“Entrepreneurship that makes sense”
Nadège Court Perrin – Co-founder, CEO
Why Bulk?
For me, there was no sudden trigger for bulk. It’s more of a journey. My parents were primary school teachers and taught a lot abroad:
I had the chance to discover different cultures, lifestyles and territories, between Central Africa, the Maghreb and North America. I feel like a citizen of the world, and I realized early on that our planet’s nature and biodiversity needed to be protected.At the time, public opinion was critical of the big polluters, but not so much of our global over-consumption. Its impact on global warming, plastic pollution and waste. Then, like many people (I hope), this frantic consumption seemed increasingly absurd and dangerous.
I’m committed to short circuits, crafts, local food… And yet, all too often I found myself with my garbage cans full of plastic and cardboard, as soon as I got back from the shops. But transporting and recycling require energy: energy that has to be taken from somewhere!
So I started changing my habits to buy in bulk, first for dry groceries, then more and more systematically for my other purchases. It’s become obvious: the best waste is the waste we don’t produce, and what’s more, it’s not that complicated!
Your bulk ritual?
As soon as I’ve put my shopping away, I put my bags and boxes back
in a large net that I place at the entrance to the kitchen.
So I know I have everything in one place
for next time!
Your bulk item?
All at once I equipped myself with lots of bags, recycled jars and boxes. I needed to say to myself: “It’s OK, I’ve got everything I need!” I also wanted it to look good in my kitchen and cupboards. If I had to remember one thing: my green net. It won’t leave me…. And then my phone! To photograph labels, cooking instructions, etc. and now to find everything in the“Mon étagère” application 🙂
Why Packtic?
When I started buying in bulk, I obviously encountered the usual obstacles, such as the need for more organization to have the right containers with you when you go to the store, to find their place at home.
But I also found myself asking a lot of questions about the products themselves: how to cook them, their traceability and so on. This information can be found on packaging, but not necessarily on the shelves of bulk stores. I like to know what products I buy and give to my son. And spending my time looking for info on the web here and there, no thanks.
So creating a chain of information and trust between manufacturers, retailers and consumers seemed to me to be an essential building block for changing purchasing habits. I’ve chosen my battle!
You before Packtic…
My previous experiences had already combined entrepreneurship with a commitment to a different kind of consumption. Entrepreneurship came to me fairly quickly in my career, out of curiosity and a desire to do things differently.
After the baccalauréat, I went to university to study biology. But I didn’t like the anonymity of the campus: I wanted to find a group spirit, a class spirit, and to work in marketing, because I was more interested in promoting projects to customers. I entered ESIEE Management Paris (formerly ISTM) and then INSEEC Lyon in Communication and Advertising.
I got into food processing when I worked for Kalys, an Isère-based company that supplied chefs. When I discovered the restaurant business, I knew I wanted to get involved in ” culinary communication ” : I created the Digimiam agency in 2010, to promote local chefs, recipes and products. To bring together food artisans, restaurateurs and consumers. And to be useful. Showcasing know-how means serving a cause, a region, an industry. It’s “doing your part”.
As I like challenges, I wanted to move on to something new, more ambitious and even more useful. With Packtic, I hope we can have a real impact on the development of bulk sales.