The taste for innovation
Research & development is of paramount importance to Compagnie Fruitière, as it operates in a highly competitive market. An entire department dedicated to innovation has been created whose role is to develop four strategic axes:
- product segmentation
- customer relations
- product diversification
- internal practices
Thanks to the Innovation Incubator, named i-Fruit, the group relies on the participation and ideas of its 20,000 employees. The principle is simple: each employee can suggest an idea; these are collected and evaluated by a Group Innovation Committee according to a scale of specific criteria. Then, they are developed by the employees themselves as part of dedicated projects.
Compagnie Fruitière came 3rd at the Innovafood Fruit and Vegetable Contest for its display stand of bananas sold per unit. Shows are a unique occasion to regularly present to the customers the latest innovations in terms of optimising the processes throughout the chain, gradually eliminating plastic packaging, reducing food waste, etc.
In the spirit of “Open Innovation”, Compagnie Fruitière also builds sustainable partnerships with different types of actors (start-ups, research institutes, NGOs, schools, etc.). The group can thus acquire future solutions to improve its infrastructures, the quality of its products and always be one step ahead.
