Customer testimonials
Technical Support & Food Safety: The CTCPA is assisting Les Foies Gras du Ried in optimizing its artisanal processes
18
Mar
Published on: March 18, 2026
The CTCPA helped Les Foies Gras du Ried optimize its artisanal processes. We spoke with Francis CLAUDE, production manager.
“In our field, it is clearly the leading authority. There may be other organizations, but for us, the CTCPA combines the necessary expertise and cross-functional approach.”
Tell us about LES FOIES GRAS DU RIED: our structure, vision, values, products…
We are a small artisanal business located south of Strasbourg, in the heart of the Ried—the floodplains along the Rhine where the flora and fauna are endemic. You could compare the Ried to the Dombes region in the Ain department to get a sense of these unique landscapes.
For over 40 years, we have been processing and preserving goose and duck foie gras, without raising the birds ourselves. When we took over the business in 2007, coming from the culinary world, our approach was to work like a chef rather than a butcher, in order to offer carefully crafted and generous recipes.
To complement the seasonal nature of foie gras and ensure year-round business, we have developed a range of terrines, rillettes, and a few ready-to-eat dishes. All our products adhere to the clean label standard: free of additives, preservatives, and flavor enhancers. We offer about twenty different recipes, all of which are true to their ingredients: a duck terrine contains 80% duck, a rabbit terrine 100% rabbit, so that the product truly lives up to its name.
We’ve chosen to keep our team small and intimate, with three full-time employees and up to eight staff members during busy periods. We sell primarily directly to customers through our website and our shop, which is located next to our laboratory. Thanks to our European health certification, we’re also able to work with retailers throughout the country, and we export on a small scale to neighboring countries such as Germany and Belgium.
Finally, we offer holiday gift sets and packages designed for local businesses and institutions, allowing us to share our expertise and artisanal products with a wider audience.
How did you come to contact the CTCPA? What were your needs? What were your objectives?
When we took over Les Foies Gras du Ried in 2007, I quickly found myself faced with regulatory requirements, particularly the need to compile an HACCP file and implement a food safety management plan. Coming from the culinary world meant that I lacked the experience of a quality manager in the food industry.
So I spent about six months putting together this dossier and getting it approved by the veterinary authorities. In this context, we needed technical support to better understand and meet the requirements related to canning and processing, particularly those pertaining to foie gras.
That’s when we began working with the CTCPA, particularly with Grégoire Cordier, Director of Operations, who helped us better organize our practices and ensure the safety of our production methods. I traveled to Auch to attend two training courses: “Foie Gras: Mastering the Raw Material, Whole Foie Gras, and Foie Gras Blocks” as well as “Operating an Autoclave and Operator Certification.”
Over the years, we have continued to consult the CTCPA on various technical matters, such as deep-freezing and the optimization of certain processes.
More recently, the company underwent a major change: in 2024, my business partner retired and the company was sold. I remained involved in day-to-day operations, but I wanted to review all of our processes, particularly to support the growth of our ready-made meals business. It was in this context that we once again turned to the CTCPA for assistance with autoclave operation and ensuring the safety of these new processes.
Why did you choose the CTCPA? How did you hear about the CTCPA?
In our field, it is clearly the leading authority. There may be other organizations, but for us, the CTCPA combines the necessary expertise and cross-disciplinary approach.
The CTCPA has extensive expertise in processed foods, ranging from vegetables to fish, and from prepared meals to dry goods. This broad-based expertise is particularly valuable for a small organization like ours.
We prefer to work directly with experts who can provide us with reliable and comprehensive answers, rather than dealing with multiple less specialized contacts. This approach is in line with our philosophy: no half-measures, whether it comes to our recipes or the safety and quality of our products.
How did the support go?
For this latest project, we collaborated with Isabelle DELATTRE, Technology Project Manager at CTCPA, who led an in-house training session on autoclave operation.
Beforehand, we had several phone conversations so she could fully understand how we operate and our work methods. She asked me many questions to pinpoint our specific needs and tailor the training to our situation.
This allowed us to develop a truly customized solution. During his visit, we were able to discuss our practices in very concrete terms, ask all our questions, and work directly on our facilities and processes.
This support was particularly helpful because it wasn’t just theoretical training, but rather very hands-on work tailored to our operations and traditional methods. It allowed us to improve certain aspects and make our production process safer.
What is your assessment today? How do you see the benefits of this support?
Today, we began implementing the processes and protocols defined with the CTCPA, and we are currently in the final validation phase.
In particular, we rely on the CTCPA to validate our specifications by sending our samples to Lwidgi LUGROS, Head of Laboratories, to conduct the necessary stability tests.
Overall, this support has enabled us to better structure and standardize our practices, while optimizing certain technical processes. It also gives us the confidence we need to expand our line of prepared meals with greater confidence and continue to grow our business.
What are your next goals or announcements?
Following our collaboration with the CTCPA, our main goal is now to move these new processes into production. We are not looking to massively scale up production, as that is not our core business, but we do want to consolidate our practices and tap into new markets, potentially under other brands.
