“Heat your papatis oven! We have a huge order to cook,” launched Tibiscuit in Shrek 2. This is what happened in December to Biscuit adventurers with Marion Pintaux in the role of the papatissier. Indeed, orders for Christmas have flowed in so much for this small company based in Sèvres (Hauts-de-Seine) that certain products, such as the set of Christmas cookies, are already sold out. Fortunately, for latecomers, the start-up will hold a pop-up store at La Fabrique du Père Noël (Paris) from Friday until December 24*.
At the origin of this pastry success, Marion Pintaux, who after 20 years in communication, decided in 2018 to get hands-on and take a pastry CAP. With an idea in mind: to make decorated cookies. “It’s quite present in the United States and the United Kingdom but very little in France,” she explains. The original idea was to address individuals with decorated or even personalized cookies, which have the particularity of keeping well, of being able to be offered and shipped easily. »
The concept of “greedy media”
But it was the brands that were the first to knock on the pastry chef’s door. “As they are international, they know the concept and use it as gifts for customers,” continues Marion Pintaux. One of our first big orders was for Calvin Klein with 15,000 cookies. “Because, in addition to the advantage of being edible, cookies are customizable and can therefore convey a message, which makes the entrepreneur say that she has developed a “gourmet media”. It thus offers cake greeting cards that work well in BtoB (Business to business).
This appetite for big brands “has allowed the company to develop”, even if Marion Pintaux ensures “to work on both targets”, knowing that they can afford to be more creative with individuals. Because everything is done by hand, or almost. “We only have two machines, a cookie press and a food printer,” explains the former communicator. It is she who draws the cookie cutters using a famous presentation software appreciated by consultants.
A work of ant and titan
The dough (egg-flour-butter with vanilla or Christmas spices) is made by hand, as is the cutting. “We poach the cookies ourselves with the sugar, continues Marion Pintaux, at the rate of one cookie every 2-3 minutes on average. For example, Lancel had ordered 500 biscuits in the shape of a handbag on which we drew the gold chain with a food marker. “A work of ant and titan at the same time for which she is helped by two pastry chefs, Marjorie and Matthias. For the latter, “icing is a moment of introspection, a bit like meditation. And then it teaches precision.” So inevitably, this debauchery of labor has a cost, count 60 euros for the set (sold out) of 15 personalized Christmas cookies. “We are in a top-of-the-range, luxury approach”, recognizes the business manager.
For the future, the 2021 winner of the Entrepreneurship Network 92, wants to develop more on digital marketing. “I, who was doing communication a bit old-fashioned, I had to adapt to social networks because it’s the place to be,” she comments. For this, she is helped by Léna, on a work-study basis. Marion Pintaux is also considering opening a physical point of sale: “The possibility of being in contact with customers, and if it’s close to a tourist area, that can make sense. “The ephemeral store that it will hold from this Friday will therefore be a first test. With a sales target of 2,000 to 3,000 cookies.
* Santa’s Factory, until December 24. 5, rue Saint-Merri, 75004 Paris