Drôle de Pain using croissants and buns for social integration

Information updated on 14/12/21

Drôle de Pain doesn't just make great 100% home-made baguettes, croissants, and pizza. The bakery trains people going through social insertion at its Millénaire and Mondial 98 locations. With a team of 20 employees, the company also supplies businesses.

Drôle de Pain met de l’insertion dans les croissants et les brioches — Antoine Soive, managing director of Drôle de Pain, standing behind his team, holding a round loaf of bread.

“In 2013, Drôle de Pain (literally, “funny bread”) became the first artisan bakery to be certified as a social insertion company in the south of France. I benefited from strong support from local authorities in Montpellier, as a solidary organization,” declares Antoine Soive, founder and general manager.

The company’s commitment to training and employment is backed by careful attention to quality and the environment. The bread, buns, pies, pizzas, and sandwiches are all created to be “simple but good. Nothing ever comes in frozen!” Local producers are involved, such as Moulin de Sauret in Montpellier, Au Sabot Vert in Assas, and Les Vergers de Saint Jean in Saint Jean de Védas. With respect to the environment, Drôle de Pain buys renewable energy from Enercoop and works with Compostons, an association focusing on neighborhood actions for food composting.

Afterwork events

Like many artisans, Drôle de Pain seeks to develop its activity and increase profit, now pursuing activities that include fast food and breakfast delivery to companies. His “funny company”, where baguettes and pastries are sold for €1, has made its way into several startup incubators and companies.

In 2017, the company invested €400,000 to launch a second site in Montpellier’s Millénaire district, notably to create a vast commercial and eating space, its central production site, and a tree-lined guinguette where tables, hammocks, and petanque pitches welcome afterwork events and parties. Conveniently located near schools and businesses, the new site can seat up to 150 people for lunch. Not ready to stop there, Drôle de Pain opened a two-person branch in early 2018 for Computacenter’s 400 employees at the Liner building in Pérols, just south of Montpellier.

“We launched three stores in five years. Things are moving fast,” says Antoine Soive.

He expects to achieve sales of around one million euros in 2018.

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Drôle de Pain doesn't just make great 100% home-made baguettes, croissants, and pizza. The bakery trains people going through social insertion at its Millénaire and Mondial 98 locations. With a team of 20 employees, the company also supplies businesses.

Afterwork events

Find out more…

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