Les reToqués, nice and responsible snacks

Les reToqués, it’s a solidary company producing nice, healthy and responsible snacks.

• Healthy, because they are without additives nor fat. Just fruits and vegetables, spiced and dried, but not too heated to keep the best.
• Nice because we create vegetables assortments that change, shapes that crisp, so that fruits and vegetables have also some fun at the aperitif, snack time…
• Responsible, because we buy to local producers their fruits and vegetables that are decommissioned, too small, too big, humpbacked… at a fair price, so that it’s profitable to harvest those, in fact it’s a local fair trade. It is still the best way to fight against food waste!
• Solidary, because it’s a reinsertion company through employment. Our employees will benefit from an individual and full support, they’ll be integrated to the production chain, to the fruits and vegetables picking, until the food processing and packaging.

The business model in a diagram!

10% of the products are decommissioned because of a sizing difference, while they are totally consumable.

A responsible company that uses as raw material fruits and vegetables with a sizing difference but having all nutritional qualities.

0.10€ is the average price paid to producers by the industry for 1kg of potatoes, i.e. less than the costs of harvesting and sorting.

A fair company that buys fruits and vegetables to producers at the production price, and not below, to respect a local fair trade action.

40% of unemployed persons have been unemployed for a long time, and proportion of long-term unemployed persons keep increasing.

A social company that hires and trains persons distant from employment, by offering them an individual and full support.

= a care company, producing healthy and energetics snacks, without fat, with adjusted recipes depending on utilization.

A all range of products for every occasions

« Les Zéclatés »: crispy tiles of spicy fruits and vegetables for aperitive and snack. « Les Fracassés »: to customize your yoghurts, salads… like « Les Zéclatés » but crumbled.

« Les Tronches » of apple: slice of spicy apple, for those who like reminders of the old days. Unlike « les Zéclatés », « Les Tronches » of apple are not crispy.  

Is it organic ?

Alexandre Prot, manager of Sennevières’ orchard, is a very active and committed partner. His farm produces 3500 tons of apple every year, under a sustainable agriculture. Everything is done to avoid treatment: use of pheromones, installation of hives. No treatment is done preventively nor after the harvest. Those producers’ efforts for a healthy and responsible agriculture are barely brought to the fore, they don’t benefit from any label and are not distinguished from intensive farmers, so we want to encourage them to keep going! This is why our products don’t have an organic label (part of the production can be organic, but we don’t restrain to it).  

Quantitative objectives

Let’s move from experimentation to the concrete implementation. Supported by Antropia Essec and Ticket for Change, I was able to build a solid business plan.

Our two years objectives are more than 2 tons of rehabilitated fruits and vegetables per month and 6 jobs created. All of this to go up, in 5 years, to 800 tons of rehabilitated fruits and vegetables per year and 15 jobs created… before developing in other regions! The processing has been conceived to apply to a maximum of fruits and vegetables, apart from “Les Zéclatés” of apple, we hope to be able to offer you some products with peach, strawberries, mushrooms…  

What’s the money for?

Lately, we were dedicated to meeting the clients, to get their opinion on the product. Feedbacks were really positive, and people ask me where they could find reToqués’ products. We need to develop to a higher scale to meet the demand. Each event to which we participate, we run out of stock!!! We therefore hired Nawfal, cook and Iraqi refugee, to ensure part of the production. But we also need to invest in machines with a greater capacity, and arrange a local that could welcome the production line in Crépy-en-Valois (60), at the closest of producers.

• With 13 000€, we upgrade the production line (a slicer: 3000€ and a dryer: 10 000€). 
• With 23 000 €,  we add a packaging machine: 6000€, work plans: 1000€, waterproof boxes: 1000€,  and arrangement of the local: 2000€
• With 30 000€, we also buy an electrical scooter (8000€) to be able to do effective direct sales on markets, do local deliveries and allow picking of decommissioned fruits and vegetables by our employees.
• Above 30 000€you’ll participate to research fees (technical process, creation of a recycled and recyclable packaging,…) and staff costs.

With time, reToqués shall be totally independent from donations and subventions, but… for the beginning we need you!

Why crowdfunding?

Donation with a compensation is a solution for small companies starting their business like us, so that we continue the adventure, meetings and sharing about a project dear to our heart.

4 good reasons to participate to the project 

• Fight strongly against food waste: Almost 1000 tons of fruits and vegetables rehabilitated every year with time.
• Encourage creation of permanent and local jobs. 15 jobs created by production unit (including 10 for reinsertion).
• An additional income for farmers!300 000€ per year paid to producers as an additional income (compared with the current situation).
• Promote a healthy alternative to junk food products for you and your children.

Awards

1st price Startup Week-end 

Promo 2016 Ticket for Change (Entrepreneur for change incubator)

Winner of CREENSO contest (Contest for Creator of social company, IESEG).

Solidary challenge 2016 (winner of North Region contest in « +30 years old » category).  

About Anne-Charlotte Vivant

• 2002: agricultural engineer AgroParisTech (INA PG)
• 2003: Research engineer about climate change model at CNRS.  
• 2006: Biology teacher.
• 2007-2014: manager of artisanal shops.
• 2014-2016: Research engineer about climate change impact on agriculture at LSCE.
• 2016: start a full time job on reToqués project.

Alexandre Prot, manager of Sennevières’ orchard, is a very active and committed partner, and members of the board of directors of the association reToqués are not sparing their advices and support. On top of that, Damien Duquesne (or Chef Damien, of 750g) is our sponsor!

About compensations

Tax receipt

Les reToqués association being recognized as a public interest association, your donation gives you right to a tax credit amounting to 66% of the amount donated. As a result, a tax receipt will be given for each donation above 30€. Thus, a donation of 30€ will at the end cost only 10.20€, after tax deduction.

Each participator will have his name on reToqués’ website and on each « Season 2017 » package, and will become an adherent of reToqués association.

The “Haute-Couture” package includes apron – chef’s hat – bread bag – bottles bag. They are made from the same shirt and are thus matched. However, each package is unique! Chef’s hats are made by ApiAfrique, all the other products by us for you!

Two books are suggested, and are signed by their author “750g, je passe mon CAP de pâtissier en candidat libre” (“750g, I’m taking the pastry exam as an external candidate”) by Chef Damien, “les épluchures, tout ce que vous pouvez en faire” (“peelings, all you can do with it”) by Marie Cochard.

We wanted our compensations to be consistent with reToqués’ values. You’ll thus be able to discover our products, but also discover other products from recycled materials and made by some friends’ project: ApiAfrique in Senegal (sewing shop working for us using old men shirts and recycled banners), Longonya Kiwi wine (made from decommissioned kiwis), Marie Cochard’s anti-waste hut.  

Delivery of compensations

• In metropolitan France only !
• Free from a Delivery Relay Point in Paris (location to be defined) and in Crépy-en-Valois (60).

Don’t forget to fill in your address on your Blue Bees’ account – Every ordered made before the 5^th of December will be delivered before the 24^th of December.

Find out more

Address : Les reToqués, 4 rue de Soissons, 60800 Crépy-en-Valois.

lesretoques@gmail.com

www.lesretoques.com