Toulouse. “Place Dupuy, this bakery is my home”
It’s a family story. Chloé Fressinaud, 23, takes over the family bakery and pastry shop, Halle aux Pains, Place Dupuy, thus preventing the sale of this artisanal and organic brand, created by her parents, Heleh and Damien Fressinaud, 22 years ago. .
With 700 daily customers, this local business is also experiencing the crisis, but nothing could deter Chloé from her project.
“I grew up in this bakery”, details the young woman, who was destined to do medicine, “I was almost born there. I was six months old when my parents bought it. I took the bib in front of the oven . I’m also very attached to the neighborhood. I learned to cycle on the forecourt of the Halle aux Grains. When this summer, my father told me of his decision to sell, I didn’t hesitate!” This craftsmanship, Chloé calls it “noble”. “You can imagine: from a raw product, the craftsman makes a living and essential food”. Chloé learned the trade by observing, practicing and exchanging.
In June 2023, she will take a bakery CAP as a free candidate. “After a science baccalaureate, I hesitated for a long time between medicine and baking. I passed the competitive examination, I failed it. This sign of fate guided my choice. Even if I know that I do not take the activity at the best time”.
Because it is a cascade of problems which, currently, affects this trade: “There is a lack of three qualified people in manufacturing, underlines Chloé. The surge in raw materials: butter + 150%, over one year, salt, + 30% , + 100% sugar, + 20% flour. Everything will change from one week to the next. Not to mention the reimbursement of the State Guaranteed Loan received during the covid and the next works of the 3rd metro line which will divert the neighborhood buses. Despite everything, we made the decision not to increase our prices. It’s complicated but it’s a choice. I’m rolling up my sleeves and moving forward. This bakery is my home. I want it. keep !”