Agricultural crisis: in the Seine-Maritime, yogurt is like a magic potion to increase farm incomes

The farmers’ movement has raised many issues and demands to simplify income standards and even inheritance. Demands aside, operators decided to take matters into their own hands. Such is the case with Ferme du Vieux Puits, which produces 10,000 yoghurts a week in containers to add value to its milk.

Philippe Saval settled in Pissy-Pauville, near Rouen, in 2002. His farm has about sixty dairy cows with a production of 340,000 liters per year, which until November 2023 were completely transferred to the Sodiaal cooperative. At the same time, together with his farm worker, he runs an educational farm and a farm store selling local produce two months a year. Very sociable and open, Ferme du Vieux Puits also attracts over 7,500 visitors on its open day every first weekend in September.

But Philippe Saval apparently has to juggle the costs of producing and selling milk: “In April 2023, Richard Follen, head chef at Clare College, contacted me I’m buying Farmer. It’s a startup founded by farmer Andre Bonnard from Rhône-Alpes, who is looking for breeders to help them sell their milk in a different way. She was looking for a farm in Seine-Maritime for flexible yoghurt production. So, not only did we want to promote my milk, but we also accepted the challenge despite the time constraints.”

“We have now joined a network of nine manufacturers in France,” continues the operator. It was necessary to invest 30,000 euros in a cold room, a milk pipeline, a packaging storage room, as well as food hygiene training and obtaining permits with the help of a startup.

Thus, from November 1, 2023, Ferme du Vieux Puits plans to process 78,000 liters per year into yoghurts, “of which 80% goes to customers I buy Farmer and the rest for our clients and at my price, thus maintaining the Agri Ethique France certificate. In total, we produce eleven fragrances, six of which are intended only for our customers. Along with my wife Corinne, who used to work in a hospital, we work four days a week for the startup and one day for ourselves. This is a total of 10,000 yoghurts, which go, for example, to the Thomas Corneille high school in Barenten, to the Malone schools, to the Jean Zay college in Ulm, to the bakery in Pissy-Pauville or even to the grocery store in Uppeville. They are very popular and we already have new requests and ideas for dessert creams and pasteurized milk,” explains Philippe Saval.

“The real solution would be to pay the right price for our milk.”

This way the operator can increase its income. “Instead of selling my milk to the co-op at 0.40 cents per liter, it is valued at 0.50 cents by the startup through its sales and 0.60 cents by our network. This allows us to run the farm and pay full time. If necessary, we will be able to increase our share next year to meet demand. In addition, we have formed a cooperative with other members to centralize the purchasing of jars, packaging and natural extracts. I also decided to buy sugar locally, from the Sucrerie de Fontaine-le-Dun, to make 100% Normandy yoghurts.”

Philippe Saval admits that “this is a new profession for us. If you were to ask us the question of whether on-farm processing is the solution to the agricultural crisis, I would give Norman’s answer: yes, if we have to survive, and no, because it is a shame not to live entirely off our products and not take the place of others people in the sector. The real solution would be to pay the right price for our milk! “.