CARREFOUR CELEBRATES 30 YEARS SINCE ITS FIRST ORGANIC PRODUCT

Carrefour is France’s leading organic retailer and is also one of the first brands to have started selling organic products 30 years ago. Carrefour’s organic adventure actually started back in 1992. Since then, the Group has made it one of the pillars underpinning its strategy. We take a look back at 30 years spent making organic products widely available to help deliver the Food Transition.

A key moment in Carrefour’s celebrations of 30 years of organic

Until 16 May, Carrefour is treating its customers to a high-quality campaign designed to highlight the virtues of organic farming and all the benefits of organic products that everybody will be able to afford.

Numerous products will be available in stores and online; there will be tastings and special events, as well as visits during which members of the general public will get to see what goes on behind-the-scenes at partner mills.

It all started in 1992 with the Carrefour Organic Round Loaf...

A group of Carrefour employees who believed strongly in the benefits of organic farming – as well as in the importance of high-quality products – decided to launch their own 100% French organic loaf. These pioneers were trained by renowned bakers and worked with a French milling company, eventually coming up with the famous Organic Round Loaf, which first went on sale in 1992.

A symbol of Carrefour's first steps into the world of organic, this loaf has come to represent its commitments to high-quality, accessible organic food. It is made of yeast with exceptionally high nutritional properties and stone-milled organic flour made by French partner mills with whom Carrefour has entered into long-term relationships.

Nowadays, the bread is still kneaded on site in most Carrefour hypermarkets and then baked in hearth furnaces by our bakers. More than 4 million Organic Round Loaves are sold every year by Carrefour stores in France.

The Carrefour Group regularly breaks new ground in organic products

Organic may have started in the bakery section, but it quickly went on to win over other counters: the first fruit and vegetable lines were introduced in 1997, made by French onion and carrot producers. Clothing – with the TEX Bio brand and cosmetics – with the Nectar of Bio and Carrefour Soft Green brands were among the others to get on board.

Carrefour was the first French supermarket / hypermarket retailer to back the French organic farming sector and now supports more than 3400 producers with their organic farming endeavours. It does this through contracts underpinned by multi-partite, multi-year partnerships which commit the retailer to purchasing minimum volumes. This way, producer partners have more visibility.

The Carrefour Group is also known for its organic zones, such as the Bio Expérience at its hypermarkets and its organic Shop-in-Shops in its supermarkets..

Finally, the Carrefour Bio brand is number one in terms of market share. In 2022, it had more than 1200 everyday products on sale at affordable prices to enable people to eat more healthily. The 10% Organic Loyalty Bonus is applied to these products.

• Over the years, Carrefour has established itself as a leader on the organic segment. We consider it our duty to provide our customers with healthy, everyday products – for all budgets. Our Carrefour Bio brand is evidence of our determination to enable anyone and everyone to afford high-quality organic food. I am proud to be celebrating 30 years of organic at Carrefour – a testament to the Group's commitments to helping to deliver the Food Transition for everyone”. Benoît Soury, the Carrefour Group's Organic Market and Convenience Director.