The Origine France Garantie (OFG) certification assures consumers of the traceability and origin of a product. This label was created by the Pro France Association in 2010, whose mission is to defend and promote French manufacturing in all sectors.

What are the guarantees of this certification?

To obtain this certification, the product must meet two essential criteria:

• The first criterion concerns the place where the product takes its essential characteristics. For the most part, France must be the country where the product is designed, manufactured, and assembled.
• The second criterion concerns the value of the product. At least 50% of the added value must come from France. This includes the cost of parts, labor, indirect costs of the production site, research and development expenses, and depreciation of the equipment used allocated to the product.

What is the procedure for obtaining it?

To apply for certification, the company must comply with a set of specifications established by the Pro France Association. The file prepared by the company is then checked by an authorized and independent certification organization. If the application complies with the specifications, the company is awarded an initial certificate of certification. In the months following the issuing of the provisional certificate, a confirmation audit of the certification is scheduled.

The certificate is valid for three years, and two follow-up audits condition its upholding.

The difference with the Made in France slogan

Numerous headlines such as “Made in France,” or tricolored logos flourish on packaging and products in all types of sectors. These mentions are self-declaring and free for brands, unlike OFG certification, which requires a regulated procedure and validation. Moreover, the term “Made in France” is not automatically a guarantee of quality. Companies can use it as soon as the last step of the transformation of a product is made on the French territory.

Only the Origine France Garantie label attests to the French origin of a product in complete transparency. It promotes national know-how in a transversal way since it is common to all sectors of activity. This certification thus benefits from high visibility and notoriety among both mainstream and professionals.

Origine France Garantie certification for VMI equipment

VMI is one of the few manufacturers of equipment for the bakery industry and the health and cosmetics industry to obtain this certification, issued by AFNOR.

“All our machines are assembled in our unique production site in Montaigu Vendée (30 km from Nantes). It is to promote the production of our equipment in France that we have decided to certify the ranges of machines for artisanal bakeries and laboratory equipment”, explains Dominique Denoël, Director of VMI.

For more than 60 years, VMI has been marketing its mixing equipment worldwide (60% of sales are exported). With more than 230 employees, its single production and head office site is in Montaigu Vendée. Numerous trades are represented to design and produce the equipment and constitute the know-how of the company:

• Equipment design: mechanical, electrical, and automation engineers.
• Manufacturing: boilermakers and machinists for the creation of parts.
• Assembly: 80 technicians and electromechanics assemble the equipment. This phase can last from a few days to several months, depending on the size and complexity of the machining process.
• Quality control: controllers to carry out static and dynamic tests, and equipment qualification.

The “Origine France Garantie” is an asset for developing the brand’s activity, both in France and internationally.

“Our customers want to use quality equipment that is manufactured in compliance with standards and with respect for the environment. This also provides transparency for users further afield, who do not necessarily have all the criteria they need to make the right purchasing decisions,” comments Marie Bednarek, VMI’s QSE Manager.