Our commitments
At CÔTEAUX NANTAIS, commitment is not a promise. It’s a reality
At CÔTEAUX NANTAIS, organic is a given, not a claim. For over 80 years, we have made choices guided by respect for living things, for people and for our region.
Preserving and passing on our know-how, supporting local growth and building economic, social and environmental concerns into our development: our CSR approach follows naturally from our history and our values.
Environment
Respect for living things and the environment is key to what we do
Caring for living things and limiting our impact means making concrete choices and putting them into practice. Our labels and certifications bear witness to the action we take in our orchards, our fruit station, our Remouillé factory and across the company as a whole:
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AB certified – Agriculture Biologique label
The AB certification guarantees compliance with organic production rules (for example, no GMOs).
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Demeter label
The Demeter certification attests that our orchards are grown biodynamically. 30% of our grocery products also carry the Demeter label.
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IFS certification, International Featured Standards
The international IFS certification attests to compliance with strict requirements for food safety, process quality and traceability.
Factory only.
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PME +
A label that recognises French SMEs and mid-sized companies committed to social and environmental progress. CÔTEAUX NANTAIS is audited every year by an independent body.
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BioED – organic sustainable business label
A CSR label for organic businesses, assessing their practices across the three pillars of sustainable development: economic, social and environmental.
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FDA
We are registered with the US Food and Drug Administration, a US federal agency, which confirms that we meet the standards required to export to the United States.
Factory only.
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CÔTEAUX NANTAIS is also a member of the FEEF (Fédération des Entreprises et Entrepreneurs de France), which represents small and mid-sized businesses across the regions that supply the retail sector.
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100% green energy. We have also reviewed how we buy energy, so that we favour renewable, French-sourced power.
Biodynamics
Biodynamics at the heart of our growing
CÔTEAUX NANTAIS has been committed to farming that makes sense since it was founded, in 1943.
Choosing biodynamics was therefore a given. Biodynamic farming treats all cultivated land as a living organism, constantly evolving and self-sustaining. It pays particular attention to the health of soil and plants and champions farming that respects the “rhythms of nature”. Its aim is to produce healthy food and offer consumers the very best quality.
Three principles govern biodynamics
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Principle 01
The ecosystem
The farm is one single entity, a diverse ecosystem that is constantly evolving and whose needs must be understood.
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Principle 02
The soil
To ensure rich soil, biodynamic preparations made from plants or organic matter – such as manure, slurry and medicinal plants – are used to fertilise and strengthen the land. Recycling waste and making the most of biomass are essential to the rules of biodynamics.
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Principle 03
The rhythms
Seasonal, lunar and cosmic rhythms are taken into account in the growing calendar, which favours careful observation of nature and the farmer’s experience.
Today, all 105 hectares of CÔTEAUX NANTAIS orchards are grown biodynamically.
How are we audited? A closer look at the Demeter label
The international Demeter label has certified biodynamic farms since 1932, in almost 60 countries.
CÔTEAUX NANTAIS has been Demeter certified since 1997. All of our farmland is cultivated in line with organic and biodynamic farming. 30% of our grocery products also carry the Demeter label.
CÔTEAUX NANTAIS is audited every year to check compliance with the Demeter standard, in particular on raw-material traceability, supplier relations and the use of inputs.
- 1997Demeter certified since
- 30%of grocery products labelled
Traceability
Traceability, no detours
Fruit and packaging are traced and subject to strict controls. Côteaux Nantais fruit comes first and foremost from our own biodynamically grown orchards, which we use to the full – 100%. All of our apples are used according to their condition and grade: they become eating fruit or go into our compotes, juices, vinegars and more.
To complete our ranges – chestnut cream, mango pulp, apricots, pears, red berries and so on – we work with partner orchards that are also organic. 80% of the fruit that tops up what our own orchards produce is sourced in France.
Some fruit simply doesn’t grow here: it then comes from long-standing partners, carefully selected, with whom we have worked for many years.
Why is “only” 80% of our complementary fruit sourced in France?
Because some fruit doesn’t grow in France, or not in conditions that meet our standards. We then choose it from partners we have known for many years, and we favour European supply chains wherever possible.
Partners
Partners and suppliers we choose with care
We have long-standing relationships with our partners and suppliers, built on trust and mutual understanding. We share a demanding set of specifications with them, developed through dialogue and transparency.
In return, we commit for the long term: multi-year agreements, better visibility on volumes and fair pay for their work. We even sit on the boards of some of them.
Looking after people
Our teams are an integral part of the CÔTEAUX NANTAIS project – its soul and its driving force. We want to grow the company alongside them and build a local project in which everyone can find meaning and fulfilment.
This commitment also means passing knowledge on. We open our orchards, our factory and our fruit station to schools and holiday clubs, to share our know-how and our knowledge.