Behind the strawberry fields hide some faces, sometimes hidden. Since its opening on May 13, many visitors have gathered at Cueillette de Cergy (Val-d'Oise). "We did not expect such a success," admits Louis Thomassin, production manager.
The 40-hectare farm, where fruits and vegetables can be harvested directly, saw its attendance double compared to last year in the third week of May, with 4,000 visitors. And turnover has also tumbled to reach 40,000 euros!
Lots of new customers
30 km from the capital, the activity allows you to get local products but also to walk. Of the 33 straw hat farms, concentrated in Île-de-France, Hauts-de-France and Grand-Est, the number of checkouts per day has doubled according to Philippe Marguery, network manager .
They are often new customers, young children without children who have come to get some fresh air, as Louis Thomassin testifies: “It is not our usual consumers, who harvest in quantity to make preserves and jams, but customers who wander and buy little, just to plan the evening meal. "
The success was such that, in Val-d'Oise, the operation was forced to close some afternoons, resources being limited at the start of the season. "We must avoid the frustration of the empty field and we did not have enough teams to welcome all visitors," assumes Louis Thomassin.
The company had to hire two additional seasonal workers to apply the barrier measures: hydroalcoholic gel at the entrance, disinfection of the wheelbarrows and distancing at the checkout. Costs that affect the price of fruit and vegetables: an increase of 30 to 50 cents per kilo.
The short circuit trend
The health crisis also delayed the opening of picking by three weeks and the loss is felt throughout the Straw Hat network. The many visitors out of the confinement do not make up for the days lost since mid-April.
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For the animator, the confinement and the constraints of authorized distance will, despite everything, have made it possible to favor local cultures.
The increase in attendance would herald a trend over the season, that of short circuits and of the relationship with the producer: "Unlike big box stores, subject to market variations, the price of a product on June 1 will be the same until October 30. A guarantee of reliability which builds customer loyalty. "
