Clémence DUCROQUET-TALLEU

Seven farms combine their strengths and impact

The Coopérative Lait Prairies du Boulonnais is already ten years old. It was created in 2014 at the instigation of the Caps et Marais d’Opale Regional Nature Park. ‘At the time, the dairy industry was in crisis. It was neither the first nor the last, but the park’s ambition was to enable farmers to continue their activity, which was helping to preserve the region’s meadows, biodiversity and water basins,’ explains Clémence Ducroquet-Talleu, the cooperative’s director.

Giving meaning back to the job of dairy farmer

y bringing together seven farms within the cooperative, the first benefit is pooling production, as well as equipment for collection, pasteurisation, packaging and processing (yoghurts, cream desserts, white cheese, etc.).

Over the years, this model has proved that it works, with sales increasing by 20% a year. At the same time, the region’s customer base has diversified to include supermarkets, small independent shops, the hotel trade and local authorities in schools and hospitals.

‘Becoming a cooperative is in fact a way of putting meaning back into the job of dairy farmer,’ says Clémence Ducroquet-Talleu. This way, we are enhancing the value of our work by creating a direct link with our customers and consumers. We’re also adding value in economic terms, because we’ve made a commitment to the farmers in the cooperative to buy their milk 20% more expensively than conventional suppliers. Lastly, it’s a way of promoting our region. We advocate environmentally friendly dairy farming based on pasture in summer and meadows for hay production in winter. It was this new-found sense of purpose that motivated Clémence Ducroquet-Talleu to become Director of the cooperative in 2021: ‘As the wife of a dairy farmer, I realized that there were a lot of hours worked for too little recognition. So I was keen to get involved to help develop the cooperative further.

Increasing the impact

Currently, of the 4,000,000 litres of milk produced annually by the seven farms, 10% is processed directly by the cooperative. ‘It’s still not a huge amount. But it also shows how important it is to grow in order to have a greater impact on the farms.

As a result, the cooperative decided to capitalize on its strengths and expand its processing plant to increase its capacity and even reach other markets. In 2024, it installed a new milk sterilization line that also enables it to package milk in returnable glass bottles. ‘We also wanted to reduce the carbon footprint of our production. That’s why we started working with a specialist distributor, Le Fourgon.
To support these transformations, the cooperative has obtained financial backing from the Region, the national water agency, banks like Crédit Mutuel and CIC and the semi-public investment fund Finopra. Convinced by the relevance of its model and its commitment to both the region and the environment, France Active has also granted it an equity loan.

The new workshop is now on track. ‘Our aim is to process 25% of the farm’s milk there by the end of 2025,’ concludes Clémence Ducroquet-Talleu.