Our social responsibility commitment
1 - HUMANS ARE OUR GREATEST ASSET
TAKING CARE OF THE WOMEN AND MEN WHO SHARE THE ADVENTURE!
Safety, well-being, and quality of life for everyone are among our top priorities, without compromise. That is why our very modern headquarters, located in the heart of Provence, includes:
- Friendly break rooms,
- Free access to “house” products and drinks,
- And offers employees regular and gourmet sharing moments (afterwork, food truck, snack), especially to celebrate the company's moments of pride (PME + label, IFS Food certification, etc.).
Because people are the main asset, the company thrives on complementary skills and profiles: 6 employees are recognized as disabled workers (RQTH) and 5000 hours are entrusted to a personal assistance service establishment (ESAT).
Nurturing relationships with our partners and building excellent partnerships
Attachés aux valeurs humaines et aux relations de confiance, nous sommes attentifs aux partenariats pérennes, développés avec l’ensemble de notre écosystème : agriculteurs, fournisseurs, clients, acteurs de l’économie sociale et solidaire…
Nous sommes fiers d’avoir développé des filières au plus près des zones naturelles de production afin de soutenir et d’accompagner nos agriculteurs partenaires sur le long terme, notamment pour garantir le cahier des charges de l’agriculture biologique et ainsi valoriser au mieux leurs matières premières.
Naissance de nos premières filières :
- Filière France pour la graine de courge, les lentilles, les flageolets ou les pois cassés
- Filière Vietnam pour la noix de cajou bio,
- Filière Turquie pour la noisette bio et le raisin bio
- Filière Kenya pour la noix de macadamia bio
Supporting vulnerable groups through sponsorship actions
We wanted to extend our commitment in Vietnam by supporting the association Les Enfants du Dragon.
This association's mission is to provide financial and material support for humanitarian projects for the most disadvantaged children and families in Southern Vietnam.
In 2022/2023, we financed the construction of a house for a homeless family that can accommodate 6 people.
Locally in Vaucluse, we have established regular partnerships with the Sainte Catherine Institute, specialized in the treatment and support of people with cancer, and with local associations that help people in need, such as the Solidarity Grocery and the Vaucluse Food Bank.
2 - QUALITY AND FOOD SAFETY AT THE HEART OF OUR PRIORITIES
Ensuring product quality
First of all, we are very demanding on the selection and control of raw materials.
Every day, our experts (agronomist engineers in the field) select organic dried fruits and seeds according to strict specifications.
To control and measure all stages “from farm to fork”, the raw material processing plants are audited and supported to ensure optimal hygiene, cleanliness, and food safety conditions.
Trust does not exclude control, we ask our partner farmers for release analysis reports. That is to say, we block the raw materials until we receive proof that the analysis tests are compliant.
Finally, we also carry out our own analyses with accredited independent laboratories.
Creating products of excellence
Offering “Eating Right” is not achieved by chance…
It is only made possible by the passionate and persistent work of our research and development (R&D) teams who strive to reduce the list of ingredients to the “bare minimum”: 100% natural organic ingredients, use of spices and herbs instead of flavors, reduction of salt content…
We create recipes, which are then tasted, adjusted, and validated by expert collaborators: visual, taste, smell, and texture, before being tested under industrial conditions.
Nothing is left to chance to achieve optimal quality standards.
Mastering our production tools
In our workshop, high-performance industrial tools coexist with artisanal know-how.
The caramelization of dried fruits requires real expertise. Our experts coat almonds, hazelnuts, and peanuts in a copper cauldron where cooking is timed to the second. Nothing replaces the experience of an expert collaborator!
At the same time, product roasting uses a state-of-the-art industrial tool that allows roasting dried fruits at an industrial pace… 1 Ton of products per hour!
As for the packaging of finished products, it is automated and robotized to ensure weight, absence of foreign bodies, and long
3 - PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT AND PRESERVE RESOURCES THROUGH BULK
Reduce polluting packaging
Because the best waste is the one we do not produce, we made the choice of BULK in 2013, which allows us to reduce the amount of packaging used for the distribution of our products.
We also collaborate with our suppliers to reduce packaging by modifying the packaging: big bags instead of boxes, elimination of unnecessary overpackaging...
Thus, thanks to bulk, we do not produce 300 T of packaging per year.
Once unnecessary packaging is eliminated, our R&D department strives to choose the most appropriate packaging to minimize environmental impact: thus the bags in our Self-Service range are entirely recyclable in the paper sector.
Industrial choices allow us to go even further in waste reduction: laser marking on boxes to ensure traceability, 4 points of vegetable glue to close them... saving 1.2 million labels and 400 km of thermal transfer ribbon.
Finally, in-store, our customers can use their own containers or the recyclable paper bags we provide.
Fight against food waste
Thanks to BULK, we also help reduce food waste. Buying only what you need is preserving natural resources.
