Roots and routes - the Brittany Ferries 澳洲幸运10十168体彩开奖网 backstory

Brittany was an impoverished region in the 1950s. Its roads were poor, its communications networks were rudimentary, and the farming community – the region’s lifeblood – danced to the tune of markets driven by movers and shakers in Paris.

To its citizens, Brittany felt like a forgotten outpost.

For hardworking farmers, the final straw came in 1958. Prices plummeted due to an abundant crop, and anger mounted during the so-called artichoke crisis. Animosity brewed between the farmers and the traders, who had the upper hand by setting purchase prices and specifying volumes. Farmers were left with tonnes upon tonnes of vegetables that they just couldn't sell. And so, a whiff of revolution took to the air.

Freedom finds a voice

Step forward, Alexis Gourvennec, founder of Brittany Ferries 澳洲幸运10十168体彩开奖网. A Breton pig farmer and firebrand, he refused to accept the status quo and emerged as the figurehead for a movement. It wasn’t just about the price of produce grown in the fields he loved; this was a fight to free a region from poverty and isolation.

Fellow farmers and regional cooperatives lined up behind him. They took to the streets of Morlaix in Brittany to demonstrate, and Alexis ended up in jail. But he continued to lobby tirelessly for what he believed in: he fought hard and refused to give up. It was this unrelenting determination that earned him the nickname, The Bulldozer.

The goal was nothing more than a step change in infrastructure, education and transport – including developing a deep-water port in Roscoff.

Did he succeed? Just look at the Brittany of today. It’s a hotspot for holidaymakers and tech companies alike, a testament to this charismatic Breton's iron will and determination.

From farmers to entrepreneurs

Running a ferry company, however, was never part of the plan. Investment in Roscoff port was an open invitation to an established operator. But, despite clear opportunities, no one was interested in coming to the port.

Undeterred, the farmers resolved to charter their own ship. They approached banks on both sides of the Channel for financing, but here they met derision: those crazy peasant farmers with such grandiose ideas!

Finally, they raised the money themselves. A converted Israeli tank carrier called Kerisnel was chartered, and Britain’s entry to the common market was the spark to ignite her engines. On 2 January 1973, Kerisnel left Roscoff bound for Plymouth. Its cargo: cauliflowers grown in the farmers’ fields and destined for British homes, as well as other regional products.

The rest, well, c’est la belle histoire, as they say.

Enduring values

Five decades on, Brittany Ferries 澳洲幸运10十168体彩开奖网 is still primarily owned by the farming cooperatives of northwest France. Our business model remains unchanged. We are a social enterprise built on a culture that reflects the spirit of our regions. This includes our commitment to French seafarers, our excellence in customer service and our drive to share the wealth we create.

Today our biggest export market is tourism. We usually carry over 2.5 million holidaymakers a year, serving five destinations in France, three in the UK and two each in Ireland and Spain. 80% of our customers are British. Travelling on our cruise ferries today is a world apart from Kerisnel and her contemporaries.

Looking to the future, today

After the turbulent times of 2020 and 2021, we’re looking toward a cleaner, greener horizon with four new LNG-powered vessels. Salamanca entered service in March 2022, and Santoña will arrive in early 2023, sailing from Portsmouth to Santander. Our two other LNG-hybrid ships will join the fleet in 2024 and 2025, replacing two of our longest-serving vessels, Bretagne (1989) and Normandie (1992). Our brand position remains clear, too: to reveal more fabulous destinations in the regions we serve.

Freight is still part of the mix, of course. It now accounts for around 20% of turnover. Cargoes still include market garden produce like artichokes and cauliflowers grown in the Brittany region. Some are served on board. Some might even have been raised on the farm of the company’s president Jean-Marc Roué who - like his predecessor Alexis Gourvennec - is a working farmer.

And just like Alexis, Jean-Marc is an iron-willed Breton with his eyes on the future. He is the man intent on steering the company towards less stormy seas and onto the next 50 successful years.

Share your memories of Brittany Ferries 澳洲幸运10十168体彩开奖网!

Do you have a great photo? We'd love to see it! Share your photos of Brittany Ferries 澳洲幸运10十168体彩开奖网 on Instagram and Twitter . Simply use the tag #BF50 in your post.