CORENET STORIES: TRANSFORMING SURPLUS PRODUCE INTO VALUE IN BRITTANY, FRANCE
Near Rennes, a collective facility enables 60 local farmers to convert unsold fruits and vegetables into jams, soups, and spreads, promoting resource efficiency and reducing food waste
Near Rennes, in Brittany, France, a cooperative processing facility is helping 60 local organic fruit and vegetable growers turn unsold produce into high-quality jars of jams, soups, and spreads. Over the course of a year, the facility processes around 12 tonnes of surplus fruits and vegetables, giving growers a practical way to reduce waste and add value to their products.
Growers bring their surpluses to the facility, where recipes, jar sizes, and labels are developed collaboratively. By the end of the day, farmers leave with ready-to-sell jars that they can distribute through their own sales channels, such as vegetable box subscriptions, local farming associations (AMAPs), or farm shops.
“The main challenge for individual producers is the investment and equipment required to run a full processing facility,” says Mickaël Berthelot, co-founder of Trans Farm Earth. “By pooling resources, we can offer a wide range of products that no single farm could manage alone, while empowering producers and minimizing food waste”.
With 60 growers already participating, the initiative demonstrates how collaboration, shared infrastructure, and local innovation can strengthen short food supply chains, providing both environmental and economic benefits.
Discover more in the video
