zzini, Director General of the Unicoque co-operative, based in Cancon, is joint winner of the 'Aquitaine of the year'' prize in the Lot-et-Garonne. Continually growing since the start, with over 8,000 tonnes produced per year, the Lot-et-Garonne co-operative can face up to, and hold their own in a global market dominated by Turkey's figures which are one hundred times more considerable.
The small hazelnut from the Lot-et-Garonne is actually not really that small. On the contrary. The co-operative has aimed from the beginning for a niche market: big fruit. In this field it offers the brand: Koki.
Today Unicoque has grouped together 400 Lot-et-Garonne and Tarn-et-Garonne producers, joined by producers from the Gers, the Gironde and Charente-Maritime. They have generated a turnover of over 22 million Euro and directly employ 80 people.
The co-operative has also expanded its panel of end clients. With its large fruit, it initially targeted Belgian, German and French clients. Since then, they developed a nut-cracking workshop to supply to the chocolate and spread industries.
They are opening up to the possibilities of new markets.
Keeping optimistic, Christian Pezzini's aim is to ''triple the production between now and 2030'', by concentrating on new export markets.
In order to do so, the co-operative must continue investing. This year it will have a new building destined for dispatch. At the same time, it must also expand its capacities for storage, nut-cracking and packaging.
This will not just be a material investment: to keep up the momentum, the co-operative must also supply efforts in terms of research and development. This is something that they have already started: in 2012, they received the gold medal ''Eau'' innovation Trophy at the International Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Salon (Siad) in Agen, after putting in place a management system using radio waves in the irrigation system to reduce the amount taken from the natural environment.
The estimated investment budget cost for the objectives of Cancon's co-operative: about thirty million Euro. The price to pay so that the Koki hazelnut does not break its shell on a market which, as well as already being competitive, is attracting new industries.
