[Press release] The leading impact-driven programme in France and Europe, TRANSITIONS welcomes new partners and opens a new strategic phase: TRANSITIONS 2030
A pioneering innovation program for productive, regenerative, low-carbon agriculture that promotes soil health and biodiversity, ever since it was launched by VIVESCIA cooperative group and its first partners¹ in September 2023, TRANSITIONS has always pursued a resolutely collective approach.
At the TRANSITIONS day, organized on Monday 23 February at the Paris International Agricultural Show, several new partners announced that they were joining the programme and the TRANSITIONS coalition:
- Downstream food processing: Bimbo QSR & McDonald’s France, Pernod Ricard, Panzani.
- Upstream agricultural supplies: OCP Nutricrops
- Cooperative duplication of the programme: Valfrance
At the TRANSITIONS roundtable, the president of VIVESCIA, Christoph Büren, announced the cooperative group’s intention to launch a new phase in its strategy: TRANSITIONS 2030.
“TRANSITIONS embodies an optimistic vision of agriculture: a forward-looking model that reconciles sustainability, innovation, and productivity. It is a science-based programme, at the level of the farm, that relies on a controlled, robust, certified data chain, with a constant concern for mitigating the financial and technical risk to farmers.
After three years of learning together and building this programme with the farmers, as well as our various agri-food, scientific, institutional, and technical partners — those that have been with us since the beginning and those who joined more recently — it is now time to open up a second phase in our pioneering programme.
We are already starting to think about how to make TRANSITIONS a benchmark strategic platform, and even more collaborative, in the service of French farming and its European value chains,” explains Christoph Büren.
Downstream, the coalition has been strengthened with the arrival of several leading agri-food players: Panzani, Bimbo QSR (a customer of Grands Moulins de Paris) and McDonald’s France.
Albert Mathieu, CEO of PANZANI: “In joining TRANSITIONS, Panzani is reaffirming its conviction that the resilience of the French durum wheat industry is established over the long term, alongside farmers in the heart of our regions, and through common dialogue that brings together all of the coalition’s partners around shared progress. Our commitment is based on two strategic priorities. On the one hand, a collective effort to develop a new durum wheat production area in north-east France, a region with high potential for climate resilience. On the other hand, to work together, in a logic of continuous improvement, to develop regenerative agriculture at the level of individual farms, to promote soil health, biodiversity and decarbonization. This is completely in line with our 2030 targets: for 100% of the durum wheat we source for the pasta we make in France to be from sustainable or regenerative agriculture, and to help upstream agriculture in its transition.”
From left to right: Christoph Büren, President of VIVESCIA; Valérie Frapier, Director of the TRANSITIONS programme; Albert Mathieu, CEO of PANZANI
Inès Zerilli, Key Account, Procurement & Sustainable Sourcing Director, Bimbo QSR: “Joining the TRANSITIONS programme marks a new step for Bimbo QSR France. We want to accelerate the transition of our wheat value chain alongside our milling and cooperative partners, as well as our customer, McDonald’s France, to reconcile profitability, product quality, and environmental progress. This commitment is also a reflection of our desire to provide real support for CRC Label Rouge-certified farmers and to create a more resilient supply chain. Launched in September 2021 with two cooperative partners and 43 farmers, our pilot project, ARA Blé — devoted to regenerative agriculture and agroforestry in the wheat industry — taught us some valuable lessons. Thanks to this experience, we are now ready to scale up to the entire value chain, and the TRANSITIONS programme provides a framework that is fully aligned with our targets.”
Guillaume de Beaurepaire, Director of Procurement, Quality, Logistics and Environment, McDonald’s France: “With the TRANSITIONS programme, McDonald’s France is stepping up its support for French agriculture. In partnership with its suppliers, including Bimbo QSR France, the aim is to accelerate the transition of agricultural practices, to sustainably support farmers, and to reduce the carbon footprint of our procurement. This programme is the confirmation of our value chain strategy and translates a clear ambition for the wheat value chain: for 100% wheat of McDonald’s France wheat sourcing to come from regenerative agriculture by 2030.”
From left to right: Christophe Duchez, Sales Director, Grands Moulins de Paris;
Valérie Frapier, Director of the TRANSITIONS programme; Guillaume de Beaurepaire, Director of Procurement, Quality, Logistics and Environment at McDonald’s France;
Inès Zerilli, Key Account, Procurement & Sustainable Sourcing Director, Bimbo QSR
This event was also the opportunity to officially welcome Pernod Ricard, which joined the coalition last October.
From left to right: Valérie Frapier, Director of the TRANSITIONS programme; Ugo Sidoli, Sustainable Development Director, Sedamyl; Morgane Yvergniaux, Climate and Nature, Pernod Ricard
The upstream value chain is also committed, as illustrated by the addition of OCP Nutricrops to the coalition of partners.
Kawtar Benkhraba, Executive Vice President of OCP Nutricrops’ Green Solution Business Unit, says: “The transition to more regenerative agriculture with a lower carbon footprint relies on solid partnerships, based on science, dialogue and innovation. For OCP Nutricrops, this coalition is an opportunity to step up dialogue and cooperation with other players along the agricultural value chain. It’s by pooling our expertise and best practices that we will be able to contribute to the transformation of agricultural models, for the benefit of farmers, food safety, and the climate.”
From left to right: Valérie Frapier, Director of the TRANSITIONS programme; Christoph Büren, President of VIVESCIA; Kawtar Benkhraba, Vice President of OCP Nutricrops’ Green Solution Business Unit
The Valfrance cooperative joins the programme, becoming the second cooperative to duplicate the programme, after Noriap, in February 2025.
Christophe Grison, President of Valfrance: “We are joining the TRANSITIONS programme to build an agricultural model that appeals to and unites farmers. We want to help our members change their farming model! We will leverage our value-added supply chains to promote this sustainable agriculture, which aims to mitigate and adapt to climate change, while protecting biodiversity and the soil. TRANSITIONS is completely in line with our future vision for Valfrance, which recently adopted the French “Société à Mission” legal framework!”
From left to right: David Saelens, President of Noriap; Valérie Frapier, Director of the TRANSITIONS programme; Laurent Vittoz, Managing Director of Valfrance; Christophe Grison, President of Valfrance; Christoph Büren, President of VIVESCIA
¹Earliest partners, 2023: Avril/Saipol, Etea Sédamyl, Roquette, Tereos, Malteurop, Grands Moulins de Paris, and Kalizéa
