Frédéric Nouvel and Stanislas Riffaud (Master 2013), the founders of La Fabrique à Bière, call on their clients to make their own beer in the kitchen. With this solution, you might just become a brewer extraordinaire!

EDHEC Alumni : Can you tell us briefly how La Fabrique à Bière came about?
Frédéric Nouvel : We are both from the south-west, but we met one another while preparing to join EDHEC in Paris, where we were “roomies” at the boarding school. Several thousand hours of studies and a few litres of beer later, we found ourselves on the same programme, the MSc Entrepreneurship at EDHEC. We are both fond of a warm welcome and a good beer, so we went to meet with brewers in the Lille region and learnt about the brewing process. We wanted to adapt it to our small kitchens but without changing the experience and ensuring that the quality was unaffected. That’s how La Fabrique à Bière came about, a kit to make delicious and authentic home-brewed beer. And it’s as easy as cooking pasta. . 

1 year after the launch, how would you assess this entrepreneurial adventure?
FN : We mainly focused on the initial stages of getting the business up and running: our economic model, product, contacting suppliers, developing our online store and logistics. We have just successfully completed our test phase, with very positive feedback from our first 300 customers. 

Have you ever benefited from the network of EDHEC graduates?
FN : The alumni network is very valuable to us. Not a week goes by without us contacting or being contacted by EDHEC graduates, whether to discuss our start-up, develop our reputation, collect feedback on our products and services, or prepare the next stages of our grand project.

What advice do you have for young entrepreneurs?
FN : We would like to advise EDHEC students, and “would-be entrepreneurs” in particular, that it is never too early (yes, too early) to take the entrepreneurial plunge, whether your idea is revolutionary or more traditional. All of the conditions on campus are just right to ensure you can succeed. And if you have to miss classes for professional reasons, you will even be excused. Assuming Mr Mayeur agrees, of course.

What’s next for La Fabrique à Bière?
FN : To compete with the major breweries, microbreweries began to develop in France in the 1990s, followed by nanobreweries. Following the United States, the next revolution for brewing production units will take place in our kitchens. Our ambition is to become a major player in the home-brewing industry in France. To achieve our ambitions, we have two main objectives in the short term: commercial development and expanding our product range.

What are your expectations from the community of EDHEC graduates?
FN : Our current needs are for investment and public relations. In terms of investment, we are looking for partners interested in joining our venture. In terms of public relations, we want to gain a reputation for La Fabrique à Bière among the wider public using all media outlets (Internet, written press, radio and television). If any EDHEC graduates have advice for us, we would be delighted to hear from them and are always willing to listen to good ideas.

Contact
Website : La Fabrique à Bière
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fred@fabriqueabiere.com / 06 31 55 88 99