To mark 1 year since the launch of our Gers Viandes chain,
We interviewed one of our partner breeders, Patrice GALLATO, to find out more about his story and his opinion of our GERS VIANDES chain.
OUR SECTOR GERS VIANDES
GERS VIANDES was launched a year ago, in July 2023. Its activity focuses on the ankle (i.e. carcasses).
GERS VIANDES aims to highlight local farms where know-how and commitment are, in its view, the most authentic.
M. GALLATO, Bazadaise breeder from & GERS VIANDES
Mr.GALLATO has decided to trust GERS VIANDES rather than other retailers, because he feels his work is “valued”.
But who is Patrice GALLATO ?
Patrice GALLATO, is a Bazadaise breeder in Le Houga, GERS (32). He has inherited the family business, which has been in operation for 2 generations.
Even back then, Mr GALLATO's maternal grandfather owned Bazadaise oxen to help with the farm's various tasks. His paternal grandfather, on the other hand, had Gasconnes.
So when his father took over the farm, he started breeding cattle. His father chose to start with Limousin cattle, but in the end decided to devote himself to the Bazadaise breed. On the one hand, because he'd known it since childhood, but on the other, because this breed won him over with its docility, hardiness, ease of breeding and beef qualities. So, a breed with fewer constraints and that calves quite easily.
After his father's retirement in 2007, Patrice GALLATO took over the family business, and thus the breeding of Bazadaise.
Patrice GALLATO grew up on the farm, so it was out of a sense of attachment that he decided to take it over. When he was young, he hesitated between working in the restaurant business or as a breeder. His father encouraged him to discover a profession other than that of a breeder, which he had known since birth. So he went to hotel school and obtained his CAP and BEP diplomas, which enabled him to start working in 1990.
Today, he's still a cook in the morning, and a breeder in the afternoon!
In his opinion, this is the quality needed to become a cattle breeder:
“You have to be passionate, because it's a passionate profession. It's like cooking, if there's no passion, there's no point”, he confides.
How is the operation organized ?
Mr GALLATO has 90 head of cattle: cows, bulls, steers and heifers. Until recently, he had 110, but he wants to cut back “to do better with less”, he told us. Given that he works alone and only in the afternoons, it's important not to rush through tasks and burn out. However, he can still count on the help of his father, still passionate and nostalgic about his old profession.
The farm is divided into two sites, less than a kilometer apart.
The first site, where the family home is located, is devoted to breeding and fattening. There are pens (see photo opposite), as well as large meadows where cows, calves and bulls can roam in the fresh air.
A second site, purchased at the end of 2022, is reserved for young steers (under 3 years old) and heifers (one to two years old), to allow them to grow. He currently has around ten young steers; once they are 3 years old, they will be transported to the first site for fattening. As for the heifers, once they give birth to their calf, they are also transported to the first site for rearing.
Mr.GALLATO is also a cereal grower, devoting part of his corn production to the production of flour, which he makes in his own mill. He adds triticale, wheat and a little soya to this flour. This flour is used entirely to feed his cattle for fattening, which complements their basic diet.
An anecdote !
All these animals have been bred by him since the start of the farm, but he buys bulls from time to time to avoid inbreeding. For example, we can observe with curiosity a cow (see photo opposite) which is a Bazadaise, but redheaded, bearing witness to the heritage of the Limousin cows owned by his father when the breeding farm was launched.
Our GERS VIANDES chain aims to make the most of the investment and hard work of our breeders. Mr.GALLATO has placed his trust in our industry and our team, which is why he will continue to work with us.
“So you're satisfied with GERS VIANDES Mr. GALLATO?”
“Yes, absolutely!”
Many thanks to Mr.GALLATO for his work and testimonial !
Are you a breeder interested in learning more about our business?
Are you interested in obtaining quality animals for your butcher's shelves?
Contact our team in Auch on 06.89.10.15.27 or by e-mail at jcfarbos@gersdistri.fr