Dijon no longer cutting the mustard

DIJON has been synonymous with mustard since 1856, when Jean Naigeon of Dijon substituted verjuice, the acidic "green" juice of not-quite-ripe grapes, for vinegar in the traditional mustard recipe.

Mustards from Dijon today generally contain both white wine and burgundy wine, and most mustards marketed as Dijon style today contain one or both of these ingredients.

But last month Amora-Maille announced the closure of three production sites by the end of 2009 with the loss of 265 jobs, of which the most famous is the historical factory at Dijon.

Under the reorganisation structure, introduced by Amora-Maille directors, 'industrial activities would be concentrated in Chevigny Côte d'Or, thereby forcing the closure of both factories at Dijon and Appoigny (l'Yonne)'.

The directors explained the move was necessary due to the decrease in production at Dijon by 42 per cent since 2002 and the under use of the site at Appoigny.

The union CFDT (Confédération Française Démocratique du Travail), described the closures as a "bombshell" claiming it was a political and financial move.

A group of about 50 employees travelled to Paris to voice their opposition to the closures and redundancies.

The Amora-Maille group, which has four sites in Burgundy with about 500 employees, came under the control of the food processing giant Unilever in 2000. On October 30 the group announced a third quarter net profit of €1.7 billion, a rise of 60 per cent, due to the transfer of assets.

The mayor of Dijon, François Rebsamen, has said, 'mustard is a cultural and patrimonial element of Dijon and Amora-Maille has managed to acquire their profits thanks to the employees'.

A Facebook group has been created to campaign against the closures and the number of members is growing.

As was stated in an interview on the subject, "When I travel and say I come from Dijon, the response is always, 'Ah, the mustard!'"

It is yet to be seen if the continuing fight can change the decision, for who can think of Dijon without Dijon mustard?