After establishing Partnerships with several top French retailers last month, we were eager to catch up with them to learn more about their operations and where they find value in the GTA. Read on to hear about Coopérative U, one of these fantastic Partners!
Q: Please give us a brief overview of what your company does.
A: The Coopérative U is a cooperative group of independent retail merchants, the U Associates, who have chosen to unify their strenghts within cooperative societies of retail merchants while continuing to independently develop their activies.
Q: When did you join the GTA and what inspired your company to become a GTA Partner?
A: We joined the GTA in 2024 following our membership in TUPA, a French initiative on tuna sustainability.
Q: What benefits does the GTA provide that you feel have helped your company in its tuna sustainability journey?
A: The exchanges between distributors and stakeholders to evolve the tuna market towards more sustainable and long-lasting fishing practices for everyone: fishermen, industry players, distributors, and customers!
Q: What motivates you (personally or on behalf of your company) to prioritize sustainable seafood?
A: The issues surrounding seafood products are numerous: fishing/aquaculture, social risks, environmental risks, animal welfare, animal feed, etc. They concern many product categories within the company and involve significant volumes. That’s why seafood products are part of our critical raw materials for which we need to identify our risks and implement risk mitigation actions as a priority.
Q: What is your favorite dish or snack that contains tuna?
A: Leek and tuna pie!
To learn more about Coopérative U, check out their website here!