Consumption in this country has fallen by 6It may not even suspect load the boat because 104 because only regarded as a party of whitesNo doubt referred to the repair of the damaged pipelineYet most of them would still lose money this yearA technical master position that enthusiasmMathieu Blondel specialist of the firm Arthur dBeing at the crossroads seems to please himOur ability to invest remains very strongBut it all depends on the definition of incidentPrompt action, Marie - Laurence Gouraud catch a hot pizza, just out of the oven. The dough is soft and crispy wish. Barely time to taste it crosses the workshop of production to be in charge, described tomato sauce mitonnée House, casting a watchful eye on the conduct of operations. This energetic woman is a young lady Bugra, one of the three heirs of the Société des Etablissements Bugra, more known under the name of Sodebo. A real institution in Saint-Georges-de-Montaigu (Vendée), which was given mission is to make it more tasty snack of the midi installation. A kind of family creed: "This is not because you eat a sandwich or a pancake filled with that one must renounce the flavours", believes the younger sister, Patricia Brochard. "Even on the go, she explains, you eat with pleasure." It is this concern that has guided the creation of the PastaBox, a new product to be launched in April in the market. "Pleasure, and quality. For more than thirty years, this strategic positioning made the success of Sodebo. A small family business, become a generation number a caterer in large Ray French.
Joseph Bougro, the head of the family and founder of the society, should have been hairdresser. But, at twenty-five years, he decided to barter the scissors for knives. In 1960, he opened with his wife, Simone, a deli in Saint-Georges-de-Montaigu prepares small dishes, pies savoury, explores the customer in the region, already a golden rule: priority to quality. During the holidays, while the deli-catering prosperous, his three daughters and their friends give a helping hand. "It was the only way to see a little parents, and then they liked it", remembers Bénédicte Mercier, the last of the girls. "I was looking forward to working with parents," said Marie-Laurence, entered the family business in 1982. At the age of forty-six, the eldest displays intact passion for the plant. A passion she shared with her father, who passed in 2000 the reins to the female trio. The founding couple, which form the Supervisory Board of Sodebo, is, in principle, more operational. However, Joseph Bougro never fails to verify that all goes well, and in its vast Office in promontory, Simone still love to take a look on the invoices... All five today welcomed the refusal of banks to support the start of the adventure in 1973. "It is is unraveled without bankers, thus ensuring our total independence." "It is a true happiness being accountable to anyone," welcomed Patricia, in charge of marketing.
The spirit of family, this is grown
The family spirit permeates to the administrative, very futuristic building designed by architect Francis Mercier, one of the sons-in-law. Around a large patio ornamented with lush vegetation. The two other husbands, Jean-François Brochard and Gaël Gouraud as early as 14 years, working the summer at the deli are guiding business. Hard to imagine that this large agri-food business, net sales of EUR 470 million in 2008 (against 450 million the previous year) is property to 100 of the Bugra couple and their three daughters. "Continued to self-finance our expansion", explains Marie-Laurence. He must see it travel with pride the kilometres of roads in this "Sodeboland" that extends, in the heart of the Vendée, on 70 hectares... Here, it is not short on space, acquired through the development of the company. Since the first purchase of hectares in this industrial area, there were 30 extensions. In the Middle, 7 production units cover 18 hectares. Inside plants, are not homework on volumes. Wide corridors lead to workshops of spacious and aseptic manufacturing have flourished, under the attentive eye of employees dressed in white of the feet to the head, mask and including charlotte, robots of all sizes, designed by the engineers House. Example: the machine that cut the thin slices of goat for pizza cheese is equipped with a laser beam that prepares Cup and avoid erosion. These robots are one of the secrets jealously guarded, Queens of the fresh pizza. "When it decides to launch a product, we do make the machines so that they mimic more closely the actions of the craftsman," explains Patricia. Direct reference to the genetic code of the House. Nobody forgets, and certainly not the girls, the artisanal qualities of the paternal deli. The success of this family was to develop this expertise of small trader on an industrial scale. And not to become industrial pizza or sandwich. "We manufacture bread without any conservative 20." Same thing for our pasta to pizza and our sauces. "Less on subcontracts, more you can be sure of the quality and taste," says Marie-Laurence responsible for R & d and engineering of this company, which employs 2,000 employees. To get these quality products, the company control throughout the manufacturing chain. Bénédicte, in charge of procurement, has an eye on all shipments, and its teams monitor closely any ingredients with the help of the laboratory. Built 10 years ago by Joseph Bougro "to please his daughter", the latter fully employed. The establishment is well underway, and more than 300 products are analysed by day.
Since Joseph Bougro decided, in 1978, to renounce his pie to tomato trays of aluminium, for the benefit of a base of bread dough recipe was a success immediate supermarket area, the family has continued to innovate. With his find, the Vendée caterer becomes the first French pizza, and turnover of Sodebo will experience exponential growth, to the rhythm of the hard work of all the family. "There was a momentum." "We had wanted to go," remembers Patricia, leaving slipping, mi-fataliste, mi-souriante: "We were programmed." So it performs its courses of the school of commerce of Angers in the paternal company.
The era of sailing sponsorship
Twenty years later, in 1998, Sodebo holds 40 of the French market for fresh pizza and launches on the market of the sandwich, dominated by Daunat, for major retail brands. A diversification which will take him to invest 280 million francs (42,65 EUR) between 1997 and 1999. Here again, the company is the first to propose its sandwiches in transparent foils plastic boxes. "It is essential that the consumer channel product," said Patricia. And it's always the rule: the PastaBox also have their plastic window.
At the time, vendéenne firm passes Cape of 1 billion francs in sales and employs 1,000 employees. The company sells 60 million pizzas a year (today, it is double), half of them under its brand, which is totally unknown.
This image gap, girls are determined to combat it. In the family, if no one has the marine foot, each found the breakthrough in notoriety of other businesses Vendée sailing sponsorship. Sodebo decided therefore to follow in the footsteps of Fleury Michon or PRB. The group to finance the construction of a monohull its colors for the Route du rhum 1998. Despite the setbacks caused by a rogue first skippeur, the Bugra continue the adventure in the race off the coast with Thomas Coville. Ten years later, the family had the tear to the eye, January 17, on the pontoons of the port of Brest, to the arrival of the round the world solo from their skippeur on the maxi trimaran "Sodebo." And the result is there: the rate of spontaneous brand awareness Sodebo progresses. In 2007, he was already 35 for sandwiches, and 39 for pizza.
This success, the Bugra make benefit their employees. Attentive to the conditions of work, Sodebo inaugurate in June the first crèche private in Vendée. With 60 seats, it will be open from 7 to 7 p.m., and complemented by daycare relay at home, for employees who have staggered schedules. "It must promote the balance between private and professional life," punctuates Patricia. Participation is more notable (but confidential) in salary, and training and internal promotions are preferred. But are not going to talk about trade unions... In Sodebo, everything is done to make them unnecessary. "It was built with employees." They are part of the company. "This is the advantage of being family," concludes the youngest, is often the voice of these three young women, which the complementarities of nature appear to enrich, day after day, this "success story".
