A Fair trade brand of milk whose price and production strategy is decided by consumers is now France’s top-selling such product.
C’est qui le Patron?! launched in 2016 with the aim of paying French farmers a fair price for their milk.
More than 14.5 million people have bought its products since launch | Photo: La Marque du Consommateur
It never pays less than production costs, making it a few centimes more expensive than many other brands.
The aim is to attract consumers with a model that challenges the concept of ‘lowest price’, often found in mass retail.
The brand is run by a co-operative, the Société des Consommateurs, and now offers 32 products, including wine, butter, potatoes, yoghurts and chickens, which are sold in 7,265 locations.
It has also expanded internationally, with plans to open in the UK soon. More than 14.5 million people have bought its products since launch and its six-pack of one-litre cartons of milk is now the most-sold milk in its category, the firm recently announced.
This comes despite the fact the firm does not advertise. It is sold in 59% of shops in France.
To date, around 11,400 people have paid a symbolic €1 to become co-operative members and play a part in production strategy.
