Chief Executive Officer, InVivo Group (parent of Soufflet), Groupe Soufflet (part of InVivo Group since 2021)
Thierry Blandinières: Rugby, agriculture and the quest for freedom
“There is a path to creating sustainable agriculture… but it must also remain competitive.”
In this episode of Sens ...
About Thierry Blandinières
Thierry Blandinières, chief executive of InVivo Group and president of the rugby club CA Brive, discussed his career and the challenges of the garden retail business during a recent appearance. He described his early professional experience at Procter & Gamble as a period that helped him structure his approach to marketing and sales, and noted that he left the company to avoid becoming "sclerotic." He also recalled his time as head of Madrange in the 1990s, where he helped launch the "jambon Véronique" communication campaign, and his decade as vice-president of the Mont-de-Marsan rugby club, which he described as a club with a smaller budget than Brive that consistently fields competitive teams. Blandinières addressed the performance of the garden retail sector, which he said generates most of its annual results in just two months. He noted that last year's poor spring weather was "catastrophic" for garden centers, while this year's conditions are returning to normal. He added that the business is difficult because it requires carrying inventory for a short sales window, and that the company waits until June 30 to determine whether it has had a good year.
Transcript (55 segments)
T
Thierry Blandinières0:00
My mission in the food industry was to work on feeding the French. We attacked pesticides, saying they cause cancer and are dangerous. But we haven't provided solutions. There is a path to create a new sustainable agriculture that is also competitive. Singapore, Sydney, Auckland, Tokyo, Los Angeles. And so you gained a day. That's globalization.
J
Jud0:23
Sense and confidence. Thierry Blandinières. Hello Thierry.
T
Thierry Blandinières0:28
Hello Jud. Welcome to my home. Thank you. Delighted. Very honored. With great pleasure.
J
Jud0:36
So Thierry, you have a table full of food and objects. I want you to choose what you want – food, an object, or a drink to start this interview.
T
Thierry Blandinières0:49
I'm not very hungry, but maybe I'll take the ball then. It's a rugby ball. I've been playing since age 6, until 26, and now as a director at Brive. Brive was European champion 30 years ago, now in second division, but we hope to go back up. The club has a great history.
J
Jud1:02
Why did you take the ball?
T
Thierry Blandinières1:04
Because I've touched it a lot in my life. From 6 to 26 on the field, and now as a director, always with the ball in my head and hands. Brive was the first European champion in 1997. The club is part of French rugby heritage.
J
Jud2:06
So in your time, there was no professional rugby?
T
Thierry Blandinières2:09
No, it was the 60s, 70s, 80s. Professional rugby started in 1995. It was amateur; we trained in the evening after working or studying.
J
Jud2:22
If you could have been pro, would you have done it?
T
Thierry Blandinières2:24
That's a big question. When I had to leave Brive to study in Nantes, the choice was between studies and rugby. But studies were necessary then. I'm not sure if I would have chosen professionalism because it didn't present itself. And I also enjoyed developing businesses.
J
Jud3:19
So what else is your life? The seed, for example. Tell us about the seed. We can also talk about grapes.
T
Thierry Blandinières3:30
Today it's about feeding people. Producing to nourish, because it's not easy. With wars and crises, we see food security is not a given. My mission at InVivo has been to feed the French with quality products in quantity at reasonable prices while being virtuous. Agriculture has become political. Ecologists attacked pesticides without offering solutions. If we stop treatments, we have less food. It's a matter of dosage. Pesticides are medicine for plants. We need a path to sustainable agriculture that is competitive.
J
Jud6:11
So from the ball to the earth, it was an almost obvious path. You studied business but could have done many other things.
T
Thierry Blandinières6:25
Yes, I started in cosmetics at Procter & Gamble. It was a great marketing school. Then I moved into agrifood. In 1989, I helped create the luxury food group Européenne de Gastronomie with brands like Labeyrie. I was a marketing director at 30, working on acquisitions and democratizing foie gras and smoked salmon while keeping premium quality.
J
Jud8:52
Do you smell the corks? What does it inspire? It's a wine from Savoie, seven generations, Chiroubles. It evokes the history of the land and civilizations.
T
Thierry Blandinières9:35
You feel the terroir, the character, and the winemaker's savoir-faire. The color is beautiful. There's plenty of quality wine in France. This is very good.
J
Jud10:13
There's food on the table. Magret de canard with potatoes in duck fat. Missing ceps? Not the season. This is the Sunday family dish. Who made it? Your mother?
T
Thierry Blandinières10:56
My mother and my grandparents. I lost my father young, so I was raised by my grandparents. Between Corrèze and Périgord, a battle between regions. The small ceps are the best.
