Aymeric Legrand (EDHEC GE 2013), combining entrepreneurship with a love of local produce

Combining his love of high-quality local produce and his appetite for entrepreneurship, Aymeric Legrand (EDHEC Grande Ecole 2013) made his breakthrough with Bottes en Ville, a marketplace that connects farmers and chefs.

EDHEC ALUMNI: TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROJECT. HOW DID IT COME ABOUT? 

Aymeric Legrand: As soon as I left EDHEC, I wanted to get involved in a tangible entrepreneurship project. 
I had the opportunity to join a start-up just as it was developing. I spent 4 years there, learning on the ground what it’s like to be an entrepreneur and maturing with the company. 
An intense, fascinating and formative experience.
The next natural step for me was to take on a business adventure that reflected who I am in an area I’m enthusiastic about: high-quality local produce!

My associate Jules and I realised with astonishment that there wasn’t really any modern service in France to allow chefs and restaurant owners to get their produce directly from small local farmers, even though there are loads of farmers doing a great job nearby. 
There had been several B2C initiatives, but nothing for B2B.

After a few months’ preparation, we launched Bottes en Ville in Paris at the beginning of February, specialising in extra fresh produce picked on demand and delivered directly from the farm exclusively to professionals working in catering.
Fruits, vegetables, dairy produce ... all of the highest quality, local and in season, grown using reasonable or organic methods.
A digital marketplace to connect farmers from the local area to neighbouring chefs without the need for an intermediary.

For months we travelled around the Paris region looking for the best producers.
And now we can provide Parisian chefs with the best produce grown near their place of business!

Chefs order online at www.bottesenville.com, then we pick up the produce from the farmers and deliver.

It’s the beginning of a grand adventure, and one that we hope will go far!

EA: WHAT DRIVES YOU ON THIS ENTREPRENEURIAL ADVENTURE?

AL: To start from scratch and build something with a real presence that has a positive impact on society. 
I feel entrepreneurship is something that should be experienced as a team, and what is most satisfying is to bring people together in support of a project we dreamt about.

EA: how did your experience at edhec or with the graduate network help you develop this project?

AL: it is well known that EDHEC is a wonderful school when it comes to learning about initiative and teamwork.
But spending a full year on an exchange programme in Peru, working in a totally different environment and travelling (a lot!) to meet with people who live in a world that is very different to mine, helped me adapt to all kinds of contexts: whether I’m talking to a fruit & veg grower or a banker, I’m pretty at ease.

EA: WHAT IS YOUR INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF THIS ENTREPRENEURIAL ADVENTURE? DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR OTHERS FROM EDHEC WHO WANT TO GET INTO ENTREPRENEURSHIP?

AL: It’s really too soon to say! As for giving advice to others ... it’s probably a good idea to start working in a very small firm, so you can try your hand at a bit of everything and get stuck in. But ultimately, if you want to be an entrepreneur, I think you just have to take the plunge.

EA: WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOUR COMPANY? 

AL: We are currently focusing on biz dev: convincing as many restaurants and other catering professionals as possible to get on board and welcoming an ever greater number of farmers to our platform to enhance our product offer. 
With that in mind, Bottes en Ville is obviously open to all useful advice and contacts within the alumni community. 

WHERE TO FIND BOTTES EN VILLE

Website: www.bottesenville.com
Instagram: @bottesenville 
Facebook: @bottesenville