Orchards and men
It was in 1979, in Casseneuil, in South-West France, that the Unicoque cooperative - originally named Agri-Noisettes - was born. Some pioneers, anxious to secure their agricultural income by diversifying their plantations, organized themselves collectively to make the most of their harvest by creating their own economic tool under cooperative status.
The spirit of the first pioneers still blows on the company since innovation is present at all stages of production. The orchards are sized to be economically viable. Crop management is followed by state-of-the-art processes, particularly with regard to the management of water resources. Harvesting is mechanized, fruit processing uses innovative technical means (optimized drying, optical sorting, lasers, ultrasound, etc.).
The means implemented allow UNICOQUE to guarantee impeccable fruit quality and to rely on a strong brand policy. Since 1979, UNICOQUE has succeeded in the incredible gamble of introducing a new variety of walnut (Lara) on the world market and of federating almost all of the French production of hazelnuts (98%) to increase our market share to 50% of the European market for whole hazelnuts and 1% of the global market share.
The cooperative model that unites the sector is one of the key points for the success of French hazelnuts. Unicoque is one of the 500 most dynamic French companies according to the weekly Les Echos.