Approval, the first step in quality control
04 December 2025
At Lagache, we often pride ourselves on the quality of our products.
But before they reach your shelves, there’s an essential stage that’s often overlooked: grading.
Approval is when the buyer examines the goods they have ordered to check that they comply with the specifications: quality, ripeness, traceability, product identity… Nothing escapes this meticulous check.
Our morning quality duo: Klara & Fabienne
Fabienne tells us:
“It all starts at dawn.
At 6 o’clock, Klara, an order picker trained in assembly, got the ball rolling. I join her at 7 o’clock. Everything happens as soon as the lorries arrive at the quayside. We check all the arrivals corresponding to the orders placed by our sales reps and enter the relevant information on our tablet via our approval interface. We are the ones who give the GO / NO GO for the sale, whether for the Tile or Shipping.
It’s a real team effort, orchestrated with fluidity and precision.
In practical terms, what are we checking?
Absolutely everything! Our customers must buy with complete confidence
✔️ The number of parcels
✔️ Visual quality
✔️ Maturity
✔️Standardisation label (name, variety, origin, brand)
✔️ Compliance with traceability rules
✔️ The fact that the product is healthy and clean
And when necessary, the sales team complements the pair’s expert eye.
By selecting demanding producers, over 95% of orders are compliant.
And in the event of non-compliance?
Even if it remains marginal, several situations can explain a refusal:
end of season, hot weather affecting the fruit, missing label, etc.
In this case:
✔️ Either the supplier takes back the goods,
✔️ Or it can be donated to an association,
✔️ If it is a health problem → immediate destruction by us, without compromise.
Tighter controls
When a previous delivery has caused a problem, or when we’re coming to the end of the season, Fabienne and the sales team sometimes decide to step up the approval process.
For example, out of 100 parcels, 5 are checked at random, using technical measures:
✔️ Brix (sugar) via refractometer,
✔️ Juice content,
✔️ Flesh maturity via penetrometer.
Nothing is left to chance.
Why is this essential?
Because approval means :
✅ Guarantee consistent quality,
✅ Allowing you tobuy in complete safety,
✅ Meet the most stringent health standards,
✅ Remain aligned with our quality strategy,
✅ Comply with the requirements of Fel Partenariat. Thanks to the hard work of Fabienne, Klara and the whole team, our customers can buy with their eyes closed… and whet the appetites of their own customers.
