It's the story of a career change. Bathylle Kaeppelin (PGE 08) embarked on an entrepreneurial adventure after ten years in finance and development at Club Med. Bathylle took on the food industry, a far cry from the financial sector. She shares her experience with us:   

Bathylle Kaeppelin (PGE 08)

This exciting entrepreneurial journey begins with a career change: after ten years at Club Med, you take the leap to envision ScrunchiZ. Did becoming a mother inspire you to work on this concept?  

It was as a mother that I became aware of the lack of snacks that are both tasty, healthy, fun, practical, and sustainable. This is a reality shared by many parents, and I am truly happy to have developed this initiative without compromise. It took time (1 and a half years of work) and a lot of hard work, but here it is, ScrunchiZ is here, just as I had imagined it! 

Can you introduce ScrunchiZ to us in a few words?  ScrunchiZ is a brand of snacks for children. These snacks consist of 100% organic biscuits and fruit ribbons, made with REAL ingredients. They are both fun, healthy, and tasty, providing a practical and sustainable solution that makes a difference for the planet!  You previously worked on finance and development topics, but with ScrunchiZ, you are now venturing into the food industry with its numerous strict regulations. How did you prepare for this change of sector?  I was fortunate to be selected by AgroParisTech to join their incubator, which supports innovative projects for sustainable food. This support from engineers, experts, and researchers allowed me to structure my approach and develop products that comply with health standards for market launch.

You received support from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, as well as Bpifrance, in addition to AgroParisTech. How did this happen? What advice would you give to alumni looking for this type of assistance? 

I prepared a comprehensive dossier presenting my project, business model, and financing needs to Bpifrance. Together, we analyzed which grant would be most suitable based on the stage of development, and it was the Ministry of Agriculture and Food that provided support.

My advice: Be as precise as possible in the Business Plan (even if they are only assumptions) and team up with your Bpifrance contact by presenting your project candidly, as this person will advocate for the project in their internal selection committees.

Your products aim to be without compromise: healthy, appealing to children, tasty, and with minimal packaging. This suggests that you encountered numerous challenges during their conception. How did you manage them?  

I was ready to abandon the project if I wasn't satisfied with the results, both in terms of nutritional quality and taste, as well as waste reduction. This pushed me to go above and beyond to find solutions that I am proud of today. 

To succeed in such an adventure, having a strong support network seems essential. How did you meet Lucie Hocquet, who works with you on your recipes? Did you also reach out to the alumni network? 

Yes, I completely agree. And it's these encounters that have made the last year and a half an exciting journey.

Lucie supported me as part of her end-of-studies project at AgroParisTech. She was later followed by Zeineb, who has been working alongside me since March.

In addition to Lucie and Zeineb, researchers and professors from AgroParisTech and Inrae have provided specific expertise on topics such as formulation, production processes, regulatory aspects (standards, certifications), sensory tests, and eco-design of packaging.

And yes, my partner who manufactures the fruit ribbons, Cédric Guillemot, is an alumnus of NEOMA (Sup de Co 03)!

To support your launch, you are currently running a crowdfunding campaign on Ulule until October 1st. Could you tell us more about it? 

I decided to launch the pre-sales of ScrunchiZ on Ulule, which is a crowdfunding platform, to assess the interest in my project. It was a bit of a crash test, to see if it works or not!

It's a great way to promote my initiative; the start has been encouraging with over 2,000 pre-sales in 2 weeks.

What are the next steps for the growth of ScrunchiZ? 

I am pragmatic: my priority is to ensure that my first customers are happy with their experience with ScrunchiZ, as this will determine the future growth of ScrunchiZ. Without them, there is no revolution in children's snacks, starting with the afternoon snack! 

What message would you like to share with the network for the final word? 

Join the movement of snack rebels and follow us on Instagram @super_scrunchiz! 

I discover the Ulule Campaign