After successfully developing the Vestiaire Collective, which had just raised 178 million euros, Christian George embarked on a new adventure in business. After dealing with used fashion, he is now sticking to responsible food with Omie & Cie. This new startup aims to create an alternative to the mass distribution giants to deliver sustainable grocery products to consumers.
Founded in 2020 as Merci Alternative by Christian Jorge, Coline Burland, Benoît Del Basso and Joséphine Bournonville, the company works in partnership with 69 producers and processors to develop a brand of food products (coffee, sauces, olive oil, mayonnaise …) delivered to your home. In order to create a virtuous framework that rewards producers more equitably while offering healthy and affordable products, the company eliminates all unnecessary middlemen who undermine the producers’ income in the mass distribution cycle. “We are engaged in a long-term exchange with our partners to build resilient cultivation that goes beyond labels. Omie & Cie wants to reconcile long-term farming with immediate consumption“Omie & Cie co-founder Colin Borland says.
‘The food sector went astray’
The startup’s food offers can be accessed via an app that users can shop through. Once the products are added to the cart, they are delivered to users’ homes. Delivery is based on rounding system to reduce packaging. Initially, the service was launched in Paris and Lille, as well as in the inner suburbs of the two cities, before spreading further into France.
To accelerate its development, Omie & Cie announced a € 1 million first round from XAnge and several entrepreneurs, such as Pierre Kosciusko-Morizet (Kernel), Marc Menasé (Founders Future), Marc- David Choukroun (La Ruche qui dit oui!) Or Augustin Paluel-Marmont (Michel and Augustin) or even Jean Moreau (Phenix). The process should allow the company to gain momentum to demonstrate that sustainable agriculture can be reconciled with responsible food and profitable business. “Food is a tremendous lever for business, but the food sector has lost its way. In the face of the increasing excesses of mass distribution and legitimate distrust of consumers, it is time to build different models.“Says Christian George, co-founder and president of Omie & Cie, who condemns”Killer softwareFrom distributors.
Listen to our conversation with Christian George to understand the ambitions and challenges surrounding his project:
Omie & Cie: the basic data
Founders: Christian George, Colin Borland, Benoit del Paso, and Josephine Bornonville
Establishing : 2020
Head office : Paris
section: Fawdtk
Activity: A home food brand
Funding: One million euros in March 2021 …
