New duo at the helm of UAPL - Loire Propriétés, Caves de la Loire, Albert-Besombes…

APL – Union Agricole des Pays de la Loire – which covers the entire Loire Valley, generating revenue of €350 million with a staff of 600, has changed governance. At the end of 2025, the co-operative group appointed Jean-Manuel Pivert as its new chairman. He succeeds Christian Blet as chairman of the CAPL (Cooperative Agricole des Pays de la Loire) and the UAPL group. Blet had held the position since 2020 for the CAPL and the end of 2024 for the UAPL. The new chairman farms apples and pears in Anjou and has been an administrator with the CAPL for over 30 years.

The group has also welcomed a new managing director. After spending 18 months in the post left vacant by Jean-Michel Mignot Рa thirty-year veteran with the group РJ̩rome Lemasson decided to leave the position. He had previously spent 18 years with the group, including several as director of Loire Propri̩t̩s. Pierre-Antoine Ferru has been recruited to replace him. Before joining the UAPL, Ferru managed the Lorraine agricultural co-operative CAL.

The Loire co-operative group combines several activities, including a wine division branded Loire Propriétés (€72 million in revenue in 2024) which groups together the Caves de la Loire co-operative, trading company Albert-Besombes, a distillation co-operative and a subsidiary specialising in sparkling wines (Services Vinicoles Pé) with Jaillance. More recently, Loire Propriétés established two companies with other French co-operatives: Moc Baril (with Océalia and Sica Balisca) for bulk wines and Distribution Vignerons Réunis with Rhonéa and the Union de Producteurs de Saint-Emilion for sales to super/hypermarkets.