Philippe Cazorla passionate about the Mediterranean in the halls of Millau

L'équipe familiale de Philippe Cazorla vend le poisson aux halles. Midi libre – Pauline Chaliez

À la rencontre des commerçants de Millau, Philippe Cazorla vend le poisson aux halles de Millau depuis 2002.

Philippe Cazorla grew up between Sète and Marseille. In college, when he was 14 or 15, he had a friend whose brother was a fishmonger. "We went to the fish market to help the fishmongers put the trucks away. We got noticed by big fishmongers. At the time, there were a lot of tuna, they made us unload them and put them in ice, he remembers.

Products frequently purchased in Sète

Around the age of 20, he became a fishmonger, a job which involves packaging fish according to their size and quality, and he was also a driver. He goes to the markets in Bilbao, Barcelona, ​​Zaragoza, etc. He is noticed by a big fishmonger who offers him a job as a buyer despite his young age. Later, he became a fishmonger at Halles Jacques-Cœur when they opened in Montpellier. It was in 2002 that he seized the opportunity to settle in Millau. Having worked with fishmongers who served the two fishmongers at Les Halles, he learned that one of them was putting an end to his activity and obtained authorization to resume his stalls in May 2002. "At At first I was traveling, then I came to live here,” explains Philippe Cazorla. The fishmonger lives in La Cresse, he goes down to Sète on Tuesdays and Thursdays but is delivered very frequently. "Today, we can make our purchases at auction directly via applications, this allows us to have fresh fish every day."

A family team

Present in the Halles de Millau from Tuesday to Saturday morning, he has been supported by three employees for three years. "They are as invested as I am. One is trained in auction purchases. The other two also manage purchases and orders for restaurants. I'm not the only one who knows how to do everything, they are trained, it's important for me, confides the business manager. He adds: "We are a small team, it’s very family-oriented, we also meet up outside of work. But everyone knows how to be professional when necessary."

“I followed my clients”

The Cazorla fishmonger also offers cooked meals twice a week, most of which are homemade. A few years ago, the entrepreneur bought the company. a fishmonger à Saint-Affrique. "The work takes up a lot of my time, I have a company with two sales locations and I manage the administration, accounting, purchasing, partnerships, etc. I hope to continue for 15 years. I am 47 years old, I like contact with customers and my job which is anything but monotonous. I followed my clients, grew and evolved. with some. I only have one small regret today and that is not having had any experience in tuna fishing, that is ;rsquo;is the only maritime profession that I have not touched. But when I was a teenager, we went fishing with friends' parents. A fan of the great outdoors, Philippe Cazorla has done trail running before and is hopeful of resuming this activity again. in his rare free time.

Since starting his business, he has worked with several restaurants in Millau but also in the Gorges du Tarn as well as with campsites during the summer season. "We will deliver to Rozier. Before, we had customers who supplied themselves once a month when coming to Millau. During Covid, we set up delivery via our website. Today, some people eat fish every week."

Mediterranean fish

Philippe Cazorla's fish comes mainly from the Mediterranean: "We favor French fishing as much as possible even if for certain products we are dependent on imports. If customers make the effort to come to Les Halles or a specialized store, it’s up to us to provide them with good products. We select. A fillet, depending on whether it is raised by hand or by machine, does not have the same cost while the fish will have the same name. However, it is not the same product. It’s up to us to promote our know-how and our products. Customers have trusted us for 22 years."