Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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P age IntroPara and Page IntroPara ital des boulangeries de Paris," having sampled 1,432 baguettes and 432 pain au chocolat. Bakeries were scored on quality, service, and decor, and not all of them measured up. It's fair to say the obsessive enter- prise made the pair experts on what separated a sometimes ho-hum Gallic staple from an artisanal masterpiece. Enjoying manual work, they perfected a butter cookie with a pinch of salt in Paluel-Marmont's Paris apartment around the same time and peddled them door to door to local merchants. As they sold more cookies, they needed more space and a baker lent them his shop once a week to produce them. When they outgrew that they found a small factory to use on the week- ends. Large grocers put in orders and Michel et Augustin was on its way. The success of their buttery shortbreads led them to come up with cookies with 'melty' chocolate centers (Super Cookies with Melty Middle Milk Chocolate and Hazelnuts, for instance), drink- able yogurt, crackers, pita chips, and a line of lemonade f lavors, always with an emphasis on high-quality, GMO-free ingredients. In Europe, in fact, 19 countries have banned GMOs, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, and Italy. Paluel-Marmont says that another priority was using no artificial preservatives. A new, enthusiastic cookie culture was born. Parisians had long been blessed with world-class patisseries, but these original indulgences were not your traditional madeleine. The bakers' inf luence spread to other French cities and villages, and products were sold in corner markets and supermarkets, appealing to grab- and-go impulses. Michel et Augustin's whimsical packaging and marketing style, focused on having fun, helped to draw attention. "It's not really a brand, it's more like an adventure," Paluel- Marmont says. "We have a passion for taste, and we want people to come along on the adventure." To increase exposure, they took to Paris's streets and wan- dered the Métro wearing little more than cowhide body paint as they handed out free samples of cookies and yogurt. They also established the practice of hosting regular open-house events at their headquarters, inviting musicians, artists, and guest speakers to entertain the crowds enjoying the free snacks. Invading America At their U.S. headquarters, which opened in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, in 2015, an open house takes place monthly. Paluel- Marmont says anywhere from 100 to 200 people show up, and it's all about "positive attitude and energy. People learn how to bake cookies, they taste new recipes, share opinions about different pack- aging, their thoughts about what they like." The office's nickname is the Banana Farm, both for the banana plants they grow and for encouraging expression of creative ideas that might otherwise sound bananas. Another practice they started in France and maintain in the U.S. is for all employees to either have earned a certificate in pastry making or to start studying for one. Training is given every week at AUGUSTIN PALUEL-MARMONT Age: 41 Years in specialty food: 12 Favorite food: The Vietnamese crepe at Bricolage, a restaurant in Park Slope, Brooklyn Least favorite food: Fast food Last thing I ate and loved: In Paris yesterday I was at a fish restaurant, Pétrus, where I had tourteau—crab meat with Fleur de Sel de Guerande on Poilâne bread. If I weren't in the food business: I'd be a tennis player, journalist, or an adventurer. One piece of advice I'd give to a new food business: Be able to cook your recipe by yourself at home; make sure it's authentic. | 2003 Augustin Paluel-Marmont and Michel de Rovira published a Michelin-style handbook, "Guide des boulangeries de Paris," having sampled 1,432 baguettes and 432 pain au chocolat. | 2004 Michel et Augustin is founded in Paris. | 2015 A U.S. headquarters opens in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn. | 2016 The company posts $50 million in global sales based on 110 SKUs. The products are currently sold in 23 countries. U.S. sales hit $1 million, and are expected to reach $3 million this year. HIGHLIGHTS SPRING 2017 67