GUILHEM CHÉRON LA RUCHE QUI DIT OUI / THE BEEHIVE THAT SAYS YES FRANCIA, ASHOKA FELLOW 2013 https://laruchequiditoui.fr/fr https://www.ashoka.org/fellow/guilhem-chéron
PROBLEM Small farmers are struggling to survive, though they are the ones who rely on sustainable agricultural practices. They cannot sustain the prices offered by large retailers (who pay only 40% of the list price) and direct access to consumers is not straightforward due to the growing reliance on large supermarkets. Moreover, these large retailers feed an ever more industrialised agricultural sector that resorts to monoculture, pesticides and weed-killing chemicals in high quantities. Every year, thousands of farming companies go out of business. According tothe French farming network Terre de Liens, the total number of agricultural businesses in France has fallen by 20% in the past 50 years. Water quality, soil quality and employment rates are all worsening at the same time. The loss of small businesses is accelerated further as 85% of current farmers are close to retirement age and younger farmers are not encouraged to take over as they see no satisfactory economic prospects.
SOLUTION 70% of European consumers state that they prefer local, sustainable foods, according to the Natural Marketing Institute, but say that they donot have access to a reliable supply system for fair-priced products. Guilhem has managed to bring together the critical mass of consumerswith La Ruche, giving them access to a small-scale, environmentally-sustainable supply system for local products. All farmers who want to be a part of the network are checked and interviewed to ensure that they employ sustainable, sanitary farming practices. Each Ruche (Beehive), or local distribution point, is run by a leader from the community. The leader recruits local producers and consumers, and manages a dedicated online marketplace foreach Beehive, hosted by an online platform. The online platform isusedto collect and analyse data, to improve the service andto betterunderstand modes of consumption. What is more, it is a tool that farmers can use to communicate between themselves in order to cooperate and collaborate. They can also have a dialogue with consumers and raise awareness of themes such as food,waste andenvironment.Finally, “La Ruche” offersIT training to farmers, who are not traditionally a digitally-savvy group.
IMPACT La Ruche qui dit oui has existed since 2011 and brings together some 800,000 members, a number that is continually rising. The project’s Beehives have sprung up all over France. There are more than 800 marketplaces bringing together 600,000 customers and 4,000 producers. After success in France, the model has been exported to Belgium, Spain, Germany, the UK and lately to Italy as well. Interest , has come from the USA too. Many local entrepreneurs have been supported in opening their own Beehive. They manage the relationships between producers and consumers but beyond making a positive contribution to the community, entrepreneurs receive 8.35% of their Beehives takings and many have earned between 100EU and 2000EU per month. Consumers order products directly from the online catalogue and collect them on a weekly or two-weekly basis from a pick-up point close to their home or workplace. There they can meet producers directly, and build relationships that guarantee trust and a sense of community.
LA ROADMAP GUILHEM CHÉRON
VISION The project is gaining leverage through other trends such as the growth of the online food market, the growing presence of knowledgeable consumers on social media and youth participation. Guilhem has decided to maximise the role of the internet and peerto-peer networks, and his approach is having success in the big cities and rural France alike. Through the system of the Beehives andtheir community leaders, Guilhem is creating the conditions for these budding entrepreneurs and local producers to lead the development of a more efficient market for local, sustainable and artisanal food production.
With the support of
ROADMAP GUILHEM CHÉRON SCALING STRATEGY La Ruche’s scaling strategy is rooted in the relationships of trust that develop between consumers and producers. It is therefore fundamental to have the participation of small local entrepreneurs who are themselves interested in creating their own Beehive, acting as guarantors to these relationships. They have the incentive of earning commission on their producers’ takings. The first Beehive in a new area is crucially important, as it paves the way to open new markets. La Ruche also offers constant support, control systems for producers, an online platform to stimulate cooperation between members and monitor the market, and finally IT support for farmers.
SHOWCASE
TROVARE PARTNER
SCALARE
MISURARE L'IMPATTO LOCALE
SCALING LA RUCHE IN SPAIN After the success in France, Ashoka Spain has supported the launch of the project in Spain since September 2014. Marc Raulin has coordinated the Colmenas (Beehives) and has adapted the model for the local market in Spain.
La Colmena que dice SI (The Beehive that says Yes) has opened 24 Beehives in Madrid, Barcelona, Andalusia (Seville, Granada and Cordoba), Valencia, León and Bilbao. 199 farmers have chosen the model as a direct channel for sales and 10,000 people in Spain have registered online to buy products.
SCALING LA RUCHE IN ITALY The Beehive model has been exported to other European countries following success in France. At the moment, there are already 30 Beehives (Alveari) which have opened or are in the process of opening in Italy, and the organisation counts 2,000 members and over 100 producers. After a pilot project in Turin, the first Beehives are being set up in Milan, Bergamo, Brescia, Trieste, Rome and Naples with the ultimate goal of expanding all overthe peninsular.
L’Alveare che dice Sì! ( The Beehive that says Yes!) has come about because of EugenioSapora’s desire to invest in a project that marries ethical,well-thought development to a business model. Eugenio, who got to know about the project as a customer in Paris, has now engaged five full-time staff. Together, the team is setting about reaching the objective of 100 Beehives in 2016. Within This Works programme, Ashoka Italy supports the development of the Italian project by providing communication support and by facilitating strategic contacts with consultancy firms (such as Hogan Lovells) in order to meet the project’s needs. Furthermore, Ashoka is seeking out people who are keen to play an active role in the development of the project in Italy by opening their own Beehive If you are interested in playing an active role in the change initiated by Guilhem, and if you want to open your own Beehive in one of these countries, or to become a partner, then please write to Ashoka Spain comunicacion@ashoka.org or Ashoka Italy italy@ashoka.org. This roadmap was translated from Italian toEnglish by Edward Shelley, volunteer translatorfor Ashoka.
With the support of