A french cooperative
We are proud of our cooperative model! We are a democratic and united company, guided by our farmers and rooted in our territories: Brittany, Normandy, Pays de la Loire, Centre Val de Loire, Poitou-Charentes and Rhône-Alpes.
Cooperatives have been structuring and supporting the development of French agriculture for 150 years. The renowned cooperative model!
But what exactly is it?
First and foremost, a cooperative is a company… but quite a special one!
Effectively, it is created and runned by all of its members, in our case the farmers, following one simple rule: one person equals one vote, whatever the size of the farm.
This means that all important decisions are voted for by a majority at regular general meetings. A very democratic way of operating!
Together, we are stronger!
As we have seen, a cooperative is not just a business like any other.
This special model also comes with a number of advantages. Including independence and economic sustainability for a start!
And effectively, if farmers are owners of the cooperative, they are certainly its providers! This means they are guaranteed to sell their milk to the cooperative, which collects and processes it, usually into the end product.
Last but not least, another advantage is the pooling of expenses and investments. By grouping their service offering and by investing together in logistics, marketing and processing tools, farmers are better equipped to influence highly competitive markets. And this pooling also comes hand in hand with sharing risks!
By uniting, farmers can also face sectoral crises and climatic hazards together more calmly.
The cooperative – a company rooted in the land!
It’s impossible to talk about a cooperative without mentioning its connection and rooting in the land.
Grand Fermage are devoted farmers, of course, but that’s not all!
There is a whole world which encompasses this: dairies, collection points spread across the land, logistics, technicians and engineers, and much more.
From the Grand Ouest to the Rhône-Alpes region, Grand Fermage has been operating on the land for many years and contributes to the local economy by creating economic activity and jobs.
The cooperative, a redistributive model that prepares the future
The horizon of cooperative model is the long term!
Its vocation is therefore not to remunerate financial shareholders, but to ensure a professional future for its members.
The logical consequence of this is that the company’s profits are not only redistributed fairly, but also set aside to ensure the company’s financial solidity for the years to come.
In this way, if they wish so, each breeder will be able to pass on his farm more serenely to the next generation.
The cooperative, a business rooted in the territories
One cannot speak of a cooperative without addressing its attachment and its territorial anchoring.
Grand Fermage, they are passionate breeders, of course, but not only!
There is a whole universe around them: dairies, collection points spread over the territories, logistics, technicians and engineers…
From the Grand Ouest to the Rhône-Alpes region, Grand Fermage has been working on its land for many years and contributes to the local economy by creating economic activities and jobs.
A word from Nicolas!
When I took on my parents’ farm, who had taken on the farm from their parents before them, I followed in my family’s footsteps and joined the cooperative – making me the 3rd generation to do so.
Nicolas, breeder of Normandy cows in à Souleuvre-en-Bocage (Calvados).
To go further ...
Who we are?
About usOur breeders promote the biodiversity
Our CSR approach!
