“We have just started the early potato campaign,” explains Yoann Morin. The first variety of the season, the Starlette, will be available until the beginning of May. “It is a true early potato in terms of both production and taste. It melts and has a very delicious flavor. We also have other varieties such as the Maïwen, a firm-fleshed potato with a lot of flavor.”
These varieties are cultivated under shelter and without heating. They will then give way to the open field crops from the beginning of May. “The field production takes place on the island of Batz where the soil is fertilized with seaweed. This allows us to enrich our soil with a natural resource and it also gives a little iodine to the potatoes.” Another flagship variety of the island of Batz is the Bleue d'Artois, a variety with blue/purple skin.
“We try to preserve the ‘field to consumer’ feeling”
Biobreizh has chosen to sell its early potatoes in wooden packaging and protect them with a kraft complex. “We try to preserve the field to consumer feeling as much as possible so we avoid manipulating the product too much.” And the products from the Breton island are covered with a traditional headpiece made of cardboard, which consumers can open and close easily to protect from the light.” But this year, the cooperative also wants to sell in bags. “When the potatoes are less fragile, they can be packaged in 1.5 or 2.5 kg bags.”
Biobreizh produces nearly 250 tons of early potatoes grown in open fields and 30 tons under shelter.
An increasingly competitive market
“For the past 2 to 3 years, the market of early potatoes has become increasingly competitive,” in terms of quantity and price. “There has been some decline in consumption and most importantly, the arrival of cheaper imported potatoes. Some stalls have Italian potatoes that arrive a little earlier than ours.”
A competitive market within an already gloomy context. “Early potatoes are a rather difficult crop, so we try to make the most of it. This is partly what explains their price. They must be paid at their fair value.”
For more information:
Yoann Morin
Biobreizh
Phone: 02 98 63 19 03
[email protected]