The market
In Rennes, food and innovation go together
Brittany is a centre for agriculture and food processing so the food industry plays a significant role in Rennes. This can be seen especially during Space, the international exhibition for livestock production, which has attracted more than 100,000 visitors each year since 1986.
Local industry is particularly noted for the production of milk (the Ille-et-Vilaine department is the top producer in France) and meat. Above all, the region offers a multitude of innovations in this field, such as Groupe Roullier or Triballat, and also internet start-ups like Urban farm (cultivating plants in urban settings).
This explains the more than 10,000 industry-related jobs related in the region.
Key figures
- France’s top dairy-producing region
- 140 companieseach with more than 20 employees, in the food-processing industry
- 40 000 jobs linked to agriculture and food-processing
- 6 000 jobs in the meat industry
The success story
Loc Maria Biscuit, exporter of specialty gavotte biscuits
Loc Maria Biscuit is one of the many ambassadors from the Rennes food industry ecosystem. The company is active in 60 countries and posted revenue of €68 million in 2016.
The success story started in 1990 when Christian Tacquard bought the Gavottes biscuit factory. He grouped several biscuit factories and gradually acquired more companies, including Traou Mad and Mademoiselle de Margaux.
The groups also develops ”2 to 3 new products per brand each year” explains Aurélie Tacquard, Marketing & Innovation Director, such as the Gavottes spread (2014) and savoury biscuits (2016). Development looks set to continue following new set ups in Philadelphia and Hong Kong.
Objective: To increase export revenues from 25% to 50% by 2020.
The business story
Marie Bercegeay – Marie Luxe
- Passionate about sea- and gastronomy-related professions
- Created Marie Luxe in 2006
- 12 employees
- Sea trader: buying across five auctions simultaneously from Rennes
- 80% of revenue generated nationally, 20% from exports
- Ambition: To supply even more Michelin-starred chefs
The key place
Envisioning the food of tomorrow
The Centre Culinaire Contemporain (Contemporary Culinary Centre) opened its doors in 2014 and is evidence of the development of the food industry in Rennes It began as a ”platform for culinary engineering” » as explained by creator Freddy Thiburce, and ultimately grew to fill a building of 3,000 m2.
It incorporates an area of innovation for culinary use, development and engineering, in order to envision the cuisine of tomorrow. In particular, this includes a 3D food printer. There is then a section dedicated to culinary workshops for all. The final feature is a business and events centre, comprising three restaurants.
The objective is also ”the mobilisation of an ecosystem (of more than 100 members), to support innovation in the agriculture, food-processing and fishing industries” ».
Leran more
Read the AUDIAR study on the ecosystem of food in Ille-et-Vilaine.