They sold like hot cakes at the Olympic Games. They are at the Louvre, several other tourist spots and recently on the shelves of Carrefour. They will arrive in the US soon. The rectangular cardboard boxes of La French Baguette, which contain a kit to make your own baguette at home, won over the Germinator jury (of which French Morning was a member) on 24 June. a “ waking dream » confesses Eva Broussou, the founder of the startup, who received first prize in this competition for innovation in food, beverages and hospitality organized by the Franco-American Chamber of Commerce in New York (FACC NY), a reward that will help him to cross the Atlantic.
Before they got there, the forty-somethings experienced the difficulties of entrepreneurship. ” I almost filed for bankruptcy three times », she confesses despite a promising idea. ” At first, I wanted to give souvenirs to friends who lived abroad. But when I wanted to buy a French souvenir, I realized that 80% of them were made in China. So I said to myself “why not make souvenirs that represent a little more the values of the country we are visiting and made on the spot”? »
© FACC New York
Entrepreneurship after posting
Because she knows life abroad. Eva Broussou lived for ten years in Tunisia, where she founded Endemol Maghreb, and traveled extensively during her 20-year career in audiovisual production. But having an idea to start entrepreneurship is not enough. ” I didn’t have a lot of money, I was looking for a product that passed customs easily and didn’t require a lot of processing to keep costs down.. » After touring the symbols of France – from Camembert to the beret – she chose the baguette, which was never intended as a souvenir to take home from a trip and bake at home. ” So I passed a CAP kitchen, at the end of which I launched my project in 2019 “.
She worked in Normandy, in Arras, with a miller, and afterwards ” many misses » as she says, they develop a recipe with good sourdough and a simple process that can be used anywhere. ” For example, it was necessary to find the right dose of water for the consumer to add. But the units of measurement change from one country to another. “A year of development to simplify the process as much as possible and at the same time keep the good taste of the baguette straight from the oven. The kit is finally complete: it contains the ingredients for the dough, instructions with a guide for scanning; and even a Vichy-printed bread basket. A product that can last for a year.
In a very short time, the entrepreneur managed to have large sales points, by offering personalized packaging such as a drawing of Mona Lisa, a baguette under her arm, for the Louvre souvenir shop. ” In Arras, near the flour mill, we have a printer for the boxes.” The collection of the various ingredients is carried out in ESAT in L’Arrageois, the local integration center for the disabled. “Ethics and environmental responsibility are very important to me. Everything is recyclable. »
From souvenir to DIY
A promising start until the covid pandemic stopped. ” There was trouble there. Everything stopped suddenly, it was a disaster for me. But it was also the beginning with the United States “. The boxes sold on Amazon are then spotted on the American side. Unable to meet the demand in the middle of a health crisis, Eva Broussou realizes that her product goes beyond the souvenir sector. She reviews her business model and switches to the DIY market (DIY).
The crisis is over. His appearance on the show “QVME” on M6, based on the principle of “Shark Tank” in the United States, gave him unexpected visibility. Orders arrive from all over the world. Today, La French Baguette works with millers who are able to produce in large quantities – they supply Paul bakeries in particular. The start-up employs five people and employs about thirty people, including service providers. La French Baguette expects to approach 8 million euros in revenue by the end of the year.
Debut in Europe before the US
The international development begins in Europe, especially in England, Italy and Germany. The US is the next step. For a year, Eva Broussou has teamed up with a Francophile American, Michael Cerruti, who has lived in France for a long time. ” I have wanted to come to the US for two years, there is a great demand there, and personally I really want to settle there, a real obsession », says the young woman with a burst of laughter.
The long-term goal is to produce on US soil to supply large outlets “while limiting our carbon footprint”. PIt is about bringing containers full of boxes from France. ” Today, the biggest export in France is frozen bread. It is completely absurd to send refrigerated containers. I want to create an alternative.”
The first sets arrive in New York, on the shelves of the boutique restaurant OCabanon by Armel Joly (also a member of the jury this year) and at Ami Pierre. ” I will take it step by step, with workshops to get customer feedback. By being an incubator and an accelerator, the sprouts will allow me to contact the right people. This competition came at just the right time for us. We are ready, everything is square. »