In Grignon in Savoie, Les Bocaux du Bistrot specializes in high-end verrines for the hotel and catering industry. Bistronomic recipes that she creates in her workshop in an artisanal way.
Created in 2015, by Sylvain Cravero and Ghislain Balagna, both graduates of a hotel school, SAS Les Bocaux du Bistrot wants to respond to the problem of hotel room service by creating bistronomic dishes – from aperitif to dessert – easy to prepare and consume at any time. To do this, she puts them in jars: “Simply pull the tab, reheat the dish in the microwave for two minutes, and consume it directly from the jar,” describes its president, Sylvain Cravero.
To ensure the process is safe, the company applies the principle of pasteurization of yogurts to its jars (in order to extend the use-by date by up to six months). And in order to master the entire chain, she was supported, for three years, by the Technical Center for the Conservation of Agricultural Products.
Homemade
In 2021, the company is leaving Paris to go green in Grignon, near Albertville, where it is investing 1 million euros in the purchase of a former bakery building. The Grignottewhich she transformed into a production workshop. From there, 25,000 jars prepared in an artisanal way come out every month.
It is Ghislain Balagna, head chef, who develops the 45 recipes offered on the menu, some of which are renewed throughout the seasons. All dishes are homemade, 90% from fresh French produce (local if possible), and cooked with olive oil.
“They do not contain any additives and, thanks to the pasteurization process, retain all their organoleptic properties,” specifies the chef.
On the menu that day: tuna rillettes with Danish smoked salt, Savoy trout with candied lemons and Camargue rice, and pear fondant with Valrhona chocolate.
The jars, with their premium positioning, available in five ranges, are a hit, since they are referenced by the Accor group and the independent hotel group The Originals (in France), but also by Lyria, in its TGVs between Paris, Lausanne and Geneva (the contract has just been renewed for seven years).
If the brand is also present in hotels, hotel residences, lodges and guest houses in France, the company is seeking to develop further in Pays de Savoie, and in particular in tourist sites and fast food outlets. Recently, she was retained by the restaurant The Panoramic du Montenvers, in Chamonix, and the Caron 3200in Val Thorens, to supply them in jars all year round.
“We are going to have to increase the pace,” points out Sylvain Cravero, adding that “the workshop is equipped to triple production (75,000 jars)”.
If the company focuses on the BtoB market, its core target, it also sells its products to individuals, but only on the web, via platforms Pourdebon, Garden & Terroir et The Hive that says Yes!.
Develop internationally
In 2024, Les Bocaux du Bistrot, which is showing regular growth, will achieve a turnover of €1.5 million with 12 employees (including 6 in the kitchen and packaging). It begins to export to Switzerland (where it has an importer), Belgium and Italy… “We have very good feedback”rejoices the president, whose sales are divided between main courses (55%), desserts (25%), aperitifs (10%) and soups (10%).
In the future, the SME, a member of the Vrac & Réemploi network, intends to collect and recover glass jars for reuse, and plans to install 90 solar panels on the roof of its kitchens to produce 45% of its energy. She also wants to communicate on social networks to gain notoriety and attract other customers. Moreover, she dreams of being a service provider for the 2030 Olympics…
Patricia King
