How did you get the idea to create this organic online supermarket? What were your motivations?
Jean-Louis Lamy and his wife Patricia are the proud founders of Couleursbio.com, a website selling organic products, launched in October 2005. Having tasted organic food with friends and being convinced by the taste and quality of products on one hand, concerned about the health of their baby girl after the various industrial agriculture scandals on the other hand (pesticides, obesity, diabetes, hormones, dioxins …), they got on board in June 2005. Selling online has become very clear because of its lower cost of installation and management. His wife got seriously sick, until her complete healing Jean-Louis is alone. From Manche (« probably living near a plant and a nuclear reprocessing plant has encouraged my organic belief », he adds with a smile), Jean-Louis has had a varied course that has made him word in restaurants or even in the delivery of flowers.
Tell us about your partnership with Hotel Gavarni. What products do you provide it?
The idea of soliciting the hotels was part of the development strategy of Jean-Louis, but due to time constraints, he could not contact all the hotels that might have been interested. So is it the hotel, looking for a supplier of fresh fruits that can deliver twice a week for the realization of the fruit salad for breakfast, that called first. The collaboration started with fruits in June 2009 and has grown with eggs, cheese … To expand the range, Jean-Louis is always seeking producers, references, adequate packaging, systematically favoring the local and small production because he said « I can better monitor and respond to product quality ».
You take care of all the business by yourself (supply, marketing, website …). What is your secret?
“Indeed I do the administrative, accounting and controls, the website, deliveries … alone! My only secret is to sleep only 4 to 5 hours a night! ”
How do you see the future of organic, particularly in supermarkets?
The future of organic is necessarily conditioned by support and being proactive in its development in France and abroad as well as associating quality controls. Without political will and strong grants various incentives to farmers converting to organic, without reduction of intensive agriculture and its excesses, without reflection on the benefits of importing fruits, vegetables or food for animals from distant countries, without a strong response to GMOs, there is no bright future in the short term. Demand for fresh, seasonal, organic or at least managed and produced in accordance with nature produce is very strong (+ 25% increase in 2008), let’s just consider the unprecedented success of AMAP and other organic baskets delivered each week. Local production has the advantage of generating small pollution, promote links between the inhabitants and local producers to control costs and compensate fairly producers … It is a possible response to anxiety of small producers facing the enormous power of the purchasing power of large retailers and falling profits arising therefrom. Obviously it has something to say. The big names have sometimes lower prices for the organic, but what about where they’re from? If the AB label guarantees, a priori, the quality of products, some questions arise when it comes from other countries. Without casting stones at anyone, what about the « organic » potatoes from Egypt, mass produced, or acres of « organic » fruits and vegetables grown in greenhouses in Spain? How can we control the intensive production of hectares of fruits and vegetables with one annual visit and few inspectors available? For my part, I am extremely careful about the provenance of the products I sell and when I doubt, I avoid them. I have some wholesalers who do themselves laboratory tests when in doubt. I am not worried about fruits and vegetables, I know I’ll always be cheaper than retailers because my suppliers are local producers, but otherwise I ask myself questions. It is hoped that the Grenelle and the followers will finally look so serious on the French weakness in organic production (2% of the surface in France against 6% on average in Europe, 8% in Italy and even more 11% in Austria).
My greatest happiness is to see among my clients, child who has been once a large consumer of chocolate bars to jump on my organic fruit. This is my reward!