This step allows us to explore new avenues for growth while remaining true to our artisanal philosophy and the quality of our products.
__
CONTACT LES FOIES GRAS DU RIED:
“In our field, it is clearly the leading authority. There may be other organizations, but for us, the CTCPA combines the necessary expertise and cross-functional approach.”
Tell us about LES FOIES GRAS DU RIED: our structure, vision, values, products…
We are a small artisanal business located south of Strasbourg, in the heart of the Ried—the floodplains along the Rhine where the flora and fauna are endemic. You could compare the Ried to the Dombes region in the Ain department to get a sense of these unique landscapes.
For over 40 years, we have been processing and preserving goose and duck foie gras, without raising the birds ourselves. When we took over the business in 2007, coming from the culinary world, our approach was to work like a chef rather than a butcher, in order to offer carefully crafted and generous recipes.
To complement the seasonal nature of foie gras and ensure year-round business, we have developed a range of terrines, rillettes, and a few ready-to-eat dishes. All our products adhere to the clean label standard: free of additives, preservatives, and flavor enhancers. We offer about twenty different recipes, all of which are true to their ingredients: a duck terrine contains 80% duck, a rabbit terrine 100% rabbit, so that the product truly lives up to its name.
We’ve chosen to keep our team small and intimate, with three full-time employees and up to eight staff members during busy periods. We sell primarily directly to customers through our website and our shop, which is located next to our laboratory. Thanks to our European health certification, we’re also able to work with retailers throughout the country, and we export on a small scale to neighboring countries such as Germany and Belgium.
Finally, we offer holiday gift sets and packages designed for local businesses and institutions, allowing us to share our expertise and artisanal products with a wider audience.
How did you come to contact the CTCPA? What were your needs? What were your objectives?
When we took over Les Foies Gras du Ried in 2007, I quickly found myself faced with regulatory requirements, particularly the need to compile an HACCP file and implement a food safety management plan. Coming from the culinary world meant that I lacked the experience of a quality manager in the food industry.
So I spent about six months putting together this dossier and getting it approved by the veterinary authorities. In this context, we needed technical support to better understand and meet the requirements related to canning and processing, particularly those pertaining to foie gras.
That’s when we began working with the CTCPA, particularly with Grégoire Cordier, Director of Operations, who helped us better organize our practices and ensure the safety of our production methods. I traveled to Auch to attend two training courses: “Foie Gras: Mastering the Raw Material, Whole Foie Gras, and Foie Gras Blocks” as well as “Operating an Autoclave and Operator Certification.”
Over the years, we have continued to consult the CTCPA on various technical matters, such as deep-freezing and the optimization of certain processes.
More recently, the company underwent a major change: in 2024, my business partner retired and the company was sold. I remained involved in day-to-day operations, but I wanted to review all of our processes, particularly to support the growth of our ready-made meals business. It was in this context that we once again turned to the CTCPA for assistance with autoclave operation and ensuring the safety of these new processes.
Why did you choose the CTCPA? How did you hear about the CTCPA?
In our field, it is clearly the leading authority. There may be other organizations, but for us, the CTCPA combines the necessary expertise and cross-disciplinary approach.
The CTCPA has extensive expertise in processed foods, ranging from vegetables to fish, and from prepared meals to dry goods. This broad-based expertise is particularly valuable for a small organization like ours.
We prefer to work directly with experts who can provide us with reliable and comprehensive answers, rather than dealing with multiple less specialized contacts. This approach is in line with our philosophy: no half-measures, whether it comes to our recipes or the safety and quality of our products.
How did the support go?
For this latest project, we collaborated with Isabelle DELATTRE, Technology Project Manager at CTCPA, who led an in-house training session on autoclave operation.
Beforehand, we had several phone conversations so she could fully understand how we operate and our work methods. She asked me many questions to pinpoint our specific needs and tailor the training to our situation.
This allowed us to develop a truly customized solution. During his visit, we were able to discuss our practices in very concrete terms, ask all our questions, and work directly on our facilities and processes.
This support was particularly helpful because it wasn’t just theoretical training, but rather very hands-on work tailored to our operations and traditional methods. It allowed us to improve certain aspects and make our production process safer.
What is your assessment today? How do you see the benefits of this support?
Today, we began implementing the processes and protocols defined with the CTCPA, and we are currently in the final validation phase.
In particular, we rely on the CTCPA to validate our specifications by sending our samples to Lwidgi LUGROS, Head of Laboratories, to conduct the necessary stability tests.
Overall, this support has enabled us to better structure and standardize our practices, while optimizing certain technical processes. It also gives us the confidence we need to expand our line of prepared meals with greater confidence and continue to grow our business.
What are your next goals or announcements?
Following our collaboration with the CTCPA, our main goal is now to move these new processes into production. We are not looking to massively scale up production, as that is not our core business, but we do want to consolidate our practices and tap into new markets, potentially under other brands.
This step allows us to explore new avenues for growth while remaining true to our artisanal philosophy and the quality of our products.
__
