Our chain

98% of gherkins consumed in France do not come from France. Our ambition: to put French gherkins back on the shelves! As a gherkin specialist, we want to take up the challenge of sustainable, large-scale relocation of this exceptional fruit. Working within the supply chain is truly part of the company's DNA.

Behind HUGO is a veritable French gherkin team that has come together since 2016, for a sector driven by around twenty motivated farmers. Together, they are proud to have created HUGO to continue to promote gherkins, but not just any gherkin: the French gherkin, of course!

To enable them to develop the sector in ideal conditions, the Reitzel SME is committed to working alongside them with reassuring guarantees, including :

Crop insurance in the event of weather-related losses. Farmers are compensated up to the amount of their installation costs, to avoid any loss of money.
Regular technical support, provided by Reitzel's agricultural engineers in the field, to help them relearn how to grow gherkins.
100% of the gherkins that leave the field, whatever their size, are bought and used in Reitzel recipes.
Reitzel has always remained true to its values, close to those who cultivate the land. It is partly thanks to this experience that the French SME has succeeded in building up and mastering its supply chains, and is now in a position to meet the growing demand on the French market.

TASTY AND DEMANDING: FRENCH GHERKINS HAVE TO BE EARNED!

Delicious but fickle, the gherkin does not grow below 15°C and not above 35°C. In France, the climate means that gherkins can only be harvested once a year: in the summer!

Gherkins can't be harvested mechanically, so they have to be picked by hand. While the fruit can double in size in the space of a day, each plant requires at least one pass a day to ensure that all sizes are picked!

Packed in jars as soon as they are picked, they retain the best of our terroirs: the sunshine and the demanding know-how of French growers.

"By working with Reitzel, I can contribute to the relocation and revival of a sector that we saw disappear in the 1990s. Gherkins are a demanding crop, and we're delighted to see that Reitzel is adding even more value to our work with a brand dedicated to French production! And we're even happier to see the enthusiasm of the French on the shelves, for the fruit of our labour."
Denis Billault, farmer in Ouchamps (Loir-et-Cher), working with Reitzel since 2017.