons Attribution This work by Réseau Alliances – World Forum Lille is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.