“I worked for seventeen years at the Gobelins roasting plant in Paris. I was very versatile there. And when the business was bought, the business delivery of establishments ceased, ”he explains.
So in 2009 he decided to take over the roasting house on sale in Chartres, a well-located destination “not too far from Paris”, and at a price more in line with his finances than inside the ring road.
They share the coronavirus note: the Colombier farm in Digny only delivers half of its restaurant customers
From then on, he enjoyed a local clientele in Chartres and continues to deliver establishments mainly in Paris and in the inner suburbs, “Passionate professionals, who have a taste for the job, good things to whom I offer coffee that corresponds to their cuisine”.
And word of mouth in the capital is working. Jean-Philippe Pinbouën ensures the supply of coffee to some fifty heads of establishments with whom he has established, over the years, relationships of trust and sometimes friendship.
“Before the crisis, that represented between two thirds and three quarters of my turnover”, estimates Jean-Philippe Pinbouën. But, since the first confinement, his orders have fallen a lot.
It testifies :
“Before, I delivered around 130 kg of coffee every week. At the moment, we are more at 25 kg every two weeks. What saves me a bit are the delicatessens that are not closed and a few businesses that order their coffee from me. “
Jean-Philippe Pinbouën (owner of the roasting house Les Rois Mages)
–
The activity of the boutique in Chartres is far from compensating for the losses linked to deliveries to Paris.
Already eighteen aids paid to VSEs in difficulty in Cloyes-les-Trois-Rivières
State aid? It has benefited a little, “but much less than the restaurant sector,” he says. This is also why the government has extended this aid, “but it’s very complicated to get to know what we can claim”, notes, all the same, Jean-Philippe Pinbouën.
–
