Luc DARBONNE

Is a graduate in electromechanical engineering from the EEMI (Paris). He is the fourth generation to work in the family-owned company, Darégal, where he started in 1974. In 1976, he started the process of freezing aromatic plants. In 1980, he invented the Individually Quick Frozen technique for aromatic herbs. In 1985, he installed a dehydration unit; in 1986, a deep-freezing unit for basil ; and in 1988, he launched the IQF technique for aromatic herbs in large-scale retailing. He is at the head of a group of companies : Darégal in Europe, and Daregal Inc. and Supherb Farms in North America which employ more than six hundred people. The Darégal Group is the world leader in its sector. Luc Darbonne is also the president of the Family Business Network (France), and an administrator for the Société des agriculteurs de France and the French national association for research and technology (Association nationale de la recherche et de la technologie).