The green coffee market recorded a sharp decline in the number of its players, in Le Havre, the main port of import of agricultural products in France (in 1937, 80% of the coffee imported into France went through the Docks du Café, founded in 1846 in the autonomous port of Le Havre), which went from more than 150 to less than five in 50 years. Brokers, sales representatives, importers and dealers will regroup, disappear, close. The House paul Jobin & company, in the absence of an heir to take over the functions of Philippe Jobin, was itself sold in 1988 to the commercial group of Le Havre Société Commerciale Raoul-Duval. Philippe Jobin, aware of the need to shorten the distribution chain and import better quality coffee, will then visit the green coffee producers of the exporting countries of Papua New Guinea from 1971 to 1989 to visit more than forty countries to bring back coffees, even in very small quantities hitherto unknown or almost unknown in Europe. With the help of his wife Geneviève Jobin, who speaks Latin American languages, they will prefer to export small quantities of high-end coffee to France, including Ethiopia, Haiti, Yemen, Central America, Kenya, Papua New Guinea. Cafés Legal is a French family business founded in 1851. It is the leading French independent producer with a volume share of 10% in the roasted and packaged coffee market. The company employs more than 170 people and is based in Le Havre, France`s leading port for coffee imports. Legal has long been a leader in the world of coffee.

In this family factory in Le Havre, 13,000 tons of coffee pass through each year and an average of 120 employees work on its transformation: from the reception of green coffee to its delivery, by roasting, grinding or non-coffee (to have coffee beans or ground) and packaging in sachets, soft pods and Nespresso compatible capsules. Michel Ohayon buys the Havre company Cafés Legal and claims to maintain its 137 employees. A first food acquisition for the Bordeaux businessman, owner of the Hermione People & Brands group (Galeries Lafayette, La Grande Récré, Camaieu, Gap France, Go Sport). Legal, a family business, is first and foremost a people-centric company that cares first and foremost about the consumers for whom it wants to make the best coffees in the world. Alain Frydman, who has led the company for 18 years, says he is excited about this merger with HPB, which „will allow Cafés Legal employees to benefit from their operational excellence and extensive network of brands,“ says the press release, „Cafes Legal will be able to strengthen its position in France beyond the country`s borders and accelerate its multi-channel development, while maintaining its family spirit as an SME.“ More than 50 entirely new products have been launched in recent years, including the all-new Nespresso-compatible capsule made from plant-based, biodegradable and compostable materials. This „world first“, which contains neither plastic nor aluminum, is conquering the market. The Jobin family is one of the historic families of the port of Le Havre, dedicated to the coffee trade since the nineteenth century. He had bought Camaïeu, Go Sport, La Grande Récré and 23 boutiques associated with Galeries Lafayette. Michel Ohayon is also the youngest owner of coffee roaster Legal and its factory in Le Havre. It was announced by Hermione, People & Brands (HPB), the commercial division of the Bordeaux BusinessMan Fund.

In the statement, its president Wilhelm Hubner said: „A big thank you to Édouard Philippe, former Prime Minister and current mayor of Le Havre, as well as to the entire municipal team for their welcome and active support around this great project.“ Philippe Jobin will take a classic path within the family business, the Maison Paul Jobin & Compagnie, climbing all the ranks to finally replace his father, Maurice Jobin, as president in 1972. The matrix of measures used daily for the benefit of consumers and retailers, the passion to go further and further, the desire to fully meet the expectations of consumers and customers. Agility, flexibility, the desire to achieve and exceed goals, the pursuit of excellence, tireless efforts, focus on the basics and the demand for more and more of ourselves: all this is of course at the heart of everything we do. The quality team is constantly concerned about the quality of the coffee produced in our factories. The production of mixtures, in which all the components of the flavor chain are determined for each variety, is the most important step before and after roasting. This is what guarantees a coffee with a constant taste. The art of mixing, the subtle dosage of different varieties, is a highly specialized work. Every day, before, during and after roasting, these experts test, taste and compare coffees to offer the best creations in the world. „Made in Legal“ refers to the commitment to the highest standards of excellence and quality with regard to products and the entire value chain of the activity; Logistics traceability guarantees the essential traceability of food safety. You can share your knowledge by improving it (how?) according to the recommendations of the projects concerned. It will then export various goods to the French overseas territories.

In New Caledonia, where a trading post was opened in 1905, the sale of goods led to a barter trade that led settlers, but especially these, to pay for their purchases in green coffee. As a result, Paul Jobin discovered in 1911 an Arabica coffee of very good quality, sold under the name of Bourbon, then opened a branch in Noumea in New Caledonia. The activity of importing green coffee becomes predominant, the company will then settle in Le Havre in 1909. The administrator of the Chamber of Commerce of Le Havre, Paul Jobin, was made a Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1932 for his action in favor of coffee cultivation in the French Empire. But the real revolution is through mass distribution. In the 1970s, it gave pride of place to the major multinationals in the mid-range market (in terms of quality): Nestlé (brand: Nescafé), General Foods (brand: Maxwell House), Jacobs Suchard (brand: Jacques Vabre) and Douwe Egberts (brands: Maison du Café, Café Grand`Mère). The six values that drive and distinguish the teams are: The newspaper in unlimited paper or digital version PDF For Alain Frydman, president of the company for 18 years, „the merger with HPB will allow Cafés Legal to benefit from its operational excellence and its vast network of brands“. Bordeaux businessman Michel Ohayon bought the roaster De café Legal, including its factory in Le Havre in Seine-Maritime. The amount of the transaction was not disclosed. This article is a draft about a French and coffee personality.

On its website, the family business, founded in 1851, boasts of occupying 10% of the market share of the quantities of roasted and packaged coffee, making it the leading independent producer of French people. This vegetable capsule is bio-based, biodegradable, compostable and contains no plastic or aluminum. When preparing a cup of coffee, ten times more packaging with a capsule is usually used than with a conventional coffee packet. Hence the attraction of being able to offer a single capsule that has no effect on global warming. Legal has devoted three years of research and development to the development of this innovative product (Nespresso compatible). Paul Jobin & Compagnie was founded in Rouen in 1871 by Mr. Demoinet and then taken over by his partner Paul Jobin. Originally specialized in sending capital goods to the colonies, Maison Jobin experienced its real departure by obtaining the contract to supply Savorgnan de Brazza`s expedition to Africa in 1875. The Hermione People & Brands group announced in a press release that it has acquired the family-owned coffee roasting SME Legal in Le Havre (Seine-Maritime). Precision.

Product innovation is the most important development component of Legal as a Business. Thanks to this confident innovation policy, Legal is now well positioned for all kinds of coffee, beans and ground coffee, classic Arabicas, espressos, pure coffee and, of course, single-serving pods, a segment where Legal is growing. Philippe Jobin`s children will write later, but on the theme of coffee: Export & Invest in Russia – Guillaume Jobin, vuibert editions, Paris 1994, Guide de la plongée en mer Rouge – David Jobin, Paris 1995, Maladies industrielles et renouveau syndical au Japon – Paul Jobin, Éditions de l`EHESS, Paris 2007. Produktinnovationen sind die wesentlichen Treiber der Entwicklung unseres Unternehmens. In recent years, more than 30 new products have been launched that have contributed to the improvement of the Legal brand. The Hermione People & Brands Group has more than 1,000 points of sale in France (Galeries Lafayette, La Grande Récré, Camaïeu, Gap France, Go Sport). It announces in a press release on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, that it has acquired Havre SME Legal, founded in 1851. Legal`s goal is to continue to grow and strengthen its position as a major flagship brand for French coffee, offering taste, pleasure and appeal to consumers.