Occitanie Agri-Food Businesses Gear Up for Large-scale Distribution and Out-of-Home Catering

Large-scale distribution and out-of-home catering are mobilizing Occitanie businesses en masse

Agri-food companies in Occitanie are in turmoil in October. There are 275 regional business registrations aux showrooms organized by the AD’OCC agency to invest in the mass distribution and out-of-home catering circuits.

→ Wednesday October 4 from 9 a.m., at the Diagora convention center in Labège, the economic development agency is organizing the 11th edition of the SHOWROOM RHD (out-of-home catering). Around 300 professional buyers from collective and commercial catering : wholesalers, collective catering companies, central kitchens, cash and carry, catering groups, direct restaurants, café-hotels, restaurants, caterers will be present to discover the products of the Occitanie region from its 13 departments.

With 125 exhibitors from Occitanie, this showroom constitutes the largest offering of regional products from Occitanie for a professional show. All sectors will be richly represented: fruits and vegetables, meats, poultry, eggs, groceries: flours, legumes, pasta, rice and cereals, oils, olives, dried fruits, condiments and spices, honey and jams, biscuits and cakes, chips, dairy products: yogurts, cheeses, milk, breads and brioches, drinks: beers, spirits, soft drinks, coffees, juices, non-alcoholic wine, ice cubes, prepared dishes and canned goods: aligot, cassoulet, cold meats, etc.

The 2023 “visitor’s favorite” trophies will be awarded during this RHD show in the following 3 categories: EGAlim category, Occitanie category, CSR category in partnership with thees Editions de la RHFthe Esprit Pergo group, Crédit Agricole Nord Midi-Pyrénées et l’AREA Occitanie. On this occasion, La Dépêche du Midi will present its general public survey to professionals in the sector to better understand the expectations of residents of the region in terms of catering.

→ Thursday October 19, at the Narbonne Arena, the economic development agency is organizing the MULTI-BRAND SHOWROOM. This operation is part of the Occitanie Region’s objective of promoting local products by signing in 2021 a charter of commitment for sustainable mass distribution.

With 150 producers from Occitanie who responded favorably, the objective of this multi-brand showroom is to encourage the meeting of regional suppliers with buyers or those responsible for referencing the stores of the following 6 major retail brands: U, Carrefour, Intermarché, Auchan, Leclerc, Casino . Around 300 representatives of the GD : store managers, department managers, buyers from central and regional platforms participate in these meetings which will lead to the contractualization of new product listings over time within these brands.

The objective of the Occitanie Region is to encourage local consumption, short circuits and the purchase and consumption of regional and quality products, in particular those of the regional brand “Sud de France l’Occitanie”.

“Because I know that consumers are more keen than ever to choose quality products with recognized origins, regardless of where or how they purchase food products, these two professional meetings organized by the AD’OCC agency are of course more than necessary to put our producers in contact with the representatives of these distribution circuits, declared Carole Delga, president of the Occitanie / Pyrenees-Mediterranean Region. We were pioneers in the act of local purchasing. We will still be there tomorrow to promote our know-how on all markets.”