Interview with Michel et Augustin: Recipe for a French success story

For almost twenty years, their brand has stood out in the supermarket cookie aisle. The two characters drawn on their packets seem to be shouting "Eat me, eat me"... and you know so well that you're going to love it, that inevitably... you snap!

But who are Michel et Augustin, these "troublemakers of taste", who have more than one recipe in their oven to make you lose your cool!

Meeting with Aurore, neighborhood baker (understand "in charge of consumer relations" because like the baker, she welcomes everyone with friendliness), who tells us the beautiful story of two great friends.

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Can you tell us who Michel and Augustin are?

Michel and Augustin are first and foremost two childhood friends. They met in middle school and went through all their schooling together, graduating from the same business school, the ESCP. Then their paths diverged.

In 2003, Augustin had an idea in mind: publish a guide to the best bakeries in Paris. It's true that it's fashionable to publish guides on a wide variety of themes. Augustin knows that this theme can appeal to a very wide audience and believes in his idea. And the person he calls to tell him about his project and ask if he'd like to get in on the act is naturally...Michel!!

Does the beautiful story begin now?

Presque! After editing the guide,Michel and Augustin understand that they are very complementary. Thanksto their respective expertise, the two friends draw up three critiques of the way agri-food works:

• Brands tend to say anything to sell their products.
• The products sold have very complex recipes
.
• Prices pulled down for lower-quality products
.

So they wanted to offer simple recipes, understandable by all, but with very high quality products, and therefore a little more expensive than the average comparable product. And, to exemplify the quality of their expertise, Michel et Augustin set out to find the best shortbread recipe! The adventure begins...

What are the beginnings of Michel et Augustin pâtissiers?

It all began in Augustin's kitchen. On the first day of their business, Michel arrived at Augustin's with a small potted banana tree... hence the name "bananeraie" given to Augustin's kitchen, and which naturally took hold when we moved into our premises in Boulogne-Billancourt. It took no less than 300 attempts to find the perfect recipe!

The shortbread quickly became a victim of its own success! Especially when Monoprix, the first supermarket chain to put their trust in them, asked them for a second recipe, so that consumers wouldn't get bored!

So the two friends are forced to recruit. How does recruitment work?

From the moment a second recipe is requested, Michel et Augustin know they're entering another dimension! So they have to surround themselves with a range of skills, and are stepping up recruitment. Of course, skills and qualifications, for a given position, are studied. But with equal skills and experience, priority is given to the most likeable troublemaker (that's the other name given to all employees at Michel et Augustin).

Gone are the haughty candidates. Make way for authenticity! And for creative professions (graphic designers, videographers, community managers, etc.), applicants are urged toapply in an original way. Here, pre-formatted cover letters have no place. When applying to Michel et Augustin, future troublemakers are asked to fill in a very specific form where they can explain their motivation, but also solve a charade and answer some very simple questions. And, of course, depending on the type of position, we'll be looking for more or less originality.

So, for a creative communications position, for example, if a candidate sends, by way of application, a madeleine or a 100% personalized cake, we're happy to meet them!

So you've created an in-house Human Resources department?

This became necessary given our size. We have therefore set up a Human Resourcess department, now made up of three employees. The latter are responsible for both external recruitment on permanent contracts, as well as internal HR management and relations with schools.

Is there an integration program for new recruits?

All right! Each new troublemaker must complete anintegration course. For the first month, they must follow a sales representative on his or her rounds, to get a better idea of Michel et Augustin's image in a "real" situation, in a distribution channel. One month after his or her integration, he or she must also organize a "welcome snack" or "welcome aperitif". Half a day is set aside for this, to go shopping and concoct a snack or aperitif for the banana plantation. Often, so as not to make the task too big, we wait until there are several newly-integrated troublemakers to propose this joint initiative. And at the end of this snack or aperitif, an apron embroidered with his or her name is given to each new recruit.

Finally, every new troublemaker is assigned a godfather or godmother responsible for optimizing his or her integration. So, for example, the godfather or godmother will introduce him or her to the nice places to go for lunch or to do some sport near the Bananeraie. He'll also explain the routines of the Bananeraie, like how the dishwasher works, for example. This method also enables the old troublemakers to establish a special rapport with the newcomers. The general working atmosphere is also very friendly thanks to this exchange between all team members.

How did Michel et Augustin hold its own against the giants of mass retail?

At first, we structured ourselves in a fairly classic way, into key accounts. Each key account trublion is responsible for one or sometimes two major banners. So, one trublion will be responsible exclusively for relations with Monoprix. Another with Leclerc, for example... Every year, in January, each key account troublemaker visits his customer to negotiate prices for the year ahead.

Our little personal touch isn't forgotten either... For example, Laure, our Leclerc key account, who has passed her CAP Pâtisserie, came to her customer with a brioche she had made for the occasion. She had also taken care to accompany it with our spread "La noisette filante", published in a limited version for last December.

And throughout the year, we offer the mass retailer original animations, in our image. For example, Elise, our events manager, has created a "wheel of fortune". An animator invites the public to spin it, and everyone leaves with a prize, such as a discount voucher on our products or a book... It's a very friendly experience, and consumers are very receptive to this type of initiative.

Can you tell us how Michel et Augustin came to be known across the Atlantic?

The story goes back a few years... We had written to Starbucks Monde, in New York, hoping to be listed in all their restaurants. With no news, we were just about to forget about the mail, when we received a call from the assistant to the CEO of Starbucks Monde, asking that we send them a package with our recipes to taste at the executive committee meeting. You can imagine our excitement! But Hassan, our videographer at the time, and Charlotte, who was working in communications, were bolder and said that we shouldn't just send a parcel, but actually go and present our recipes to the CEO ourselves!

To do this, we had the idea of involving our entire community in this partnership with Starbucks. The idea is simple: invite as many people as possible to post a photo of themselves bearing the words "Come on, Howard, have a coffee!", Howard being the first name of the Starbucks CEO. The message is clear: invite the CEO to agree to have a coffee with representatives of our team to present our recipes to him ourselves. At first hesitant, "Howard" accepted our proposal. The "Michel et Augustin en Amérique" story begins. Just goes to show that being a bit "cheeky" and knowing how to "break the codes" sometimes pays off! Today, some French troublemakers, recruited in France, have moved to New York, like Maëla, who started out as a graphic designer at La Bananeraie, or Thibaut who worked on our logistics team.

Michel et Augustin, today, counts how many troublemakers?

There are just a few hundred of us. About 60 work at our headquarters in Boulogne-Billancourt. But we also have around 30 "trublions tout-terrain" - our traveling sales representatives - who are always on the lookout for new sales outlets, and who also make sure that our products are well promoted at each distributor. Finally, a dozen or so trublions are based in New York, where Michel et Augustin is also well known... in particular for its famous "petits carrés", a square cookie topped with ganache, which we offer in several recipes and formats.

Michel et Augustin proves that during a hiring interviewt, your personality counts at least as much as your skills. Our consultants will work with you to help you make the most of both your expertise and your friendly, laughing nature. A know-how you can re-exploit in all circumstances.