Hervé Nguetsop (BBA EDHEC 2010) and his Smoocyclette showcased in Forbes magazine

Article translated from Forbes.fr

The idea originated in South America but the roots of Smoocyclette are 100% Basque. The goal? To make a smoothie by pedalling a vintage bike. An idea that is both fun and environmentally friendly.

Astonishing success

After many years organising sports events and working as a consultant, Hervé Nguetsop, who graduated from EDHEC with a BBA in 2010, took on a crazy project: to create a smoothie bike. The idea is to mix your own fruit juice by pedalling. This is not such an improbable concept and was inspired by a system commonly used in Guatemala, where the energy generated by pedalling is often used to replace the electricity needed to grind corn or draw water from a well. Our young entrepreneur did not want to use a product that already existed in the United States but instead come up with a 100% French innovation. So he created his first prototype in 2017, using an old bike with wooden pannier racks, which he adapted to carry the blender. With help from a friend and engineer to fine-tune it, and in particular to invert the drivetrain system, Hervé then launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kiss Kiss Bank Bank to finance his ambitious project. It worked: having raised €7,000, he had enough to finance the construction of his first “Smoocyclettes”.

He went on to enjoy astonishing success. The fun and original product appealed to the public, and a series of national TV reports (including FR3 and BBC) ensured that requests started coming in from across France and the inventor was able to secure his first contracts with clients that included Basque bike manufacturer Orbea, which gave him access to the Tour de France trade fair. Orbea also helped him with the technical and logistical development of Smoocyclette. A few months later, his project had a stand at the Innovation section of the Made in France trade fair (MIFEXPO) in Paris. Even the French Ministry for the Environment showed an interest and is offering Hervé a chance to present his product at the European Heritage Days next September. Their colleagues at the Ministry for the Economy and Finance were next to get involved and invited him to BercyINNOV.

A high-end, 100% Basque product available for hire and for special events (fruit and presenter included) across France at affordable rates.

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