Unsold products are offered to employees and partner associations to feed families in need. Beautiful solidarity actions take place throughout the year, such as a highlight "our 2022 corn flakes operation" with the Vaucluse Food Bank.
Expired products are given to a wildlife refuge that loves our organic products: Animaux & Marino, a just and local cause.
Finally, organic waste (raw materials or finished products unfit for consumption) is entirely transformed into biogas, with our composting partner Nextri/Sotreco.
In the end, nothing is lost and everyone benefits: people, animals, and the planet!
Limit our carbon footprint and protect biodiversity
The climate emergency and the collapse of biodiversity are two major environmental and societal challenges.
That is why we are working on three main areas:
- Determine our carbon footprint. This voluntary approach is part of the national low-carbon strategy which aims to reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2050.
- To raise awareness among as many people as possible about small daily actions, we organize eco-citizen actions such as waste collection, offered to company employees and several companies in the Carpentras Community of Communes.
- Our agronomist engineers guide our partner farmers towards good agricultural practices: inter-row cultivation, drip irrigation, sheep to maintain the fields, installation of beehives...
In conclusion, our CSR policy, built on Human values, Product Quality, and Environmental protection, reflects our commitment to enabling millions of consumers to access healthy, fair, delicious, and responsible products.
OUR PRODUCTION SITE
When we decided to build a new production site, everything was thought out to minimize the environmental impact.
Thus, in the fridge (the most energy-consuming room, as it needs to be maintained at 10 degrees), dynamic rails have been put in place to reduce this space. In addition, we recover the heat produced by the fridge's cold units to heat the sanitary hot water. The heat produced by the air compressor is used in winter to heat the space between the roof and the workshop, which limits energy losses.
On the bulk lines, the bags used are recyclable in the paper sector. At the end of the packaging line, we have eliminated the tape from our boxes by gluing them with vegetable glue. We have also eliminated the labels from our boxes thanks to laser marking. In total, this saves 300 tons of plastic, 1.2 million labels, and 1200 km of adhesive tape each year.
OUR SECTORS
The construction of supply chains allows to follow and document all the steps “from seed to plate”.
Thus, every day, our experts (agronomists in the field) select organic dried fruits and seeds according to strict specifications.
The closest terroirs to us are systematically favored. Thus, we choose an organic almond from Spain, and not from California, in order to reduce the impact of transport. And when we know that we import 900 tons of almonds per year, it is a significant choice for the company...
In 2024, we are proud to offer 18 “Origin France” references. For example, the pumpkin seed from Lot and Garonne. We support French supply chains by establishing privileged relationships with producers who share the same professionalism.
Trust does not exclude control, all our producers must meet strict specifications and commit by signing our “quality request”. In addition, upon receipt of raw materials, we send samples to accredited independent laboratories to verify compliance, according to the following criteria: volume of material purchased, supplier history, and monitoring of global health alerts.
Our French sector: a passionate family produces local legumes: chickpeas, lentils ...
At Emilie and Daniel's, partner producers of JusteBio, everything is organic and local! From plants to natural fertilizer, everything has been designed to minimize environmental impact.
True lovers of their land and their terroir, everything is done to take care of the soil and enrich it in a 100% organic way.
Lentils, chickpeas, and other legumes produced in their fields thus see their mineral content increase. Healthy and quality products, locally grown by a passionate family: needless to say, they are privileged partners!
Our cashew sector in Vietnam: from picking to your plate!
Since the beginning of the project in 2022, we have established a real collaboration with selected farmers because the growing conditions meet our quality requirements and ethical standards. Thus, we work with Mr. Dong, a certified organic farmer, to support him in his development. Our partnership includes 3 visits per year, providing an opportunity to build trust.
We also supervise the processes with our partner factories: verification of standards (international standards), quality inspection (following Good Manufacturing Practices), and transport supervision. In 2022, 15 audits were conducted.
A whole traceability system (with QR code) is in place to track each cashew nut, from the field where the cashew nut was harvested to the consumer!
Thus, this approach allows us to document and secure each batch of cashew nuts at all stages.
We also ensure to create the conditions for a long-term partnership, to support farmers by providing new opportunities - such as promoting the cashew apple fruit - or by helping them benefit from more efficient farming methods – like inter-row planting, which increases productivity…
OUR SPONSORSHIP POLICY
The Children of the Dragon: a sponsorship that is part of the continuity of this partnership in Vietnam and illustrates our CSR policy.
Since 2022, we have been supporting a association based in Vietnam, which financially and materially supports humanitarian projects for the most disadvantaged children and families in southern Vietnam, by allowing them to access housing and hope for a better future through education.
The association Les Enfants du Dragon was created in 2009; it is governed by the 1901 law and has been approved by the Vietnamese authorities since 2010.
At the end of 2022, Un Air D’Ici financed the construction of a house, which allowed a family of 6 people to be housed.