J
Jud11:42
Taste it with eyes closed.
T
Thierry Blandinières12:00
It's very good. Tastes like my mother's cooking with potatoes in duck fat. A gourmet cocktail.
J
Jud12:24
Being a good boss is also about anchoring. Do you agree?
T
Thierry Blandinières12:29
I think you need to know where you come from to know where you're going. With 15,000 employees worldwide, when you travel, you enter their territory. Understanding your own territory helps understand others. Sharing gastronomy brings people together.
J
Jud13:25
You've been around the world. Last time you said you went the other way: Paris, Singapore, Sydney, Auckland, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York, Paris. You gained a day. Did you have jet lag?
T
Thierry Blandinières14:15
I didn't have jet lag initially, but a rebound a few days later. It took a week to recover. Traveling is a way to discover cultures through food and habits.
J
Jud14:50
I see you're trying to figure out what this is. It's a tourtière. Let's taste.
T
Thierry Blandinières15:15
It's delicious. The ingredients are good, but the savoir-faire is essential.
J
Jud15:24
Summarizing your relationship with life: terroir, rugby, seeds. InVivo is agriculture, nourishing, connected to matter.
T
Thierry Blandinières15:43
It's common sense. We all come from that world. Common sense means facing problems, finding solutions. In agriculture, good and bad seasons bring resilience. Knowing tomorrow will be better.
J
Jud16:24
Did you raise your children that way?
T
Thierry Blandinières16:27
Yes, I taught them autonomy. It's important they don't stay home until 30. After high school, I pushed them to take a studio and organize themselves. It's a different experience.
J
Jud18:02
The fact that you didn't live with your mother, your father died early, you were raised by grandparents, and left early – was that hard?
T
Thierry Blandinières18:17
We didn't question it. Many friends were in the same situation. Everyone left after high school. The adventurous went to Bordeaux, Toulouse, Paris. I went to Nantes then Paris.
J
Jud19:00
You didn't let go of the ball?
T
Thierry Blandinières19:01
No, never. It's important to move physically and intellectually, to leave your comfort zone.
J
Jud19:27
If you could give a message to the little boy you were at 5 or 6, what would you say?
T
Thierry Blandinières19:36
I don't know. At that age I watched Thierry La Fronde on TV and American series. That gave us a desire to go to America. The American dream was strong.
J
Jud20:44
You work with big farmers there. How is it?
T
Thierry Blandinières20:54
It's difficult for everyone. Commodity prices are low. They produce a lot of soy and corn. With Trump's tariffs, China stopped buying. 80% of American soy was exported to China. Trump gave $15 billion in subsidies. American agriculture is heavily subsidized. The Farm Bill guarantees minimum prices. Agriculture everywhere needs support.
J
Jud22:56
We taste again. This tart was made for you. Do you recognize it?
T
Thierry Blandinières23:10
Yes, it's a tart from home. Very delicious. The chef's savoir-faire is essential. It's the food of my childhood. I love it because it has taste.
J
Jud23:37
Since you're a big traveler with an empty fridge, you can fill it now.
T
Thierry Blandinières23:40
My fridge is empty because I travel so much. I don't want to waste, so I buy minimum. I think about waste too.
J
Jud23:58
You're on my show, so you have the right to ask me a question or two.
T
Thierry Blandinières24:04
Judith, we first met on Sun Radio on 'C'est excellent'. Over two years ago. I know radio is your passion. Do you have other projects, like TV?
J
Jud24:46
Some television would be nice. It's a wish.
T
Thierry Blandinières24:50
On which channel?
J
Jud24:54
You decide. But when you're a talented journalist, the channel doesn't matter. It's about doing things with heart, desire, passion.
T
Thierry Blandinières25:16
You do a job you love, with contact, meeting people. It's fascinating. I just did a quick trip to Minneapolis and Winnipeg, had three dinners with different people. Steak, but it's great because you meet people, create links. I invited them to Paris in September.
J
Jud26:07
You have friends everywhere. You like friends.
T
Thierry Blandinières26:12
Yes, from rugby, in buses with the team. Rugby teaches diversity, all social scales. Like military service – it's inclusive. I think it's missing today. A true service would form the foundation of society.
J
Jud27:42
You told me you would give a title to your life. Do you remember?
T
Thierry Blandinières27:53
I've always been in a logic of independence. Everywhere I went, I managed my own program. So the path to freedom.
J
Jud28:09
That's beautiful. Thank you very much, Thierry.
T
Thierry Blandinières28:12
Thank you.