Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Congratulations to our plants, Granville (50th) & Toulouse (70th) for these great milestones!

To mark their anniversaries, our bakery plants in Granville and Toulouse opened their doors to MDLZ employee families, local stakeholders, and media – all welcomed by Amélie Vidal-Simi, Managing Director - France.

Granville Plant's 50th Anniversary Celebrations

Built in 1972, our Granville plant specializes in baking know-how, thanks to over 120 bakers and makers. The three production lines annually produce 12,000+ tons (2021 data) including two main bread-substitute products, Heudebert and Pelletier.

"We have a real know-how and a family that has been working here for three generations" says Lionel Le Roux, Plant Director.

During the anniversary's celebrations held in June, the guests had the opportunity to take a guided tour of the premises of the plant - one of the first employers in Granville which combines both robotization and an outstanding artisanal know-how in baking.

Toulouse plant celebrates 70 years

Founded in 1951, today the Toulouse plant has 70 employees and 3 production lines. It's the only plant combining three types of expertise: cereal bars with iconic brands such as Grany and Prince cereal bars, Pelletier & Heudebert bread-substitutes and the famous candy brand, Cachou Lajaunie.

In June, the plant welcomed local political stakeholders and media and provided a great opportunity to promote the know-how of the plant, as well as connect with Amélie Vidal-Simi, colleagues, and local stakeholders.

"Toulouse has expanded and we are in the center of the city. We are the only plant in the heart of the Pink City," says Louis Cazaban, Toulouse Plant Director.

A double celebration for both plants: in-house... and in-store!

Earlier this year, to celebrate both anniversaries and to promote local production, our bread substitutes brands (Pelletier, Cracotte and Grany cereal bars) launched a major operation in stores near our Granville and Toulouse plants.

From March to July, some plant employees visited nearby stores to meet consumers, share the know-how of the plant with them and spotlight the quality of our products and our local ingredients, epically Harmony, our program for sustainable wheat farming.

Amélie Vidal-Simi commented: "These in-house and in-store events are great opportunities to reconnect with our colleagues, consumers and stakeholders, celebrating both Granville and Toulouse plants, where an essential part of our bread-substitute products in France is baked. Consumed by over 80 percent of French households, bread-substitute is an essential segment of the breakfast market, weighing nearly €435 million in 2021 in France."

Every year, MDLZ France invests 20 million euros in the entire French industrial basin (9 plants), including our plants in Granville and Toulouse to ensure we produce great snacks the right way, and keep delighting our consumers.