Hello Guy Deberdt, can you introduce yourself in a few words: who are you, where are you from, what do you do?

My name is Guy DEBERDT and I am the president of the association Biopartenaire which manages the eponymous label, leader in French organic specialist stores, a universal fair trade label whether for products from international or French sectors.

I fell into organic farming from my early childhood, my father having campaigned for organic farming from the 1980s, being active in Vaucluse where he was, among other things, one of the founding members of the Biocoop de Carpentras before creating KAOKA in 1993 which I joined in 2005.

In 2012, my father died suddenly from malaria and it was natural that I took over the general management of KAOKA and then I quickly joined the board of directors of Biopartenaire in the footsteps of my father who was one of the founding members in 2002 and served as its president until 2011.

 

The future seems to be brightening for organic.
How are you experiencing it on your side?

In 2012, we made the strong choice to reserve our Biopartenaire label for brands dedicated to the specialized organic network, where we are indeed seeing a market recovery. In the current French political context, which in no way supports organic farming, I am convinced that we will be able to maintain, or even develop, our network of organic consumers who naturally frequent organic stores.

For me, organic specialty stores are the network best suited to driving the development of organic as we understand it, that is, organic inseparable from fair trade. It is important to remember that the specialized network was a pioneer for organic and has always been one step ahead in raising consumer awareness about environmental and social issues as well as the quality of organic products.

These challenges are significant in the current climate and geopolitical context. To limit global warming, preserve biodiversity, and ensure the sustainability of industries, it is more important than ever to combine organic and fair trade.

 

What are BIOPARTENAIRE's projects to supportthe sector?

We are convinced that supporting the organic sector must be achieved by building strong links and partnerships between farmers, processors, and organic stores. To this end, we have intensified our efforts with stores, particularly through our Biopartenaire ambassador store program.

Today, the organic partnerships established by Biopartenaire stakeholders are real differentiating assets for organic stores, particularly in the face of increasingly complex challenges in controlling the supply of organic raw materials in a turbulent global context. Stores are the last link in the chain for transmitting to consumers the values ​​that we all hold; it's up to us to give them the elements so that the specialized network defends the fundamentals of a committed and meaningful organic approach!

We are also working on agricultural risks by organizing a collective discussion among all Biopartenaire members to share solutions to limit them and consider their distribution throughout the sector.

Finally, we believe in the development of fair trade in collective catering, particularly to raise awareness among young people. We have therefore designed an adaptation of our FiABLE standard to certify organic platforms dedicated to collective catering, which enable us to promote committed farmers working collectively for short supply chains in collective catering. AGRICOURT is thus the first platform certified fair trade.

 

What do you expect from the next edition of Natexpo 2025?

We must move forward, without hiding our faces, highlight innovations, and make even more visible all the benefits of organic farming for our health and that of the planet.

In the crisis we are going through with a total political disengagement towards organic, we must show that we are a large, united family and that we will fight to the end to leave a viable organic model for future generations; our future and that of our planet depend on it.

 

Your daily organic reflex?

Eat organic as much as possible! As an organic advocate and activist, there's no way we could do otherwise!