Clean transport
The most beautiful stories are often those that have been cradled with patience, perseverance and conviction. Grain de Sail is one of them. In 2010, two Breton brothers, Jacques and Olivier Barreau, founded the company Grain de Sail to produce and sell high value-added products like chocolate and coffee. Of course, the story doesn't end there and the two brothers have a crazy goal in mind... Experts in renewable energies and sensitive to environmental issues, they bet on building, thanks to the revenue generated by the sale of their products, a cargo sailboat capable of transporting goods across the Atlantic Ocean. In 2020, ten years after the creation of the company, the dream becomes reality. Thanks to the sale of the coffees and chocolates produced, the first cargo sailboat is about to set sail. Capable of transporting 50 tons of goods, it is also completely autonomous in energy thanks to solar panels, wind turbines and hydroliennes. Its use also makes it possible to divide by 17 the carbon dioxide emissions per kilogram of transported materials compared to a traditional cargo ship. Mission accomplished!
Extremely well-functioning logistics
In November 2020, the cargo ship will make its first transatlantic voyage. Initially planned to bring back only cocoa and coffee from Latin America, it was decided to include a stopover in New York, in order to limit empty trips. Grain de Sail is therefore making its outbound transatlantic voyage with holds full of... wine! The sailboat had to be adapted to control the temperature and hygrometry of the holds, in order to deliver bottles of French organic wine to New York, to be served in the city's restaurants and bars. Cock-a-doodle-doo! The cargo ship then heads for the Caribbean sun to load its holds with cocoa and coffee, organic of course, which is shipped to Brittany. Once arrived in the roasting workshop of the company, the precious goods are transformed into tasty chocolate bars and other delights. About three months will have passed since the departure of the sailing ship. This transatlantic loop is made twice a year: once in the spring and once in the fall.
An adventure at sea and on land
Unlike "classic" cargo ships, the cargo sailboat must adapt, like all sailboats, to the weather conditions of the moment, while taking into account its weight, the value of its cargo and of course the safety of the four sailors on board. The company therefore chose to start the transatlantic journey from the North in order to avoid the hurricanes of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. The adventure of Grain de Sail is still in its infancy as the Barreau brothers still have many ideas, such as the establishment of a fleet of vessels with diverse and varied characteristics in order to increase the number of destinations and diversify the products transported!
