What does the 70 years of experience of Maison Andrésy bring to the service of the biggest food brands in France?

Discover how your artisanal jam partner is approaching the new year 2022 through the vision of Bruno CASSAN, 3rd generation French jam maker at Maison Andrésy.

Saying goodbye to 2021 : how did we turn the difficulties of 2020 and 2021 into assets for jams?

2021 was a difficult year, as was the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. Bruno CASSAN, what is your view on this very special year?

BC: “It is true that 2020 will always remain the year of the shock of the pandemic. But 2021 was not so kind to French producers and traders!

We had to face many problems: 

– First of all, on the customer side: how to support our historical customers with reliable production schemes without visibility on the reopening of hotels, restaurants, stores and without certainty of the return of consumers and tourists?
– On the production side: how to manage the immobilization and aging of stocks, the multiplicity of production scenarios, in a context of multiple changes in instructions and capsules?
– On the employee side: how to provide security to those who come to work when we hear everywhere that it is better to stay at home? Or reassure them about something totally new, without any hindsight?

Can you imagine the uncertainty and doubts we were working under?

And yet, I am convinced that these daily difficulties have allowed us to strengthen our assets. 2021 has consolidated what already made us an excellent jam maker and the best French manufacturer of custom-made jams!”

Welcome 2022 with reinforced benefits!

Bruno CASSAN, your confidence in your company’s assets seems to be well thought out. Can you explain why?

BC: “I am indeed confident! It’s not just the pride of being part of the 3rd generation of the Maison Andrésy jam makers! It is our strong values – inscribed in our DNA – that have become habits and drive our reactions! I am thinking mainly of our adaptability: to everything, very quickly, combined with our ability to anticipate.”

Can you tell us more about the methods, actions and partnerships put in place to meet your clients’ needs and support them?

BC: “When the reopenings were confirmed, then the shopkeepers, the hotels and restaurants saw their customers return, it was a real joy for everyone. It was also the beginning of a new phase of reflection: we had to manage this recovery for everyone at the same time!

Internally, we relied on the adaptability of our teams and tools. We had to be flexible and responsive!

The departments learned to coordinate with each other to communicate with each of our clients on priorities and in the very short term:

– definition of a range of essential perfumes to avoid total discontinuity and to focus on the major needs of our customers
– to give second place to original products that are more difficult to produce because they require more time and expertise from our teams
– be proactive in providing solutions, sometimes providing new scenarios to our customers and positioning ourselves in their place to offer them alternatives that ensure business continuity
– work as closely as possible with suppliers’ capacities to secure production: give visibility to all, glassmakers, cap makers, arboriculturists and harvesters, fruit cooperatives.”

What good practices are in place for the future?

The new year 2022 is still very disturbed by the pandemic. What work bases have you initiated to maintain a reliable and quality jam production?

BC: “We have learned the lessons of 2020 and 2021. We know how to face and accompany our customers while maintaining a high level of requirement in our jams production.

Anticipation has become second nature!

We work on different production scenarios with hypotheses of needs in quantities, fruit varieties and production peaks adjusted to the very short term context linked to the pandemic:

– with our clients and partners: we make projections to take into account the possible variations of all parameters
– with our various suppliers: we have been doing this for years for our fruit, 70% of which is grown in France, and also for major primary packaging such as jars and capsules. We have developed this practice with cardboard manufacturers and label printers.
– with all our departments and partners: we have optimized communication to adjust production and volumes, and share information on the state of the market

Our key words are: vigilance, alertness, adaptability!” 

Any last words Bruno?
BC: “Obviously: best wishes for a prosperous and beneficial 2022 for all !”