A symbol of junk food and deforestation, spread is nonetheless a product appreciated by the French: its consumption is up 10% in 2021, for a turnover of more than 554 million euros. .
So rather than boycotting it, some actors have chosen to make it better. It’s the bet of the young shoot Papa Outangwhich ultimately hopes to appear as a serious alternative to spreads that are not very respectful of the environment.
Mobilize a community
“It all started with a visit to Thibaut’s family: one morning, he discovered a jar of Nutella on the breakfast table. He reprimands his mother and when he returns to see her a few weeks later, he finds a jar of spread, homemade this time, without palm oil. It was then that he realized that reinventing the products found on the shelves in a healthier way was ultimately not rocket science,” says the partner of Thibaut Manent and co-founder with him of Papa Outang, Loic Guichaoua.
And it is of course with the spread that they intend to apply their theory. “We had to check that there would be people interested, so we launched an online petition, which was relayed by a committed activist. In one week, we collected 1,500 signatures,” continues Loïc Guichaoua. This was followed by a crowdfunding campaign on Ulule supported by 2,400 contributors and widely relayed on social networks.
Papa Outang’s recipe: co-create his spread with a committed community, regularly consulted and informed in real time of progress. “From the start, we mobilized these people who we didn’t necessarily know and we were pleasantly surprised by their enthusiasm and their level of commitment. When you really involve them, what’s more, in an impactful “good will” project like this, they give much more than you could imagine,” explains the co-founder of Papa Outang. Many took the time to respond to phone surveys to give us feedback and help the duo fine-tune the recipe, as well as give advice on brand development and connect entrepreneurs with professionals, like lawyers.
Loïc Guichaoua and Thibaut Manent created the Papa Outang brand.
– Photo Papa Outang
“These are also the people we consulted to find the association to support,” he insists. The choice fell on Kalaweit, an organization founded by the French Chanee and which buys hectares of forests in Borneo and Sumatra in order to protect them.
Integrate the first large surfaces
A little over two years after its debut, the spread is ready to make its debut in the big leagues. Since January 2022, it has been present on Frichti and starts in a thirty pilot stores of an actor of the GMS still kept secret. “We also organized events in Cora stores in northern France on February 4 and 5,” adds Loïc Guichaoua.
Because the large and medium surface, it is indeed the target of Papa Outang. Where some could have imagined developing only online or in large specialized organic stores (GSS), Loïc Guichaoua and Thibaut Manent want to immediately face competition from GMS products. Never mind the price difference. “At 4.95 euros per 200 grams, we are more than twice as expensive as a classic spread. This is normal: we have selected organic hazelnuts from Italy and Spain and fair trade cocoa and cane sugar from South America, explains the co-director. But thanks to supermarkets, we hope to increase our volumes and thus lower costs to reach, we hope, 20 euros per kg. »
The objective of the two partners: to have the widest possible impact. “And it is in supermarkets that this will be possible, where everyone does their shopping. The brand is in discussion with several national brands and says it is ready to deal with large volumes if necessary. “We are also preparing a first fundraiser with business angels, because until now, we have operated solely on self-financing,” adds Loïc Guichaoua.
Spread consumption is up in France by 10% in 2021, for a turnover of more than 554 million euros.
– Photo Papa Outang
–
:quality(50)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/semana/3UD4WPYM4NC4JMDTIJNV3QETK4.JPG?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 "The photos of Carla Giraldo when young that aroused praise from Jorge Raush")
