Tuesday, 6 May, 9 a.m. On his family farm, Alexandre Morvan welcomes us with a broad smile, despite the east wind sweeping across the fields: ‘It’s not exactly hot,’ he says with a laugh. Here, at the tip of Finistère, the cultivation of pink onions from Brittany, a flagship product of the region and of our range, began over a month ago.
Alexandre’s farm, located in Plouneour-Brignogan (29), is the heir to a long agricultural tradition. Founded by his grandparents and taken over by his father in the 1990s, it now covers around 100 hectares. Alexandre, who was initially employed there from 2009 to 2014, took over the reins around ten years ago. With one permanent employee and seasonal workers for the harvests, he grows a wide range of vegetables, including cauliflower, pumpkin, broccoli and peas, but also, and above all, pink onions from Brittany.
A technical and demanding crop
After growing traditional shallots for many years, Alexandre decided to focus on producing pink onions, which have a number of similarities with shallots, particularly in terms of cultivation and storage.
“This year, I planted 6.5 hectares: 3.5 hectares of seedlings and 3 hectares of clumps. This helps to limit risks, particularly those related to the weather,” explains Alexandre. Two complementary methods are used: planting in clumps, carried out in early April, which promises a harvest around 10-15 August, and cultivation from seed, sown at the end of March and harvested a fortnight later.
In total, nearly 200 tonnes of pink onions are expected to be harvested this season.
‘Planting in clumps takes a little longer, but it better meets market expectations with consistent sizes,’ says Alexandre. It’s a cautious strategy in the face of growing challenges, such as reduced use of pesticides and unpredictable weather. ’When planted in clumps, the plant is already robust. That helps!’
The pink onion from Brittany, a product with a strong identity
What makes this onion unique? Alexandre has no hesitation: ‘The taste! It has a really lovely flavour, and its bright pink colour is very pleasing to the eye. It’s a product with character, grown near the sea. Without being chauvinistic, of course,’ he jokes. This recognised quality is the result of hard work: ‘Cultivation is technically complicated, especially when sowing: it grows slowly and is susceptible to mildew. You have to be very vigilant and observant.’
A few weeks after planting, the 2025 season is looking promising:
‘The seedlings have come up well; with clumps, we like to have a little rain after planting, and we’ve had just what we needed. It’s only the beginning, but when you get off to a good start, you’re already halfway there.’
Collective expertise
A long-standing member of the SICA Saint-Pol-de-Léon cooperative (Prince de Bretagne), Alexandre benefits from valuable technical support, particularly through the Organisation Bretonne de Sélection (OBS).
‘Support is essential, especially with climate change. Today, we go from one extreme to the other: a lot of rain, then a lot of dry weather, a lot of wind… You have to adapt constantly.’ This collective expertise is key to ensuring the quality and consistency of harvests.
Pouliquen, a key player at the heart of Brittany’s market gardening region
As a customer of the cooperative, Pouliquen has been promoting pink onions from Brittany for several generations. ‘My grandfather already worked with the founder of Pouliquen,’ recalls Alexandre. This shared history is testament to the strong ties between producers and our company. Thanks to this proximity, we can guarantee our customers – wholesalers, importers, supermarkets, restaurants, etc. – fresh vegetables from a renowned region, harvested and delivered within optimal timeframes.
Pink onions: a product to discover… and savour
Visiting the fields, it’s easy to understand Alexandre’s passion for his work: ‘What I love is that it’s never the same. Every year, we start with a blank slate. You have to be versatile and adapt to the conditions. And then you meet lots of people, which is really enriching.’ A variety of tasks and a daily commitment to making pink onions an exceptional product on our customers’ shelves.
It is this combination of terroir, local expertise and high quality standards that enables us to offer you an authentic product with an incomparable taste.
