La Coop fédérée and Lufa Farms enter into a partnership agreement

MONTREAL, Feb. 16, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - La Coop fédérée and Lufa Farms announced today the signing of a partnership agreement with a view to sharing business opportunities and for potential synergies.

This partnership could lead to the purchase of agricultural products from La Coop network by Lufa Farms, mainly from agricultural producers who are members of La Coop fédérée, the opening of pick-up points by Lufa Farms at La Coop network business locations, as well as the sharing of expertise in web technologies, logistics and distribution.

"Like La Coop fédérée, Lufa Farms supports innovation in the agri-food sector, which is essential in meeting the requirements for standardization, specialization, responsiveness, and productivity in our field," said Sébastien Léveillé, Executive Vice President for the Agri-business division of La Coop fédérée. "This partnership is also in line with the actions taken by the cooperative to get closer to Quebec consumers. It is a great opportunity to showcase the quality and diversity of products produced by farmers throughout La Coop network," stated Gaétan Desroches, Chief Executive Officer of La Coop fédérée.

"We are happy to partner with La Coop fédérée. We have the same passion for our artisans and the common desire to support and promote sustainable and responsible local food systems. Synergies between the two organizations are numerous and they include the opportunity to expand our distribution network and share expertise in agricultural technologies," said Mohamed Hage, president of Lufa Farms.

The partnership demonstrates the willingness of La Coop fédérée's and Lufa Farms to preserve the capacity to provide food for the local population while being produced by local farmers.

About La Coop fédérée
Founded in 1922, La Coop fédérée is the largest agri-food enterprise in Quebec and it is the 24th largest agri-food cooperative in the world. It represents more than 90,000 members grouped into nearly 70 cooperatives with operations spread out in many Canadian provinces. More than 12,000 people are employed at La Coop which has annual revenues of $6.3 billion. Including its affiliated network, La Coop fédérée has nearly 18,000 employees and consolidated revenue of $9.2 billion. Its activities are separated into three Divisions: Olymel S.E.C (under the Olymel, Flamingo and Lafleur banners), the Agri-business division (under the La Coop and Elite banners), and Groupe BMR under the BMR, Unimat, Agrizone and Potvin & Bouchard banners). For further information, visit www.lacoop.coop.
Twitter account: twitter.com/LaCoop_federee.

About Lufa Farms
Founded in 2009 by Mohamed Hage and Lauren Rathmell, Lufa Farms operates three rooftop greenhouses with a total area of 138,000 square feet entirely dedicated to local and responsible urban agriculture. In addition to their own vegetables, Lufa Farms offers thousands of products that are grown, raised, or prepared by farmers, market gardeners, producers, butchers, bakers, cheese makers, and other artisans who share the vision of transforming the food system and offering fresh, local, and responsibly produced food. The products are sold through an online farmer's market and distributed in collaboration with more than 400 local businesses that act as pick-up points where subscribers can collect their weekly food baskets. For more information about Lufa Farms, click here.

SOURCE La Coop fédérée