The idea of Rutabago comes above all from the desire to improve everyday life. By asking themselves the question of difficulty for them, the co-founders understand that solving the problem of food waste and shopping is a major concern for all French people.
the origin of the idea
The co-founders’ first motivation is not tied to an idea. They want to create a framework that is good to live in and decide to look at solutions that can simplify daily life in September 2015 while they are still consultants. A trio from the IT world, they want to build a geolocated application that allows them to download all the catalogs of local businesses and deliver them to their homes. He quickly embarked on the adventure and left his position in January 2016. By learning more, they found that the concept made everyday life easier, in some aspects such as adding an “extra layer” of services to businesses. The proximity or quality of the product offered represents an obstacle. They then become interested in the supply chain and by completing the world of distribution, they realize the need to focus on short circuits. Gradually, they arrive at a solution that combines cuisine, while respecting producers, the environment, seasonal products and helping consumers access quality food. Today, Rutabago offers ready-to-cook baskets with recipes created by chefs and validated by a network of fellow dietitian-nutritionists, Smart Diet. These baskets come with all the necessary pre-dose ingredients, straight from the producers, seasonal and 100% organic. The first ready-to-cook basket was delivered in May 2016.
A concept that has been refined.
They are experimenting with the first offering with the site open to a limited number of users in the summer of 2016. Only 50 people have access to it, possibly customizing it to get feedback on products before opening it to the wider public. If they initially offer ready-to-cook baskets with starter, main course and dessert, it evolves with the opinion of early adopters. It turns out that they prefer the same dishes for reasons of time (preparation), and too many choices make the price too high. Then they adjust the offer and offer three different baskets: the traditional basket with dishes inspired by the classics, the stolen basket with dishes with exotic and original flavours, and finally with even more vegetable and gourmet dishes Veggie Basket. The concept is popular and the founders are expanding their premises to meet the demand. They do not stop here and want to continuously improve. Not being experts in the field of communication, they recruit a team to make up for their missing skills.
A sought-after ecosystem
Rutabago is part of the social and solidarity economy and has the ESUS label, an ecosystem with which the founders want to surround themselves. They select players who share similar values, whether “producers, wholesalers, distribution companies, our dietitian-nutrition partners…”. The company sells its unsold items. A profitable idea as the company now has 20 people, a community of 20,000 customers, 2,500 customers and 20,000 meals delivered per month. A meteoric rise that has no chance. If the company has been able to grow, it is above all thanks to the togetherness of its team, which is able to come together in difficult times of business creation (financing funding, need for additional resources, etc.). In particular, we had a complex fundraising event that took a long time to come through, but our team remained united despite some financial need. , » Pierre Pointard, co-founder of Rutabago, believes. With the exponential growth in volumes, the company kicked off a handsome fundraising of €1.8 million at the end of 2019, with the ambitious aim of conveying this to all French people, developing a new reinvented image and an already strong community. To strengthen relations with