The main activities cover 4 months in the year.

The season gets underway by the end of may

and finishes by the end of september.

 

 

The Bois family’s involvement in growing stonefruit is more than 100 years old, both respecting tradition and modernity.

Four generations of the family worked to transmitt their knowhow. Business started in the Rhône Valley and continued in St Gilles, near Nîmes.

  • 1977 : The increasing success of the products drove the family- owned company to develop. Henri Bois moved to Saint-Gilles on the Costières du Gard, an exceptional production area, where early varieties grow thanks to the warmth of the sun. At that time, Henri Bois decided to get his four sons involved in the family business.
  • 1982 : Estagel was launched after the business started and the packhouse was built. Now the Bois family owns 650 hectares spread over 5 areas between st Gilles and Nîmes.
  • 2000 : Estagel is dispatching its first fruit production coming from its property in Portugal. The 4 brothers chose to invest in the south of Europe to provide their customers in top quality fruit earlier in the season.

 

Headoffice

SICA DES COSTIERES D'ESTAGEL
30 800 SAINT-GILLES
FRANCE

Tel 00 33 (0)4 66 01 78 78

Fax 00 33(0)4 66 01 31 98

Managing directors

Christian BOIS
Frédéric BOIS
Henry-Pierre BOIS
Philippe BOIS

Production capacity

15 000 tonnes

Turnover

15 Million d'Euros (France, Begium, UK, Germany, Switzerland...)

Staff

1600 in high season
150 permanent salaried staff

Quality awards

 

  • 1994 : achievement of ISO 9002 Certification for agricultural production, packaging and marketing of peaches, nectarines and apricots.
  • 1994 : Quality award for peach and nectarine exports to germany.
  • 1995 : Regional « Laureat « for french Quality Award ( for all sectors of activity )
  • 1996 : Special distinction to French Quality Award ( for all sectors of activity )
  • 1998 :
    -Preparation to HACCP Guidelines
    -Environnemental policy
  • 2000 : Charte Sud Nature (integrated fruit production)
  • EUREPGAP et BRC to be achieved

 

Marques commerciales

 

  • Estagel
  • Princesse
  • Mas Aubanel
  • Les marques clients

 

The group carries out in 3 activities including production, packing and marketing of stonefruit.


Visiting the orchards...


Fruit production is spread over 6 areas situated 10-15 km around the packhouse. Each farm manager is responsible for applying Estagels’ quality policy. Orchards cares take place all year long.

Planting young trees, or grafting new varieties, prunning and thinning out to enable fruit to develop and grow bigger properly.

During summertime, fruit is harvested at optimum maturity in up to 12 picks per variety.

A phytosanitary control enables us to prevent fruit from insects or diseases damages, with an emphasis on natural solutions, by mastering new techniques of Integrated Controlled Production.



Visiting the packhouse...


Once picked, fruit is delivered to the packhouse, at the headoffice. Then, fruits are picked in several periods, to be sure that :
- only ready to eat fruit will be selected
- fruit is picked at the optimum stage of maturity

On arrival, fruits are checked and quickly cooled down to reach 4°C .

Afterwards, stonefruit are packed to be handled as carefully as possible.

Packing takes place on 6 independant packing lines, where specialized operators sort fruits by hand, according to size and category to place them in wooden or cardboard trays.

Then, high quality fruits are labelled. After all this operations, boxes are piled up and stored in refrigerated rooms before dispatching.



We provide you a regular supply all summer long


The strenght of the group consists in leading all stages of conception of the product, from growing to dispatching of the fruit. As leader in its speciality, Estagel built a strong relationship to its dispatching partners, who trust the company. Efficience and reactivity of the production and dispatching departments allows to meet customers’ higher specifications.

With high standard quality products, Estagel has focused on a market of specialists, who are involved in the promotion of our brands. Trade policy is based on anticipating market situation and on favouring the regular dispatchers to have an accurate preparation of the coming season.