The founder of the Oté gran mèr brand ! which already exports to mainland France, sees in the collaborative export group the opportunity to explore new distribution channels, including that of delicatessens.
“We are moving towards the option of a global group brand under which everyone will offer products under their own brand”, declares Cédric Daly, founder of the company Tradition 974, known for its wide range of products distributed under the Oté gran mèr brand ! (jams, rougails, pickles, spices, chili pastes…). Treasurer of the Chamber of Trades and Crafts, President of the Union of Agri-Food Processors of Reunion Island (OUTSIDE), Cédric Daly is one of the thirteen entrepreneurs who have positioned themselves to be part of the first collaborative export group in Reunion. He is also himself, largely, at the origin of the realization of this project. “Tradition 974 has been exporting to mainland France since 2017. UTAR was formed to optimize the costs of our raw materials and their processing”, recalls Cédric Daly. "When we heard 
talk about the Export club project, we immediately approached him to find out more. The collaborative export group formula was a discovery for us. I admit that at the start, we were interested, but a little skeptical given the export experiences of each of us. Listening to Cécile Boury, we understood that there was a new possibility there. »
L’exportation : a complex path
It was at the International Agricultural Show that Oté gran mèr ! started selling in 
metropolis. Faced with the growing success of its successive participations in the show, Tradition 974 has decided to move up a gear by creating a production workshop in mainland France. Oté gran mèr products ! distributed in mainland France are made and packaged on site from raw materials imported from Reunion Island. The brand also benefited from distribution in Leclerc stores in Normandy as part of the “La Réunion des talents” operation initiated by Leclerc Réunion.. Although positive, these experiments now show their limits. Developing sales in mainland France requires investing not only in delivery logistics, but also in marketing and commercial prospecting. Cumulative costs that a small craft business can hardly cope with alone. Hence the interest in pooling costs and professional commercial expertise which are attached to the collaborative export group. “We will be able to tackle other metropolitan distribution circuits other than supermarkets. I’m thinking of delicatessens and grocery stores in general.”, confides Cédric Daly. And other European markets ? “We all share the wish to put all our energy, to start, on the metropolis and not to disperse ourselves over too many territories. The current project is on track. Return on investment may take time, but we are confident in its potential”.
