Launching PrepWorld France
7 January 2026
Omer-Decugis & Cie and PrepWorld have today announced the creation of a new strategic joint venture to develop the fresh cut fruit market in France. Through a state-of-the-art fresh cut fruit factory, to be built in the port of Dunkirk, they will supply a consistent, high quality fresh cut offer, at scale, to French and European markets.
Benjamin Olins (left), CEO PrepWorld and Vincent Omer-Decugis (right), Chairman and CEO Omer-Decugis & Cie
Omer-Decugis & Cie (ISIN code: FR0014003T71; Symbol: ALODC), an international group specialising in fresh and exotic fruits and vegetables, and PrepWorld - the UK leader in fresh cut fruit and a division of BerryWorld Limited, owned by the AgroBerries Group - today announced the creation of strategic joint venture: PrepWorld France.
Located on the future logistics platform of Omer-Decugis & Cie at the Port of Dunkirk, this new venture will focus on accelerating the development of the fresh cut market in France, with a broader ambition to serve key European markets.
A Category Ripe with Opportunity
The French fresh cut market, estimated to be worth ~€200m, has seen consistent growth year on year. With a population of over sixty-eight million people, annual whole head fruit consumption of 124kg per capita, per year1 (351g per person, per day2) and an increasing demand for convenience, fresh cut fruit in France is a category ripe with opportunity.
"In recent years, we have seen the fresh cut fruit category gain strong momentum across European markets, becoming a key consumption driver for products such as pineapples, mangoes, berries and more. Fresh cut fruit combines the most powerful consumer trends – health-conscious eating, plant-based lifestyle, and convenience – making it one of the most promising segments in fresh produce today whether in retail distribution, or in food service.” comments Vincent Omer-Decugis, Chairman and CEO of Omer-Decugis & Cie.
As market-leaders in UK fresh cut category insight and new product development, the PrepWorld team are motivated to bring their category knowledge and learnings to the French and European markets. "PrepWorld are incredibly excited by this new partnership with Omer-Decugis & Cie. Our team have long recognised the opportunity across France and more widely in Europe, to provide high quality, consistent, fresh cut fruit, fuelled by our category insights and innovations.” shares Benjamin Olins, CEO of PrepWorld.
Vertically Integrated, Collaborative Operations
Omer-Decugis & Cie and PrepWorld will collaborate through a co-financed joint venture, of which, ownership will be equally shared. It will operate as a fully integrated team, enabling both partners to leverage their complementary expertise to establish a market leader in fresh-cut fruit.
“Entering this market is a natural step for our group, fully aligned with our long-term vision of integrated produce operations, from farm to distribution. We strongly believe that this joint venture, bringing together the complementary expertise of BerryWorld, PrepWorld and Omer-Decugis & Cie, will play a key role in developing the category’s full potential in France.” explains Vincent Omer-Decugis, Chaiman and CEO of Omer-Decugis & Cie.
“In Omer-Decugis & Cie, we have found a complimentary partner; their vertical integration in tropicals and in-depth understanding of the French and European commercial arena, go hand in hand with PrepWorld’s longstanding procurement expertise, excellence in manufacturing, quality and compliance.” highlights Benjamin Olins, CEO of PrepWorld.
Located for Low-Carbon, Efficient Logistics
The PrepWorld France site has been strategically considered. Its location at the Port of Dunkirk within Omer-Decugis & Cie’s new fresh produce integrated platform will provide a sustainable and efficient chain of intake, ripening and processing, whilst also providing easy access to France, the UK, and Continental Europe.
“Designed to be the most innovative, produce-driven and customer-focused fresh-cut facility in the country, PrepWorld France will be located within our next-generation logistic and ripening platform in Dunkirk, and will serve as a cornerstone of our commitment to low-carbon, integrated logistics." explains Vincent Omer-Decugis, Chairman and CEO of Omer-Decugis & Cie.“The creation of PrepWorld France represents a logical next step in the evolution of our fresh cut offer and the new site at Dunkirk perfectly complements our UK site at Northfleet. Strategically co-locating our fresh cut facility alongside Omer-Decugis & Cie’s ripening and logistics platform will ensure we deliver the freshest, high-quality product to market, in the most efficient and consistent way.” states Benjamin Olins, CEO of PrepWorld.
PrepWorld, established in 2012, is the UK market leader in fresh cut fruit. The business is a division of BerryWorld Limited, part of the AgroBerries Group. With expertise across the entire fresh cut fruit range, from berries to exotics, citrus, and grapes, to stone and top fruit, PrepWorld supplies leading UK supermarkets and independents across the country. Its state of the art packing facility, spanning 13,000sqm, is currently the largest of its kind in Europe, dedicated to fresh cut fruit preparation and distribution. PrepWorld is renowned for its insight-led product innovation, being the first to prepare pomegranate arils on arrival in the UK, creating an award-winning range of value-add branded products and regularly introducing new, own-label seasonal lines driving growth for its retail partners. The business was recognised by the Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards for its commitment to quality standards and customer satisfaction (2017) and by The Quality Food Awards for its delivery of flavourful products (2020).
Committed to its people, sustainable practices and community endeavours, the business was recognised for its philanthropic initiatives during Covid by the Fresh Produce Journal (2020) and by the Fresh Produce Consortium in 2022 for HR initiative of the Year. Based in Northfleet, Kent, PrepWorld achieved over €157m in sales for the year ending 30 September 2025 and produced over ninety-eight million units.
About AgroBerries Group & BerryWorld Group
AgroBerries is the world’s second largest berry player; a vertically integrated, year-round platform delivering blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries to market 365 days a year. With a world-class award-winning genetics portfolio, own growing coupled with a network of trusted growers, AgroBerries deliver excellence in every berry. Founded in Chile in 1996, the Group has grown from pioneering South American blueberry exporters into a global family of companies following its acquisition of the BerryWorld Group in 2024. The Group’s commercial entities include Berry Fresh, BerryWorld, PrepWorld, and Poupart1895, spanning fresh berry production and marketing as well as fresh cut and produce. Today, the Group spans five continents, uniting growing regions, strategic partnerships and consumer brands that are all rooted in berry goodness.
About Omer-Decugis & Cie
Omer-Decugis & Cie is a family-owned group founded in 1850, specialising in fresh fruit and vegetables, particularly exotic produce, for European consumers. With expertise in the entire value chain, from production to import, as well as specific know-how in ripening, the Group markets its fruit, mainly from Latin America, Africa and Europe, through all distribution networks (supermarkets and hypermarkets, out-of-home catering, specialised distribution and fresh-cut). Omer-Decugis & Cie has two complementary distribution subsidiaries serving all market segments: SIIM and Bratigny. Committed to sustainable agriculture that respects the local environment and people, the Group achieved an 81/100 rating in the EthiFinance ESG Ratings 2024 underlining the maturity of its ESG approach. Based at Rungis Market, Omer-Decugis & Cie had a revenue of €284.8m on 30 September 2025, representing more than 185,000 tonnes fresh fruit and vegetables distributed.
