Bio Equitable en France is the label for all French farming supply chains. It was created in May 2020 by producers, in the aim of advocating an authentically rural, ecological and sustainable agriculture model.

Today, the organisation brings together nearly 5,000 rural farms and 40 companies working in the organic sector which defend a form of agriculture of French origin, true to fair trade principles and all-organic!

This label is built on four pillars:

• Involve producer alliances in the label’s governance.
• Fair prices to guarantee the right conditions for profitable and innovative rural agriculture.
• Defend organic agriculture of high standards on human-scale farms with specifications that go further than European organic certification
• Support French farming heritage with products of French origin.

In the year of its establishment, Bio Equitable en France joined the Natexpo adventure to promote its name, meet the sector and make a space for itself in the organic world.

Here is a look back on their journey which continues in 2021 in Natexpo.

 

You exhibited at Natexpo for the first time in 2020: what was your organisation like at the time?

We founded the NGO Bio Équitable en France in May 2020, so we were very young when we took part in Natexpo in September 2020 and we were in the process of issuing labels to the first producer groups and companies who had chosen to join us.

 

In what way was this exhibition format an opportunity for you?

It was an opportunity to meet a lot of stakeholders from the organic sector, make ourselves better known and build connections with alliances or companies interested in our initiative. Several of our founding members were also present, and this helped spread the word about us.

 

 

Today you’re exhibiting in the Big Splash at Natexpo. What does this new step represent in your strategy?

We are growing fast and The Big Splash will help us enjoy a form of visibility and, we hope, garner even more contacts! Our aim now is to develop our movement alongside professionals who share our values and further our ambition to offer an organic food range, which supports rural agriculture and offers decent pay to the men and women who produce it. A form of agriculture which enables citizens to eat healthily but also protects our planet and its resources, which appears essential in the current climate.

 

What impact has Natexpo had on your organisation’s development?

It helped set a movement going: beyond meeting any groups or companies interested in membership, we also succeeded in meeting professionals with whom we are now partners, such as Tero, who conduct some of our audits.

Come and meet them in the Big Splash at Natexpo this October! In the meantime, you can find out all about the organisation on their website.