In the storefront, you can find the same products as in any traditional bakery: sliced bread, brioche, croissants… But here, you pay 50 cents for a pastry, 2 euros for sliced bread. And if the prices are so low, it’s because the bakery only offers products from the day before!
Fighting against food waste.
Behind the counter, Martin Herbelin serves the customers. He is one of the co-founders of the place. He worked in a bakery himself. “We realized how much was being thrown away, which represents 5 to 10% of the daily production, depending on the bakeries,” he explains.
The store works with 16 other bakeries from whom they buy their unsold products. Some products are sold as is, others are revisited and reheated to maintain their flavor. “We sell a lot of sourdough bread, because it easily keeps for another 5 or 6 days. For pastries, we realized that the next day, it was not always great! So we offer toasted croissants and pain au chocolat with honey, it gives them a caramelized flavor,” Martin Herbelin recounts.
Since the opening of the shop in early June, Martin Herbelin believes to have saved several tens of thousands of products. “We sell between 1000 and 2000 products per day!” exclaims the founder. Many people visit the bakery every day, to save money but also to make a gesture for the planet. “The prices are really cheap compared to other Parisian bakeries,” notes Soraya. “It’s truly a concept in line with the times, both inexpensive and anti-waste!” Antoine exclaims, with his brioche in hand.
Giving a second life to unsold products.
Even though the bakery is often a victim of its own success, there are times when some products are left over. And even for these unsold products, Martin Herbelin has a solution: “We work with The Alchimistes, which is a company that allows us to transform these unsold products into compost. And starting next week, we will also make breadcrumbs and croutons. We are even in discussions with a brewery just across the street to make beer from bread!” The next step will also be to recover unsold products from four additional bakeries to meet the demand.
DEMAIN Bakery, rue Saint Maur, Paris.
