Le qualité première

“Quality First” reads a sign in the 40,000-sq-m (430,000-sq-ft) bakery that houses two artisan bread and eight croissant/viennoiserie lines. Resting on 22 acres of land in the heart of Brittany — about a two-hour train ride west of Paris — the facility cranks out more than

7 million frozen raw or pre-proofed products a day. They range from frozen artisan and French baguettes, breads and rolls to classic croissants, filled croissants, twists, braids and other sweet goods. Overall, viennoiserie pastries account for about 70% of the bakery’s volume, according to Mr. Le Grand.

Each day, it takes about 200 tractor-trailer trucks to haul products from the bakery to food distributors and other customers throughout France or to be shipped eventually to another 80 countries around the world.

While 50% of the frozen goods go to French customers, Mr. Le Grand noted the Servon-sur-Vilaine bakery operation’s global reach includes not only Europe but also extends to Japan, China and other parts of Asia. On the other end of the globe, the US and Brazil are major markets, even though Bridor has four bakeries in North America. The Middle East and India are some of the fastest-growing emerging markets for the business.

While France remains the foundation for the Servon-sur-Vilaine operation, international growth is integral to the company’s future. “We are expanding the amount of products we export each year,” Mr. Le Grand said. “That’s what’s keeping us growing.”