Wines, honey, apple juice, ham or cheeses... On their tables, dozens of producers present this week at the Agricultural Show proudly display their freshly awarded products at the General Agricultural Competition.
Although it has existed for more than 150 years, it is surely the competition best known to the general public, which awards the winners a sticker decorated with an oak leaf, gold, silver or bronze.
Whatever its color, it is above all a guarantee of quality for 100% French products and a boon for producers with an increase in sales which oscillates between 20 and 40%.
This year, there were many to compete, with more than 20,500 registered, all categories combined, for only 2,167 gold medalists.
In order to designate the best products, 7,200 jurors, including 900 amateurs, tasted the samples sent by the producers and anonymized at the time of tasting.
“It’s a logistical challenge
,” admits
Olivier Alleman, general commissioner of the Concours général agricole, to Le
Figaro .
“This year, certain sectors have outperformed with many registered, such as honey.
Conversely, there has been a decline in alcohol such as beer or strong alcohol
,” he explains.
Olivier Alleman is particularly delighted with the presence of young people in the competition who, according to him,
“are the symbol of the vitality of the sector and their appetite for this wonderful profession”
.
Vincent Perrat, 28, is one of the young winners.
The founder and manager of the honey house
“Les bees de Mellonia”
, located in Ain, took part in the competition for the first time.
As a result, its lavender and acacia honeys both won the silver medal.
Only four years after the start of its activity.
“It gives us great visibility and reassures us in our work
,” he emphasizes.
“I am very happy and proud of my bees, symbiosis is the key
,” assures Vincent Perrat, with a smile on his lips.
At the Agricultural Show, the producer has already noticed that many people have come to buy his honey, but
“it remains to be seen if the trend continues once they return to Auvergne”
.
Read alsoAt the agricultural show, Marine Le Pen between selfies and controversies
A prize of excellence
If this is the first medal for Vincent Perrat, others are not at their first attempt and represent the cream of the crop.
This is the case of Jams from the factory, located in Vincennes, which this year received a
“prize of excellence”
.
For twenty years, it has rewarded producers who have received three medals in a row, over three years.
This prize thus attests to
“the exceptional mastery of the know-how of a producer and his exemplary regularity, guarantees of remarkable production”
, according to the General Agricultural Competition.
And since this year, producers have been able to display this price on their award-winning products.
Anastasia Maquet, sales manager of the company, therefore affixed the sticker label to one of the flagship products: a pineapple, passion fruit and vanilla jam.
Behind this recipe hides the mother-in-law of the sales manager, who is a master jam maker.
This flavor alliance has won numerous awards with a gold medal in 2021, bronze in 2022 and silver in 2023.
“In our stores, this represents more than 65% increase in sales
,” explains Anastasia. Model.
Thanks to this increase, the family business was able to launch its website and increase the production of its jam jars.
“We will now try to develop new recipes, particularly with shiso or tonka bean
,” notes Anastasia Maquet.
Read alsoDespite the crisis, Gabriel Attal escapes anger at the Agricultural Show
“He has no right to do less well”
We must believe that family stories result in quality products, like Pierre Virot, son of a winegrower.
A former teacher in the automotive field, he retrained in 2015 to spend his time near the vineyards.
Today at the head of a five-hectare estate in Saône-et-Loire, he has already obtained 8 medals for his wines, including four gold, three silver and one bronze.
“It feels good, it’s the pride of France
,” he says, before turning to his son, Bastien, aged 21.
“I will soon pass the torch to him, within two or three years.
He will have to keep this quality, he has no right to do less well
,” teases the fifty-year-old.
The family's goal now is to obtain a third excellence award.
Pierre Virot is giving himself the means with
“investments to improve quality”
.
In particular, it has improved
“the porosity of its corks”
to retain the exceptional flavors of its organic wines.
So many details which will perhaps make the difference for next year's competition.