Stephane Devulder (SK 1998), co-founder of the Fabuleuse French Fabrique for all things “Made in France”

Optimistic, local and responsible, the Fabuleuse French Fabrique, created by Stéphane Devulder (SK 1998), is the new community connecting entrepreneurs in the “Made in France” marketplace with their consumers. We had a chat with its founder.

Could you tell us quickly about your studies at SKEMA?

I am an alumnus of SKEMA’s Lille campus. I graduated in 1998 and majored in auditing and finance. We were the first to inaugurate the Euralille campus, with no seats in the lecture hall for the first week. I was one of the first students to take a gap year to get a feel for the corporate environment, at Renault. I did a brief internship in auditing, but very quickly realised it wasn’t right for me.

What were the key stages in your journey that then led you to make the leap into entrepreneurship?

There was little to suggest that entrepreneurship would be part of my future  ̶  on the contrary: after 20 years with a major CAC 40 corporation, I could have happily kept progressing in my role as finance director. But I felt the need to step out of my comfort zone, to challenge myself and choose my next destination. It’s quite a radical change, but it’s a calculated risk and I know there is a need.

What is Fabuleuse French Fabrique?

First off, we wanted this project to be a reflection of us, optimistic, responsible and with a local focus. In more concrete terms, it’s a place where entrepreneurs in the “Made in France” market can meet consumers looking for their products. It includes a webzine for sharing the latest news and information, social media communities for interaction, and an e-commerce site for shopping. For the moment, market growth is being slowed by an imperfect distribution system and low visibility of entrepreneurs (small size so not many people know about them). We are convinced that the customer experience cannot be limited to a click on a cart. That is why we offer a richer customer journey and that is our unique selling point. Our model can’t be B2C only, so we offer a wider range of services to our partners (in return for a membership) and we are currently developing a “communications agency” branch. We are also thinking about developing our own product ranges and a retail development eventually, when the time is right. In other words, the sky is the limit.
 
How did you get the idea to create Fabuleuse French Fabrique?

It’s a project my partner Virginie Vivier and I developed together. I didn’t want a solo entrepreneurial adventure.

There were two catalysts: the first was in 2016 when quite by chance I discovered the start-up In'bô (5 engineers who went into making glasses and skateboards out of wood from the Vosges mountains). I found their range of products wonderful and their entrepreneurial venture very brave. That is when I started to keep an eye on the "Made in France" sector.

The second was in 2017, as a foreign trade advisor in Switzerland we often attended information sessions at the embassy. During one session, there was a presentation about France’s industrial performance compared with the other European countries. We were second-last in the EU (by industrial share of GDP as a %). That really struck me, even shocked me, and I started to explore the subject further. We reached the lowest point without really realising it and it is urgent that we do something about it (consumers, entrepreneurs, government).

What are your next steps and your development challenges?

One year in, we have already achieved our third big milestone (webzine, community, e-shop) and we can now finally monetise the business. We have a solid brand concept in place and we have tools that work. Now we just need to add more partners and products to our catalogue: our target is 100 by mid-2021 and 200 by mid-2022. We’ll have to beef up our organisation, because our model requires us to produce a lot of editorial content. There are many people coming into the "Made in France" niche right now, so we need our offering to be attractive and different. We believe that we are tackling the issue in a unique way; we will find out pretty quickly.

What could the SKEMA community do to help you?

Support us, share, click... support from our networks is essential to the success of our entrepreneurs; it can be a real accelerator and make all the difference, especially during the scaling phase. Then, in mid-2021 we will need to raise some capital for the first time; if one of the investors were to come from the SKEMA network, that would be even better.  

What connections have you maintained with the school?

Friends for life, my children’s godfather, my best man at my wedding. Also, young graduates I recruited at Renault and who now have successful careers. That is a source of great satisfaction for me. I joined the alumni network while I was in Switzerland, but I didn’t have time to devote to it. I hope to be able to promote and talk about “Made in France” and inshoring/reshoring at the school and with other alumni. This is a strategic issue in many respects (independence, environmental responsibility, land use planning, etc.) and it would be great if SKEMA contributed to the solutions.

What is your motto as a business owner?

Meaning, meaning and more meaning!

Contact: Stephane Devulder (SK 1998), Co-founder of Fabuleuse French Fabrique. Find out Stephane's portrait in Les Echos magazine.