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La Sablésienne: Bringing French Tradition to the Global Travel Market
La Sablésienne is a French biscuit manufacturer with a proud heritage dating back to 1962. Based in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, the birthplace of the famous ‘Sablé’ shortbread, the company upholds a deeply traditional, artisanal approach to biscuit making. Much like Champagne or Cognac, the name ‘Sablé’ reflects not only a product but also its origin, tied to the region’s culinary identity.
Business Objectives
- Sales Director, Emmanuel Rouiller, explains: “One of La Sablésienne’s overarching goals is to expand our presence in the travel catering sector. Each year, we exhibit at WTCE to help achieve this by meeting new customers, explore distribution channels and strengthen relationships with airlines, rail companies and caterers.”
Market Presence
- La Sablésienne has already secured partnerships with prestigious travel operators including Eurostar, Air France, Aer Lingus, Corsair France and Korean Air. These collaborations showcase the adaptability of La Sablésienne’s products for onboard service in both premium and business-class segments.
Product Offering
- The company focuses on two key categories: savoury crackers – hugely popular in 20g and 40g snack formats – and sweet biscuits such as shortbread. For premium carriers like Korean Air, La Sablésienne also creates custom-designed tins and packaging, proving its flexibility and branding expertise in the onboard sector.
The WTCE Experience
WTCE has become a cornerstone of La Sablésienne’s sales strategy. The company values high-quality leads, with even one relationship from the show being able to “transform the company’s year”, says Rouiller. WTCE also provides invaluable insights into how airlines, rail operators and caterers source products to better understand what the onboard sector is looking for.
Rouiller adds,
Tools like the lead scanning app at the show and WTCE Connect platform have been great support in ongoing relationship building with current and potential clients too.
Contribution to Growth
- The travel and catering sector now represents around 20% of La Sablésienne’s turnover. Rouiller says, “WTCE remains the most efficient platform to meet decision-makers and maintain visibility in this competitive market.”
Advice to New Exhibitors
- Rouiller advises newcomers to attend WTCE in person, prepare mock-ups, research market expectations and highlight what makes your company unique. Face-to-face tasting experiences remain the most powerful way to win new clients in the travel industry and WTCE can offer that with the right people all under one roof.
Key Takeaway
La Sablésienne demonstrates how an artisanal French brand can succeed globally by combining tradition, authenticity and smart market positioning. WTCE is where these opportunities are made – “All the right people are there. For us, it’s not about the number of contacts, but the quality. One meeting can open the door to an entire new market.” Rouiller concludes.
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