This Kedger has launched Toomaï: healthy and sustainably made granola!

1️⃣ To begin, tell us about your educational background. What did you study, both before and at KEDGE?

I attended prep classes at Henri Poincaré High School in Nancy after I got my Economics and Social Sciences BAC. In 2010, I started in KEDGE’s Masters of Management Grande École Programme (PGE). The first-year curriculum consisted of core subjects. After that, I went the International Business route with modules focused on international geopolitics and international business. After working in the agri-food export logistics field at Lactalis during my gap year, and then in export sales at Business France, I did a university exchange in Kerala, India at IIMK (a wonderful time).

While at KEDGE, I was a member of the "Forum Events" association, which invites personalities from the political, economic, and cultural world to come and debate with the students. That was a great experience and I learned a lot. I particularly remember some rather epic debates (all the "youth" representatives of the political parties just before the 2012 presidential elections, and the intervention of Tariq Ramadan).

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT KEDGE'S MASTER OF MANAGEMENT GRANDE ECOLE PROGRAMME

2️⃣ Tell us what you did after your studies were finished. What positions have you held? What did you learn in those positions? 

I "hung around" so I could write and finish my dissertation. I was contacted by a pharmaceutical company based in Nancy for a temporary position in its logistics/transport department for an assignment that later turned into a job. I stayed there for two and a half years. It was a very operational and field position that gave me the chance to perform tangible work. I learned a lot about how a warehouse works and about the field of transport, which is sometimes rather vague. Most importantly, I met Monia, who is now my companion in life and in our incredible Toomaï venture.

3️⃣ Tell us about your project. What is your situation today? What gave you the idea and why do you want to do what you’re doing today? 

I co-founded Toomaï with Monia in February 2020. We started the project in April 2018 after a trip to Senegal. We were interested in West African cereals and plants, and one thing led to another and we came up with the product range we’re now launching: La Pépite, a salty granola inspired by the ancestors and made from a combination of cereals and legumes, which highlights the ancestral forms of nutrition and has a positive impact on our soils. It’s a project on which we and our partners have built from A to Z, such as our visual identity, positioning, sourcing, and recipes. We make the products ourselves in an organic and socially responsible bakery near Montpellier.

TOOMAI

4️⃣ What are your development plans for the future?

We're in the middle of a crowdfunding "gift rewards" campaign on the Miimosa platform. The first target was 10,000 €, but we reached it very quickly and are now moving on to the second target of 15,000 €. The business is still just beginning and we’ll move forward in stages. We are focusing our first year developing in organic stores and bulk grocery stores (and online shops) located in a limited number of outlets in the Montpellier region in order to prove the concept on the market. We will then move towards expanding nationally and benchmarking particular in the major organic chains.

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5️⃣ If you were to give advice to any KEDGE graduate who wants to do something similar, what would it be? 

When I was in school, I never thought for a moment that I’d go into business for myself one day. But I was lucky and met Monia who was the flame behind the project and pulled me along with her. All that was left was to uncover the creative skills we all have within us. 

The clear advantage of KEDGE for entrepreneurship is the fact that it provides a generalist education and so touches upon all aspects of a company. I had to dust off my knowledge in financial and marketing forecasting, but the foundation was there. Knowledge of the economic field is undeniably an asset, and you learn a lot about it in school. And being in an association or an office also forces you to seek out partnerships, canvass, rehearse speeches, etc. It may not seem to be that important when you're in school, but it prepares the groundwork for what comes after.

6️⃣ Anything you’d like to add? A message to pass on?

Have a look at our crowdfunding campaign. It’s an opportunity to taste our products and there are great gift rewards as well.

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