PRESIDENT
Pierre CINIER (Managing Director STL)
"World Mustard Capital": the economic reality of the Dijon area supports this statement. The Unilever group employs 600 people in Dijon and is responsible for 80 % of the world production of Dijon mustard. Three other mustard producers (Kuhne, Reine de Dijon and Fallot) are also established in the region.
The installation of Unilever’s European Centre for Innovation specialised in cold sauces (70 researchers and technicians of more than 14 different nationalities) is recognition of the R & D knowledge present in Dijon in this field.
Mustard, however, is not the only element of the Condiments Fruit and Vegetables Company Cluster of Vitagora that can claim an historic link with the region. Burgundy is also a major centre for the production of blackcurrants. Packed with nutritional properties (vitamins, antioxidants etc.), blackcurrants have been the subject of scientific studies that have supported this fruit’s reputation for positive health benefits.
The cultivation of onions, garlic and shallots – more products whose reputed health virtues remain to be explored – is an important sector for the region. Burgundy is indeed the biggest onion producing region in France. The company STL (Société de Transformation de Légumes) based in Villers-Les-Pots is Europe’s second largest business for the dehydration of onions.
For the activities of dehydration and processing of vegetables, STL is joined in the Vitagora Company Cluster by Villers SAS, a subsidiary of the DIANA group. Other participants from outside of the Burgundy region are also associated with Vitagora, such as Comité Nord Plants de Pomme de Terre and Original Process.
The Mustard branch of the cluster groups the following participants
Growers – Association De Moutarde de Bourgogne etc. Storage organisations Interprofessional organisations Mustard producers – Amora-Maille (Unilever), Reine de Dijon, Kuhne, Fallot.
Red fruit growers in the region are represented by the Coopérative Agricole de Fruits Rouges de Bourgogne and Socofruit Bourgogne.
In order to exploit the nutritional values of fruit and vegetables, the cluster draws on the R & D knowledge in the field of agronomy of INSERM, INRA, ENESAD, University of Burgundy, and private laboratories such as Sediag, Spiral and Original Process. Partnerships for follow-up activities are also planned with health industry players such as Merck and Urgo. CEPIEC and CNRT Packaging-Conditioning also contribute their expertise in the field of packaging and conditioning.
Shed a new light on the industry sector and propose solutions that will allow the optimisation of new and existing avenues of product development, with respect to scientific, technological and economic factors.
Allow the fabrication of high value-added ingredients from fruit and vegetables and the exploitation of their “health values”.
Preserve the nutritional properties of fruit and vegetables in respect of the principles of “the logic of the living”.
Use biological tests in order to evaluate potential nutritional values.
Research priorities:
Search for new leads for adding value to onions in terms of their health values, using initial activities as a starting point (dehydrating and sterilisation) and moving towards cooking preparations and new health products.
Add value to vegetable by-products through the creation of a platform for the extraction of polyphenols and other antioxidant molecules of plant origin, with the aim of marketing a whole range of high value-added products, principally enriched with polyphenols.
Develop new, natural products that optimise growth and resistance mechanisms (fruit and vegetables) while improving quality and production and respecting the principle of sustainable development.
Find interesting new outlets (blackcurrant berries and buds) and optimise varieties according to their end usage.
Strengthen the mustard industry sector in Burgundy through the establishment of mustard seed growing nearby to production sites. This project has been underway for a number of years and also aims to create an Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP – label of origin for a product in relation to a specified geographic zone) for “Burgundy Mustard”.
Research into the contribution of packaging and conditioning to the conservation of nutritional and taste values in fruit and vegetables.
Pierre CINIER03 80 77 47 47pierre.cinier@dijon-cereales.fr
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