Bon Dimanche: supporting the agroecological transition of the dairy industry

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The condensed, specialized agricultural model is running out of steam

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Negative externalities force us to rethink agricultural practices 

The vast majority of negative externalities (loss of biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, soil erosion, etc.) attributable to the agri-food sector in the broadest sense originate upstream in the production chain.

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For example, agricultural production accounts for 67% of the sector's carbon emissions.

While this structuring does not absolve the other links in the chain (processing, logistics and distribution, etc.) from the need to become more sober and efficient, it is clear that the major challenge is to encourage changes in agricultural practices at farm level.

Agronomists, researchers and think-tanks all agree on the need to replace mechanical and chemical levers - now widely used - with an approach based more on biological understanding of agricultural systems and respect for the way natural ecosystems function.

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The need for an agro-ecological transition 

Within each territory, on each farm, production must therefore diversify to complement each other, calling for the establishment of a more sustainable and resilient local food system.

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Micro-dairies: an excellent starting point for agricultural renewal 

‍Dairy products in France represent a gigantic market in the throes of transformation.

In France, the dairy products market is estimated at 39 billion euros in 2020, i.e. 1/5th of the agri-food sector.

With a penetration rate close to 99%, these are everyday products. Nearly 80% of French people consume at least one dairy product a day.

The sector is undergoing a major transformation and is moving upmarket , as evidenced by the decline in volume observed over the last 5 years (-5.8%), offset by an increase in value (+5.8%) over the same period.

There are many players on the market today offering plant-based alternatives (milks, yoghurts and even ice creams). 

While these companies are helping consumers eat greener, they rarely have ambitions to support the transition of upstream agricultural sectors. 

And yet, to instill a systemic transformation of the agri-food sector, it is imperative to go beyond the 'product' vision and embrace a 'production mode' vision , involving all stakeholders in a shared transformation project.

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Specialized organic outlets don't really offer local dairy products.

Ecosystem players have high expectations.  

Many consumers and retailers are looking for brands and products that are more respectful of people, animals and the environment.

Among them, specialized organic retailers (GSS Bio) such as Biocoop and La Vie Claire, who are competing with general retailers, are in strong demand for organic AND local products, as demonstrated by the latest Naturalia advertising campaign. 

Indeed, the perceived value proposition of organic food has been slipping for some time, and is no longer enough to convince consumers. 

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Local products are taking over.

Consumers are increasingly interested in local products.

 🌿 More than 9 out of 10 French people associate local products with responsible consumption. That's 11 points more than the 'made in France' label.

📈 41% of French people "often" consume local products. With an increase of 8 points, this is the purchasing criterion that saw the biggest rise among all criteria in 2020.

🧒 73% of young people aged 15 to 30 consider it important to know where the products they consume come from. This trend, which mainly affects young people, is a long-term one, and can only be expected to increase over the next few years.

Today, organic store managers are largely supplied with local grocery products (beers, cookies, etc.), but they are looking for a local offering for their fresh produce departments that is truly adapted to their needs and in line with their constraints, particularly in the dairy segment.

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Among the challenges posed by the GSS Bio are :

• Exclusivity: a brand cannot be listed in both the organic and generalist channels.

• Just-in-time supply: often located in city centers, organic stores have little space to store their goods, which means they need regular deliveries. For the same reason, they are often far from on-farm processing facilities, which are on the increase. Finally, the cost of maintaining the cold chain appears to be an additional difficulty in setting up this type of logistics.

• A partner sales department: managing orders from a multitude of local suppliers requires more time than going through the chain's central purchasing department. In order to accelerate the listing of local products, department managers expect their suppliers to provide operational assistance in the management of commercial relations, from order taking to invoicing, including the scheduling of events.

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That's why Bon Dimanche has developed and markets a tailor-made offer designed specifically for the organic food network. 

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Bon Dimanche offers an original solution: micro-dairies

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Micro-dairy enables local production of dairy desserts

The Bon Dimanche model consists of deploying and operating a network of decentralized micro-dairies, each located on the outskirts of a major French city. 

To obtain their supplies, each micro-dairy forges partnerships (between 2 and 4) with organic and committed dairy farms in the surrounding area. 

Once a week, they collect fresh whole milk from these farms before processing it. 

Downstream in the chain, they set up a contract directly with organic store managers within a radius of less than 150 km to supply them with dairy products. 

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The key to success lies in the joint deployment of a dual product range: 

• ice creams designed to generate value,

• ultra-fresh products (cream desserts and yoghurts) designed to generate volume and repeat purchases.

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All under a strong brand name: Bon Dimanche

Bon Dimanche's ambition is to become a strong brand, emblematic of a local processing and distribution system. 

The project is embodied in a brand of gourmet dairy products that are local (made less than 150km from their point of sale) and support the region's agroecological farms.

