Last October, two engineers with a passion for gastronomy gave birth to Younau, a company dedicated to manufacturing spreads based on locally grown products from surplus production and sorting gaps.
They wouldn’t miss the sacred aperitif hour for anything in the world. Marie Ponsoye and Aurélie Evesque, indisputable experts in the field, are at the origin of a company created only a few months ago. Their initiative? Offering artisanal preserves of high-end spreads, emphasizing taste quality and sustainability. However, the Younau brand goes beyond “simple” gastronomy that we would describe as convivial, by embodying strong social values. Marie and Aurélie promote lasting solidarity both with themselves, with producers but also with people with disabilities with whom they collaborate through the Work Support Establishment and Service (ESAT). At home, everyone is on an equal footing and advances with one and the same ambition, and not the least. In just six months, nearly 10,000 jars were produced by the company.
When entrepreneurial minds meet
Co-founder of the Younau company, Marie Ponsoye is an agri-food quality engineer. She has accumulated a wealth of experience in the viticulture, winemaking and catering sectors. Her last professional experience took place at Grap’Sud as an export technical salesperson, a company specializing in the circular economy (read again here). At that time, during this professional experience, she met Aurélie Evesque, who was then her hierarchical superior. It is the latter who came up with the initial idea for the project, although it has been matured at length and enriched by her collaborator since.
An agronomist and oenologist by training, she spent more than fifteen years in the food ingredients trade, and eight years in the United States as a sales representative and sales director. Back in France, Aurélie joined Grap’Sud, where she hired Marie, while keeping in mind the idea of eventually creating her own business. “I told myself that I could see myself doing this one day, she confides. I realized the workload and I knew it was an adventure full of doubts and twists and turns. However, I have never actively looked for someone to associate with. But with Marie, while talking, we realized that we had the same desire, without knowing exactly what.”
Between Marie Ponsoye (left) and Aurélie Evesque (right), a collaboration that seems quite naturally obvious. • Photo DR
She started alone for a while, with an initial idea that quickly evolved. The idea of cooked dishes arose, but ultimately it was the idea of an aperitif that was preferred. “It’s not trivial, it’s a moment that resonates in all of us. It’s the beginning of the meal, the beginning of something”. Marie quickly joined her: “I immediately agreed to join it because it is a project that speaks to me enormously. I was sensitive to the values held, whether in terms of the sustainable, ecological, but also societal aspect,” testifies Marie Ponsoye.
Their vision was to found a company specializing in artisanal spreads, favoring local products from surplus production and sorting gaps. Their goal was to meet the growing demand for sustainable and local products, while tackling the (alarming) problem of food waste.
Younau = “You know”
For those who were still wondering about the meaning of this modern and dynamic name chosen for the company, Younau is simply “You know”. But here again, nothing is left to chance. Aurélie Evesque explains why it is more important than ever to know what we consume – hence the “You Know” : “Younau’s idea emerged from an awareness of the challenges farmers face in terms of waste. Sometimes they find themselves with surpluses that they don’t know what to do with. Yet traditional methods like planting canned goods have been around for a long time and offer solutions. Some producers use them, but they encounter logistical obstacles to marketing them effectively. Our experiences have revealed absurdities in the food sector, such as local, organic and labeled canned goods, which nevertheless contain vegetables. imported from the other side of the world.
The names of Younau’s products seek to reflect the richness of Occitanie and the Cévennes. • Photo DR
The company then began marketing its first canned goods in November 2023, only six months ago. For the two founders, who maintain close ties with the agricultural world, it was unthinkable to contribute to the excess waste of raw materials or to waste the work of farmers. Especially since the products selected vary according to the seasons. For example, if it is difficult to find asparagus in the fall, they will not call on distant producers to continue their spreads with this product. On the contrary, they will adapt their offer by replacing asparagus with seasonal products, and so on.
A significant social aspect
Once the project was launched, integrating the social aspect quickly became a priority for the company, even if initially the founders did not know exactly how to make it a reality. Before setting up their own production tool, in particular autoclaves to sterilize canned goods, Marie and Aurélie explored the options available around them, taking into account the potential ecological impact in order to minimize their environmental footprint. Among the different options considered, a work assistance establishment and service. The ESAT of La Cézarenque in Concoules, in the Gard, which already had the necessary infrastructure and personnel, was simply encountering difficulties in providing work to people with disabilities. “We said to ourselves: even if we have to make people work, we might as well make them work.”
Younau offers a wide range of spreads. • Photo DR
The founders’ project therefore represented a beneficial solution both for ESAT and for themselves. In the long term, in around three years according to Marie Ponsoye, they plan to have their own workshop “once their tool is saturated”. However, at this stage, they are already planning to integrate ESAT residents into their team and their workshop. Although this change may be a big transition for them, the founders are confident that it will provide them with new and rewarding professional opportunities and that they will already be familiar with the work environment.
Younau to Matignon
The young project is enjoying dazzling success, with nearly 10,000 jars produced to date and nine new cans planned by the end of the year. This success is based on effective collaboration between Aurélie, dedicated to developing recipes and researching flavors, Marie, in charge of administrative aspects, and Tanguy, the intern responsible for communications. The communication strategy is particularly well thought out, with the integration of QR codes on each lid, offering customers access to various recipes, accompanying ideas and interviews with producers, for the sake of transparency, “You Know”.
Last March, Younau had the honor of being received at Matignon by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. The founders were distinguished as winners of the “101 Femmes de Matignon” competition, which aims to highlight 101 female entrepreneurs across France. • Photo DR
Recently, unexpected recognition came from Matignon, where the founders were welcomed by the Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal as part of the competition “The 101 women entrepreneurs of Matignon” (see photo above). The ministerial office even ordered Younau artisanal spreads, which are now found in government offices. Beyond this anecdote, their ambition is to extend the distribution of their products, not only in several regional points of sale, but also in restaurants, in order to further shine on a local or even national scale and thus highlight value, local Cevennes products. Now, Younau…
Information
A point of sale is available at the Caveau de Saint Alban, on Chemin de la Chapelle, in Saint-Privat des Vieux. To place an order or find out about all points of sale, contact 06 12 04 77 61 or 07 68 70 71 12. Or by email at [email protected]
