Hall 1, Stand M103
A first participation to highlight an independent cooperative model
Founded forty years ago in Normandy by dairy producers determined to collectively control their future, Les Maîtres Laitiers has built an integrated cooperative group now operating nationwide. This first participation in the International Agricultural Show represents a pivotal moment in the group’s history, choosing this flagship event to promote its model and assert its role within the French agricultural and agri-food ecosystem.
Through this presence, Les Maîtres Laitiers emphasize the uniqueness of their cooperative governance. Entirely owned by its producer-members, the group is built on a fundamental democratic principle: one member, one vote, ensuring independence, stability in strategic choices, and prioritization of people. The Show thus serves as a key opportunity to explain a long-term model based on collective responsibility, knowledge transfer, and strategic decision-making.
“This first participation in the Paris International Agricultural Show allows Les Maîtres Laitiers to highlight what makes us unique: an independent cooperative model, owned by producers and structured across the entire food chain. A model that is both distinctive and capable of sustainably contributing to French food sovereignty,” says Valérie Blandin, President of Les Maîtres Laitiers.
A structured commitment to supporting food sovereignty
The participation of Les Maîtres Laitiers in the International Agricultural Show fully reflects the group’s mission: to actively support French food sovereignty. Feeding France is a daily commitment, based on collective control of the entire value chain and the promotion of French dairy expertise. By bringing together producers, processors, and distributors within a single organization, the group secures supply, guarantees product quality, and strengthens the resilience of French agri-food sectors.
This commitment translates into concrete actions, such as fair compensation for producers, maintaining employment in local areas, and continuous investment in industrial and logistical facilities. In a context marked by economic, climatic, and geopolitical challenges, Les Maîtres Laitiers assert their role as a structuring actor in the French food system, capable of providing sustainable solutions to issues of security, autonomy, and competitiveness.
A unique integrated model, from farm to fork
Les Maîtres Laitiers operate a unique integrated model in France, built around three complementary activities: Producer, Processor, and Distributor. Cooperative producers form the foundation of the group, supplying their own milk and actively participating in governance. Processing facilities, located exclusively in France, enable the group to add value to milk while respecting traditional expertise and the highest sanitary standards. Finally, through its national distribution network France Frais, the group manages its outlets and brings agricultural production closer to markets and consumers, including catering and specialty food sectors.
Fully independent and 100% owned by its cooperative producers, the group embodies a modern model that balances economic performance, social responsibility, and industrial ambition. This integrated, farm-to-fork approach ensures coherent decision-making and value creation across the entire food chain, while preparing for the future of the sector.
| LES MAITRES LAITIERS - KEY FIGURES | |
|---|---|
| Revenue | €2.7+ billion |
| Employees | 6,000+ |
| Cooperative producers | 1,000+ |
| Farms | 600 |
| Processing sites | 9 |
| Liters of milk processed | 600+ million |
| France Frais distribution sites | 120 |