AGRIBIO
Agribio brings six cooperators from the agricultural sector together .
Their flour does not contain any additives, even those authorised for organic farming. The industrialists use additives to improve the baking value and stabilize the flour. These additives are of various kinds: preservatives, enzymes, proteins of an origin other than that of wheat.
Agribio ensures the storage, processing and marketing of certified organic cereal productions.
It is located in Buzin (Havelange) and it is through a bakery that it markets bread from disused farm buildings.
The objective is to get out of the system and re-appropriate the market with products that integrate an environmental and societal dimension.
The development work was carried out using local materials and local companies.
As the harvests are ground and made into bread on site, the cooperative makes considerable savings on transport and the integration into an active farm allows a large part of the by-products (litter, animal feed, compost) to be recovered.
Solar panels contribute 15% of the electricity needed to run the machines.
This relocation of crop processing has made it possible to create around ten local jobs. The bakery activity started with a cooperation with a reintegration centre.
The cooperative also takes in students for internships or for end-of-study work.
Agrobio provides an outlet with an agreed price for suppliers and, as it is also a farmers' initiative, it gives an important place to the fair remuneration of work.
The turnover has increased from € 550,000 in 2012 to € 921,000 in 2014. This increase is mainly due to the development of the bakery.
For the production of flour, they have installed Astrié type mills in Buzin, next to the crops. These are French mills (Normandy) built by a craftsman.
The main characteristic of this type of mill is the millstone which is made of natural granite and the way it is cut. This millstone allows a slow grinding and therefore without heating the flour.
The top speed of these mills does not exceed 20 (kilos) per hour!
This is obviously very slow compared to other mills.
The qualities of a flour labelled organic vary according to the type of milling, whether artisanal or industrial.
The advantages of an artisanal flour compared to an industrial one:
The milling speed prevents the flour from heating up.
The wheat germ is preserved. In the case of industrial mills, the germ is deliberately removed because it is rich in fats that can turn rancid and shorten the storage time and it is recovered separately. The shelf life of artisanal flours is about 6 months, whereas industrial flours can be kept for more than 1 year.
Their flour does not contain any additives, even those authorised for organic farming. The industrialists use additives to improve the baking value and stabilize the flour. These additives are of various kinds: preservatives, enzymes, proteins of an origin other than that of wheat.
Agribio ensures the storage, processing and marketing of certified organic cereal productions.
It is located in Buzin (Havelange) and it is through a bakery that it markets bread from disused farm buildings.
The objective is to get out of the system and re-appropriate the market with products that integrate an environmental and societal dimension.
The development work was carried out using local materials and local companies.
As the harvests are ground and made into bread on site, the cooperative makes considerable savings on transport and the integration into an active farm allows a large part of the by-products (litter, animal feed, compost) to be recovered.
Solar panels contribute 15% of the electricity needed to run the machines.
This relocation of crop processing has made it possible to create around ten local jobs. The bakery activity started with a cooperation with a reintegration centre.
The cooperative also takes in students for internships or for end-of-study work.
Agrobio provides an outlet with an agreed price for suppliers and, as it is also a farmers' initiative, it gives an important place to the fair remuneration of work.
The turnover has increased from € 550,000 in 2012 to € 921,000 in 2014. This increase is mainly due to the development of the bakery.
For the production of flour, they have installed Astrié type mills in Buzin, next to the crops. These are French mills (Normandy) built by a craftsman.
The main characteristic of this type of mill is the millstone which is made of natural granite and the way it is cut. This millstone allows a slow grinding and therefore without heating the flour.
The top speed of these mills does not exceed 20 (kilos) per hour!
This is obviously very slow compared to other mills.
The qualities of a flour labelled organic vary according to the type of milling, whether artisanal or industrial.
The advantages of an artisanal flour compared to an industrial one:
The milling speed prevents the flour from heating up.
The wheat germ is preserved. In the case of industrial mills, the germ is deliberately removed because it is rich in fats that can turn rancid and shorten the storage time and it is recovered separately. The shelf life of artisanal flours is about 6 months, whereas industrial flours can be kept for more than 1 year.