While the company's main area of differentiation is local, it has 6 key pillars listed below:

😋 LOVE OF GOOD FOOD: creamy, fragrant products, thanks to recipes that incorporate fresh whole milk and carefully selected ingredients.

🌱 NATURALNESS: a short ingredient list, 100% organic, with no additives or ultra-processed ingredients.

📍 LOCALNESS: a dairy that works directly with breeders and stores less than 150 km away.

🤝 FAIRNESS: organic fair trade-labeled milk in France and 100% fair trade-labeled ingredients from North-South trade.

♻️ ECODESIGN: recyclable packaging, processes and products designed to minimize their environmental impact.

👪 CONVIVIALITY: A multiplicity of products and fragrances, packaged in large formats that encourage sharing.

The aim is to set new consumer standards and become one of the flagship brands of the agroecological transition.

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First ice cream range delivers on its promises

Today, Bon Dimanche markets 4 ice cream flavors created with exclusive recipes - the key to their success! 

Known for their creamy texture and intense fragrance, the recipes are systematically tested by a consumer base before being launched on the market. 

Products are packaged in a single format (400mL jar) to limit the impact of packaging and simplify industrial processes, with the ultimate aim of moving towards a deposit system.

The company has already won over 41 organic stores in and around Paris with this first range of dairy desserts. 

They regularly order and reorder the products.

Feedback from stores and customers has been excellent, as shown in the screenshot below. 

The company was canvassed by other stores, but until February 2023 it was limited by its production capacity, which is no longer the case. 

In February 2023, Bon Dimanche set up its first micro-dairy in Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche. 

And they have no intention of stopping there, aiming to open 11 micro-dairies within the next 5 years!

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Impact is at the heart of its model 

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Impact is at the heart of Bon Dimanche's business model, and is embedded in every stage of the value chain. 

The impact consists of : 

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Ensuring profitable outlets for dairy farmers 

The aim is to get them involved in the agroecological transition of their farms.

After several years of rapid conversion to organic farming, the supply of organic dairy products has recently caught up with demand, and the industry is now looking for new outlets to continue its transition. 

In 2021, over 30% of organic milk was downgraded to the conventional market, leading to a sharp drop in prices that is jeopardizing the efforts and projects of many producers...

The mission guiding the two founders therefore revolves around the implementation of new business models that truly create value in the eyes of consumers, allowing any dairy farmer committed to the agro-ecological transition to extract a fair price from their production.

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Deploy a sustainable and resilient business model: 100% organic, local and fair trade. 

Bon Dimanche works with the Biolait Cooperative, France's leading organic milk collector, which brings together more than 1,000 agro-ecological dairy farms throughout the country around a single mission: 

'Organic everywhere and for everyone'. 

Sincerely committed to sustainable agriculture, the cooperative's specifications go far beyond the requirements of organic certification, with 

• an average grazing time of over 250 days per year for its animals, 
• 100% French food, 
• a genuine commitment to biodiversity, as demonstrated by its collaboration with several naturalist associations such as the French League for the Protection of Birds (LPO).

By directly setting up contracts with the farms in the network, Bon Dimanche aims to implement a complete, functional logistics system for each micro-dairy within a maximum radius of 150 km. 

This local scheme makes it possible to eliminate the vast majority of long logistical flows responsible for an average of 50% of greenhouse gas emissions from agri-food transport, and to approach the transition of 'last mile' logistics to electric power and soft mobility (isothermal cargo bikes, etc.) in a serene way.

Finally, since last year, Biolait milk has joined the Bio Equitable label in France label, guaranteeing a fair price for producers.

What's more, 100% of the ingredients used in the North-South trade, such as cocoa and coffee (5% of supplies by volume), are certified fair trade by Biopartenaire, Max Havelaar or Fair For Life.

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In favor of real food, against ultra-processed food

For several years now, ultra-processed foods have been at the heart of food issues, as they have been blamed for the development of chronic diseases (cardiovascular disease, obesity, etc.).

Ultra-processed foods contain ingredients which are broken down before being put back together again (invert sugar, corn syrup, soy protein, wheat gluten, etc.) as well as numerous additives (xanthan gum, acacia fiber, etc.) with no nutritional value, aimed solely at improving taste, appearance, texture, etc. 

In France, 69% of the food products available in supermarkets are ultra-processed, according to SIGA, a company that has set up an index to assess the degree of food processing.

Bon Dimanche is determined to ban all ultra-processing ingredients from their recipes.

With this in mind, they developed the first range of ice creams without additives or ultra-processed ingredients, while guaranteeing a sufficiently long shelf life of 6 months for their store customers.

Bon Dimanche is also a member of the 'simple ingredients' movement launched by Goum in partnership with Scan UP. Their products comply with this averment, which rewards products that are close to 'homemade' quality. Specifications are available in open source on the goum.co website.

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For all these reasons, we're very proud to help Bon Dimanche set up micro-dairies and continue offering organic, local and gourmet dairy desserts. 

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