Located between Bordeaux and Lacanau, Les Jardins Bio du Médoc spreads over approximately 30 hectares of blueberry trees, converted to organic since 2018. “We started planting again 3 years ago, with the idea of offering healthy French blueberries of quality from the Médoc region. It was therefore natural for us to obtain the organic certification, which fits with our long-term approach to quality,” explains Jocelyn Joncour, manager of agricultural holdings at Les Jardins Bio du Médoc.
“For blueberries, differentiation is key”
The company mainly targets the French market through supermarkets, as well as stores and wholesalers specialized in organic products. According to Jocelyn Joncour, differentiation is key for the blueberries. “There are different origins on the supermarket shelves. In order to establish yourself, it is necessary to offer a product that is different. And it is precisely what we are trying to accomplish with our local and organic product. We have the feeling that the demand for products ‘made in France’ has increased even more since the Covid crisis. The desire to consume better and more locally is stronger. And unlike in other countries, the French are willing to pay a little more for a product grown near them.”
The French origin is also very interesting because it comes after the Spanish production and precedes the Polish and German season.
“The harvest losses will reach approximately 70% this year”
The Gironde and Landes regions have excellent conditions for the production of blueberries and host two thirds of the French production. However, the farm of Les Jardins Bio du Médoc was not spared by the frost. “We had a lot of delay in the harvest because our first flowers fell with the frost. We are starting this week and it will last only one month instead of two. It is still too early to tell, but we can estimate that we’ve lost 70% of our harvest. The impact of the frost on production is a real issue that is becoming more and more recurrent. We must learn to protect ourselves in the coming years.”
From its creation in 1989 until its conversion, the farm only suffered twice from the frost. But since 2018, two frost episodes have severely impacted the crops, in 2019 and 2021.
Towards zero-plastic packaging
The farm plans to offer zero-plastic packaging for its blueberries by 2022. “Since we offer organic products, the demand for zero-plastic packaging is much greater than for conventional products. We are currently working on this issue and are faced with a number of challenges. Blueberries are indeed a “pleasure” fruit, whose appearance is very important. We must therefore offer cardboard packaging with an opening that allows consumers to see the product they’re buying.”
For more information:
Jocelyn Joncour 
SCEA Les Jardins Bio du Médoc
5900 Route de Blagon – 33680 Le Temple
Mobile: 06 24 23 40 16
[email protected]