Gilles Gérard (Luxlait): From White to Green
CREATED IN 1894, LUXLAIT HAS INVESTED MORE THAN €200 MILLION SINCE 2009 TO MODERNIZE ITS PRODUCTION. FOURTEEN YEARS LATER, THE COMPANY IS STILL ADOPTING INNOVATIONS TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE IN THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET.
"PEOPLE WHO CAN AFFORD IT MUST SUPPORT SHORT CIRCUITS."
Can you describe Luxlait in a few words?
I would say, we are the Cream of the Crop.
A dairy like no other.......With 130 years of experience, over 25,000 cows and one of the most modern production facilities in the world, our dairy is located in the heart of Luxembourg.
Equipped with the latest technology, Luxlait, with its 350 references, offers an extremely wide range of dairy products of exceptional quality, and specializes in the production of world products.
Our ultra-modern plant can produce almost any dairy product a consumer or customer might expect.
Today it's a group with over 700 employees (400 staff and 300 members), processing over 200 million liters of milk and generating sales of over 160 million euros.
Luxlait exports over 70% of its products worldwide under its own brand and private label.
From large to small batches, our company is flexible and highly responsive.
Luxlait has numerous certifications, such as IFS Food at the highest level, Halal, Organic, and many others, attesting to its dedication to rigorous standards of quality and compliance.
Luxlait has invested over 200 million euros over the past 20 years to become an efficient, innovative and technologically advanced company.
Luxlait aims to be an eco- responsible, sustainable company. In fact, it boasts the largest industrial roof in Luxembourg, equipped with photovoltaic panels.
Luxlait has based its economic development on environmental protection and equitable social development.
We are also 3.5% share- holders in Solarec, the largest dairy in Belgium, which produces 1.4 billion liters of milk a year.
How do you see the future?
We have grown by 30% over the last five years, mainly thanks to our innovation. We produce 350 products: Fresh milk, UHT milk, flavored milk, cream, yogurts, cottage cheese, Gouda, Emmental, ice cream, and butter. We continue to cultivate our specialties in this field with new “trendy” products such as kefir or Skyr. On a personal level, I have made eco-responsibility, sustain- ability, and animal welfare my priorities since I was appointed CEO in 2018. I hope that legislation will soon require products to have a carbon footprint so that people can make an informed choice about the products they consume. I believe that people who can afford it should sup- port short circuits. Some of the products sold in supermarkets have traveled around the world, whereas our Luxlait products are all local. What is certain is that we must be extremely active to remain competitive: Electricity and gas prices have doubled and, in its desire, to save the planet, the EU sometimes puts constraints in place so brutally that they constrain the activity of many farmers. All the players in the sector must remain in close contact with consumers and with the reality on the ground. As a member of the European Dairy Association and the German, French, and Belgian confederations - our three largest markets in order - I remain very much in touch with the evolution of our industry. Luxembourg has an excellent image in our sector, which is a guarantee of security for the future.
How is your business complex?
I'll give you three examples: First, cows are not machines, which means that the volumes produced vary over the weeks and months. A liter of milk has an average of 4.2% fat, so it takes 9 liters to produce a liter of 36% cream. Secondly, few people realize that fresh milk cannot be stored: It must be processed within 24 hours of arriving at our plant and we need to always have an efficient distribution network in place. For pasteurization, we must heat the milk to 75 degrees for a few seconds, which involves a lot of energy. But the real objective of our activities is that we are not looking to make a profit: The real question that interests us is whether the farmers are getting a satisfactory price, which is the case at the moment despite the geopolitical context and inflation.
FACTS&FIGURES
-
Birthday: 12 nov 1971
-
Place of birth: Fr
-
Nationality: Luxembourg - France
-
Children: 1
-
Languages: FR-EN-LU-AL
-
Hobbies: running, Museum, reading, traveling
,
MY FAVOURITE
-
Cities: New York, Paris, Madrid
-
Restaurants: Ma langue souris, La Roma, Lea Linster
-
Places: Saint Tropez, Marbella
-
Books: Barack Obama (une terre promise), Boris Vian L’écume des jours…..
-
Music: Jazz et Soul et Deep Soul
-
Artists: Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Amy Winehouse