{"id":15104,"date":"2022-11-28T15:42:49","date_gmt":"2022-11-28T14:42:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mericq.com\/set-course-for-mericq\/a-human-adventure\/"},"modified":"2022-11-28T15:42:49","modified_gmt":"2022-11-28T14:42:49","slug":"a-human-adventure","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mericq.com\/en\/set-course-for-mericq\/a-human-adventure\/","title":{"rendered":"A human adventure"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/smartfire-component>\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n \n\n

A story of people and family<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At the beginning, Mericq was a family story.<\/strong> When Andr\u00e9 Abadie took over his uncle Serge Mericq\u2019s business, nothing could have prepared him for such an adventure \u2014 except his drive and competitive spirit, forged through sport.
But it was the people he met along the way who truly shaped the destiny of the company. <\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n \n\n \n\n

This contagious energy inspired a small group to come aboard, united by passion<\/strong>, strength<\/strong>, and sincerity<\/strong> \u2014 the very foundations of Mericq\u2019s culture.<\/strong>
This group would grow over the years, but the values<\/strong> remained unchanged.
Today, the third generation stands at the helm, driven by one goal: to honour the work already done and write the next chapter of the story with the entire crew. <\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n

Here, people speak up, people speak true \u2014 because they believe in their everyday actions just as much as in the big plans for tomorrow.<\/strong>
They know every voice matters, no matter their role in the company \u2014 and that voice may hold the idea of the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is how trust and engagement<\/strong> are built within our team.
A culture of excellence<\/strong> and values deeply rooted in our minds, our lives, and even on our walls  : A crew of passionate men and women, determined, and ready to go the extra mile to stay ahead of the tide  <\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n

Naturally, this human-centred<\/strong> approach defines all our relationships.
Each client, each supplier, every handshake holds just as much value as it did on day one.
Our partners <\/strong>are at the heart of our organisation, because our success only matters if it\u2019s shared. <\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n

We find solutions together and we grow together.<\/strong> This is how Mericq became a story of people and family.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n \n\n \n\n

A family story<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serge Mericq, former international rugby player, founded a fish trading company with his wife Colette at the Agen wholesale market (MIN), his hometown, to supply fishmongers in the Agenais area and Bordeaux\u2019s Capucins market.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n \n\n

 An extra\u2026ordinary adventure <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At just 18, Andr\u00e9 Abadie, Serge Mericq\u2019s nephew, joined the business and began its expansion.
It was the start of an extra\u2026ordinary journey. <\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n \n\n

First presence in GMS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The business diversified and moved into traditional supermarket counters in southwest France. Our model began to evolve. <\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n \n\n

Development of fish processing and geographic expansion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first site opened in Arcachon, followed by expansion into auctions across the Bay of Biscay.
Mericq launched fish processing and developed local trade through these new facilities. It marked the beginning of external growth. <\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n \n\n

Entry into the restaurant trade<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Saint-Jean-de-Luz site manager built on his expertise to develop partnerships with traditional restaurants  : our client portfolio evolved.
It marked a new era  with 24\/7 customer service to meet restaurateurs\u2019 specific needs. <\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n \n\n

A production facility to<\/strong> meet self-service demands<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mericq built its own seafood processing and packaging facility to meet the growing demands of the self-service market.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n \n\n

Heading to the Mediterranean <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new human adventure took us to the Mediterranean coast to develop local trade in that region.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n \n\n

Opening a retail store to test our innovations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

R&D ambitions led us to open a store in Agen \u2014 a full-scale testing lab for our products, and a local showcase for our expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n \n\n

Mericq becomes the French market leader in live shellfish<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We set our course for Brittany, the leading region for artisanal fishing in France, known for its unique diversity of shellfish.
A new chapter began  with the B\u00e9ganton group joining us.
Our client portfolio continued to grow, meeting the needs of wholesalers, purchasing centres, food industry clients and export partners across Europe. <\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n \n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quality at the heart of our strategy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By putting quality at the core of our strategy, Mericq chose to invest in its own in-house quality lab.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n \n\n

Premiumisation of customer service<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heading toward premium service in foodservice : La Poissonnerie de Puget and Agde joined our crew to become a key player in the Var and Alpes-Maritimes regions.   <\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n \n\n

Creation of the Seafood Academy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because we strongly believe our crew is the key to our growth, and because we\u2019re convinced of the power of teamwork, we created the Seafood Academy \u2014 our internal training organisation, a real lever of performance and competitiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n \n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Launch of our E-Commerce App<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond being a true innovation in the seafood sector, the MERICQ app is above all a smart solution that brings us even closer to our clients, available 24\/7.
Digital has become a new driver to set new standards in service. <\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n \n\n

Mericq becomes Europe\u2019s leader in wild shellfish, bridging Northern and Southern Europe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first chapter of our international story : we set up operations in Ireland to strengthen our sourcing and become Europe\u2019s leader in wild shellfish.
A meeting with the Trahan family sealed a new alliance : the family-owned company Breizon joined us.  <\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n \n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wildomar: The Spanish expert in premium shellfish<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In April 2023, Wildomar joined our adventure. At Mericq, we value human stories and sharing know-how.
Naturally, we saw Mariscos Wildomar as a partner of choice, with exceptional expertise.
Their unique hand-sorting approach to clams makes them a key player as we continue our international journey. <\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n\n \n\n

Alliance with Maison Blanc<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mericq and Maison Blanc joined forces with a shared ambition: to combine their expertise and accelerate their growth in France while promoting their seafood excellence internationally.
A partnership between two family businesses committed to the highest standards in seafood. <\/p>\n\n\n<\/smartfire-component>\n\n<\/smartfire-component>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":12253,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-15104","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mericq.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mericq.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mericq.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mericq.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mericq.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mericq.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15104\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mericq.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mericq.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}