Meet the Member: Harriet Lane, Business Developer USA, O.C.F.

In our latest Meet the Member feature, we spoke with Harriet Lane, Business Developer at Ouest Constructions Frigorifiques (O.C.F.).

Ouest Constructions Frigorifiques (O.C.F.) is a refrigerated display cabinet specialist. O.C.F. accompanies you in your project from the sketch to the final realization. Its aim is to offer appropriate, customized solutions to support you through changes in your sector and the emergence of new constraints.

Keep reading to learn more about O.C.F. and its expansion through Harriet’s mission within the U.S. market.

FACC: Ouest Constructions Frigorifiques (O.C.F.) is a designer and manufacturer of refrigerated showcases and tailor-made layout solution for food and hospitality professionals. What original requests have you received from your clients which required O.C.F to innovate?

HL: As mentioned, everything is custom-made at OCF. The diversity of our clients and their products is key to our innovation. If a chocolate chef needs a refrigerated showcase to display bonbons, or a hotel has a particular request for a pastry display cart, or a baker is faced with a complex floor plan to fit viennoiseries, breads, cheeses and more… we are constantly striving to be creative and think outside the box. Whatever the client wants, we bend over backwards to find the best solution to create it, making sure the food stays fresh and scrumptious all day long!

FACC: Harriet, you are currently on a 12-month mission to study the US market and understand the potential for O.C.F. product. How has O.C.F expanded on the US market? What has been its strategy?

HL: Our products have been present on the US market via a reseller on the West Coast since 2015. We have since opened 20 stores across the country, including Gabriel Kreuther’s chocolate shop in New York and Stephane Treand’s pastry school in LA. This year OCF sent me as Business Developer to do an in-depth market research to better understand and implement OCF in the US, by attending trade shows in the food industry, and visiting current clients to gather their feedback.

FACC: What have you discovered studying the American market so far?

HL: The market is very different to France. The products are more extravagant and in size slightly bigger, meaning it changes the look and style of the showcases in the US. 90% of what I have seen has been standard displays. In fact, we have just unveiled our latest standard showcase of our own. While keeping within our values of quality and design, our main aim was to keep nothing but the essentials, which is why we named our new showcase l’Essentiel!

FACC: What are some of O.C.F’s short and long term goals, both nationally and internationally?

HL: Being international, means being available. In our day and age, everything is online, so why not make a showcase that can be online too? OCF is working on a project currently to help meet these needs of being better connected to our clients, which will prevent an issue from arising, send updates to the showcase, with the aim to keep our clients’ peace of mind. 

And continuing to grow with our current clients, while building new relationships with others, means we are constantly innovating and pushing our goals to meet theirs.

FACC: How did you hear about the French American Chamber of Commerce and what are you most looking forward as a member?

HL: I heard of the FACC thanks to Altios, a member themselves, who suggested attending a networking event to get to know the FACC. The events are in fact the most exciting feature for me, as I personally really enjoy meeting entrepreneurs and hearing about their fields and line of work.

Interested in connecting with Harriet? Log into the FACC Member Directory to send her a message.