This week we caught up with Biogrow’s new Technical Sales Manager for the French-speaking market Mickaël RENAUD.
- What was your background before joining Biogrow?
After completing my studies with a BTS in thermal and climate control installation, I decided to reorient myself towards training in the horticultural sector after working as a seasonal worker within a greenhouse.
Thanks to this experience, I realized that this work was more in line with what suits me. My family comes from an agricultural background, so I can say that today, with hindsight, this change of direction was an obvious one and it was the right choice.
After several years between my studies and my experiences as a seasonal horticultural worker, notably within the company “Serres des 3 Moulins,” I obtained my BTS in Horticultural Production, as well as a permanent contract with the same company, holding the positions of team leader and PBI manager. With this first enriching experience in mind, and with no opportunity to move into a cultivation technician position, I decided to embark on a new adventure in the south of France within the company Vila.
Despite my lack of experience in crop management, the company trusted me to join them as a crop manager, initially for strawberries, then for tomatoes. I stayed with the company for seven years, which were very formative for the young person I was at the time and who wanted to move forward and grow toward a position of responsibility. Thanks to the trust of my managers, I was able to achieve my goals of managing my crops and staff, with complete autonomy.
Completely fulfilled in my work, I nevertheless decided to return to my home region, knowing that I was going to be a father. With this valuable experience, I progressed as a head grower in tomatoes and cucumbers and worked for 18 years at two establishments in the Nantes region.
- Why did you want to join our company?
After more than 20 years as a Head Grower, I wanted to take my career in a new direction and move toward a new challenge, which would allow me to use my many years of experience as a crop technician.
My technical background was sought after within Biogrow. So, for me, joining Biogrow was a given, as I knew the company and the people who work there through my earlier experience with the Vila Group.
Furthermore, Biogrow’s commitment to more sustainable and responsible agriculture is in line with my values today. By offering a range of renewable and recyclable products, this pioneering company is fully aligned with the more environmentally friendly agriculture of tomorrow. Biogrow has extensive international experience in providing quality services to producers through its substrate production at factories in Sri Lanka, India, the Philippines, and Brazil.
And it is this international dimension along with a rapidly expanding market and a dynamic and cosmopolitan team that attracted me to the company. Joining Biogrow is therefore an obvious choice for me, in the continuity of my professional career and in order to contribute to new innovative solutions for the agriculture of tomorrow.
- Tell us about your post within Biogrow.
As a technical sales manager in France and abroad, my role is to develop product sales within the French market as well as in certain French-speaking countries. I provide technical support to customers through my professional background in the field of indoor growing.
My mission is to analyze growers’ needs by adapting a sales strategy with our customers and distributors, and provide technical support with innovative solutions to meet the challenges of the sector. I also aim to be more responsive through my site visits, my interactions with professionals, and by being on the ground close to our customers. This allows me to optimize our services and more quickly adapt to the needs of professionals through the regular contact I have with our production sites.