Romain Flaujac

When I was very young, I was holding the steering wheel of the tractor, sitting on grandpa’s lap, and we brought the grapes together to the cooperative cellar. I don’t know which one of us was the proudest!

It was in his vineyards that I took my first steps, staggering between the rows of Muscat grapes. It was another time; we knew the land and the bird’s names. How beautiful were his eyes, looking at grandma bringing the food to the vineyard for us and all the workers. The whole team shared the food, sitting under the fig trees to the rhythm of the cicadas… It was the south of France in the 1980’s.

Not far from there, my other grandparents, who were of Spanish origin, produced table grapes, apricots in Perpignan and endives. It was a come and go of trucks that were loaded at the farm. My grandfather negotiated hard – my grandmother managed the packaging teams. The big scale! How I loved this scale, and my grandpa who got annoyed to see me jumping on it all day to make the needle move. We were happy in the country.

Then I grew up. Like many, I went to the big cities, the university, the modern life, far from the cicadas and the tractors of my childhood.

After 20 years of enriching my experience in trade, my meeting with FMI brought me back to my origins. We are not just sales people, hidden in offices; we have a true connection with the farmers. Each visit to a production facility brings back those sweet memories, reminds me of where I come from.

Undoubtedly, it is my past that gives me such great respect for the producers. I understand today that they represent the heroes of my childhood and it is with pride that I defend their work.

More than a job, it is a mission.  Putting high quality products on the table and allowing consumers to rediscover authentic pleasures, in a world that has forgotten to live well and simply. I had never felt such satisfaction in other sectors. As we say, the wheel turns. It is now up to me to pass on these great values.