Maïsadour's presidents since 1936:
Their testimonials:
Daniel Peyraube: “Our values—solidarity, teamwork, and innovation—are a real asset for the future.”
“This year, our Cooperative is celebrating its 90th anniversary. As a farmer and president, this anniversary fills me with immense pride. It symbolizes the success of a human endeavor, born from the determination of a few producers in the Landes region to build their future together.
From the Coopérative de Blé des Landes of 1936 to the present day, our history is indeed one of coming together. Maïsadour is the result of the merger of 12 cooperatives, demonstrating a shared ambition to meet the challenges of each era.
Over the decades, our Cooperative has never stopped moving forward. It has innovated, invested, and developed integrated supply chains—in both crop and livestock production—to maximize the value of our products. Building on our long-standing production traditions, our teams have identified new opportunities for growth, thereby helping to preserve a dense and dynamic agricultural landscape.
This ability to evolve enables our cooperative to be a key player in the economic life of our regions today and a trusted partner for numerous clients and stakeholders.
These 90 years of history also provide an opportunity to look toward the future. In the face of economic, climate, and societal challenges, we have the capacity to build a strong, innovative, and sustainable agricultural sector. The cooperative model has proven its relevance. It supports projects over the long term, fosters necessary transformations, and provides concrete solutions
to the challenges we face.
I remain convinced that the values that unite us—solidarity, a sense of community, and a spirit of innovation—are a true asset.”
Michel Prugue: “Diverse visions and approaches, but a shared ambition for farmers”
“Maïsadour is a group comprising at least 12 cooperatives. It is not a single entity, but rather the result of entities with diverse visions and production activities, whose board members share the same ambition for farmers: to be in control of their own supply chain, processing, and marketing of their products.
To achieve this, the cooperative has grown, opened silos, developed expertise, and deployed technicians directly in the field to advise farmers. It has also forged partnerships across all industrial sectors (seeds, vegetables, poultry, etc.). All of this enables the Cooperative to provide knowledge, techniques, and services to its members—particularly younger farmers—to help them establish themselves and ensure the long-term viability of their farms. It has attracted new types of production to its region.
As we mark our 90th anniversary, I’d like to highlight three key ideas:
1/ Solidarity and resilience among producers. Regardless of the circumstances or heated debates, this spirit has been essential in enabling us to overcome the challenges of recent decades and move forward.
2/ Governance. After 90 years, our way of operating remains the same. It is the farmers who set the Cooperative’s direction and decide on necessary changes.
3/ Our capacity to invest. Both locally and internationally, we must be present where the market is—not only to sell our products but also to create wealth. An economic model thrives only on its successes. As the agricultural world enters a new era—one of data and artificial intelligence—we must master these technologies to innovate and remain in control of our own destiny.
After 90 years of history, we can be proud that men and women have taken their destinies into their own hands and shaped the history of agriculture, enabling our families to thrive and our rural communities to remain vibrant. I believe this has been a complete success, as evidenced by the spirit of camaraderie in our region.
Since 1936, our Cooperative has faced and overcome numerous challenges. Looking ahead, I see no reason why this should not continue to be the case. The future belongs to those who take it into their own hands, just as every generation before us has done.”
Jacques Castaing: “A Cooperative that symbolizes production in the Landes department”
*Jacques Castaing passed away in 2019. This interview was conducted in 2016, on the occasion of Maïsadour’s 80th anniversary.
“When I became president of Maïsadour, the cooperative was already well established in the grain sector. Together with the elected officials, our goal was to make it a symbol of the Landes region, showcasing all the department’s agricultural products: poultry, duck, fruits, and vegetables… We did this for three reasons: to offer farmers new market channels, to create added value in the region, and to highlight the quality of our products.
Thanks to the dedication of its teams, Maïsadour has become a regional gem and has gained an
international presence. I also haven’t forgotten our members, whom we must thank for their loyalty, even during difficult times. It is for them that we work and innovate. That is the very definition of the cooperative model.”
Albert and René Coudanne: “Proud of what Maïsadour has become after 90 years”
*Testimony of Anne Jupont, granddaughter of René Coudanne and great-granddaughter of Albert Coudanne.
“Albert Coudanne obviously played a major role in the history of Maïsadour, because he was its founder and built the first silos. Unfortunately, I never met him.
I do, however, have many memories of my grandfather, René Coudanne, who was very proud to be a farmer. He had orchards and grew corn, sunflowers, peas… Over the course of his life, he held various positions (mayor, general councilor…), but when he arrived at a public meeting, he would sometimes introduce himself as a “farmer from Chalosse.” This attachment to his region always guided him.
During my studies, when one of my classmates learned that I was René Coudanne’s granddaughter, she told me that her family was grateful to him for his contribution to local agriculture. That’s when I began to see my grandfather in a different light: beyond our family ties, I came to appreciate the tangible impact of his work in support of our rural communities.
The Maïsadour stores were one of his major projects. He wanted farmers to have a place where they could find what they needed at a reasonable price. So much so that for a long time, I was convinced these stores were reserved exclusively for them!
When you contacted me, I was touched to see that their memory lives on. I think that if they were both still here today, they would be proud of what Maïsadour has become after 90 years—to see that the seed they planted has grown and that their successors have carried on this wonderful work.”
