BienElevées

After 18 years managing multicultural teams and delivering projets in the Retail industry in France and in Dubaï, I went back to school to learn about sustainable agriculture, and with my 3 sisters founded BienElevées so that my working days would bring a positive impact to the planet and our society. 

BienElevées solves issues encountered by a lot of urban farmers, and by rural saffron farmers. Where it is often considered as obstacles, it takes advantage of what the city has to offer: restricted available soil, a great human density, and its natural climate to grow plant that thrive in that context: Saffron. It grows top quality products with light, low tech and reversible installations that improve buildings value and environmental impact, improving water management, building insulation, and creating new social areas in spaces that were neglected beforehand. It offers unique experiences, to pass knowlege and gather people around its essential values; resilience, reconnection to nature, encouragement to rediscover its wonder, and to reevaluate the richness of existing assets and surroundings, rather than wishing or artificially creating other ones. 

Urban farming is developping more and more, and is a great solution to many issues in the city. It improves the environmental impact by reducing heat production, reinforcing insulation, improving rain water management, developping biodiversity and refuges for insects and fauna.

However it often involves higher costs compared to traditional farming, heavy installations, energy/water high dependance, and a heavy impact on the daily life of the buildings. It makes it very difficult to manage a sustainable urban farm, without relying on public support. It also limits access to a lot of buildings, that either don't have the requirements, or whose activity would not stand dayly access to the roofs.

Producing high quality local products not only saves a lot from the transport related carbon emissions, but also impacts the buildings and the city positively. Developping urban fields has the capacity of "reducing harmful runoff, increasing shading and countering the unpleasant heat-island effect," according to National Geographic.

In France more than 99% of the annual consumption of saffron is imported, and therefore travels an average of 5000km. Local production allows to lower the impact of transport related carbon emissions. 

Bienelevées grows saffron in urban areas.

We aim at finding a resilient way to introduce more nature in the cities, while federating a community. We believe that every site should be used according to its assets, and want to show that it is possible to grow plants with high value without the need of technology, irrigation or fossil energy.

The culture we designed answers most of this issues; saffron is a high value product requiring very low-tech installations, no irrigation, no electricity and no chemical products. Its culture in cities allows easy access to the necessary punctual workforce for gathering.

It allows to bring a product that is in high demand and usually travels
more than 5000km to France, lowering the transport related emissions.
Cultivated in cities, it affects their environmental impact positively,
encourages local consumption, and makes it accessible for urban dwellers
to learn about that plant and its culture, promoting social gatherings
around our link to nature.

Just in Paris, 22 hectares are eligible to urban farming, and more than
1000 big cities in the world have such deserted spaces that could be
converted (Apur, 2011), instead of representing unexploited, heat
islands and water resistant areas.

BienElevées serves urban dwellers, by making the city greener, improving its environmental impact and the quality of life it offers.

Replacing unexploited areas with plantations, directly improves the living environment and enhances the city-dwellers feeling of well-being according to studies on habitat and well being (General Commission for Sustainable Development).

When not immediatly or accessible, our urban farms are open for visits and workshops to either just develop knowledge or practice cultivating saffron. It allows access to an open-sky teaching to gardening skills. Activities related to nature have a very positive impact on stress, and gathering saffron especially, since it is very contemplative. 

Groups are gathered for these workshops, and some especially for the imediatly local communities. It develops social bonds; the fact that a high value culture is developped in a area gives extra value to the site and pride for its inhabitants, who can take part in it.

We planted in the center of a social housing residence, in an area that used to be an open landfill where garbage would be thrown directly out of the windows. Inhabitants now not only support and promote our work but gather at our events and help maintening the place. 

After over 15 years leading big projects and teams in large companies, while raising 4 children, and witnessing the change human activities caused on our planet, I felt the urge to dedicate my energy to a more concrete impact.
Living in Paris, as many urban citizens I had a thirst of nature in such a mineral environment.
I was also looking for an adventure in which to embark my sisters !

I am obviously fascinated by saffron, its beauty, its power, its aroma, its legends, its resilience, the way it brings people together.
But above all I am deeply convinced of the relevance of its culture in an urban environment. A plant that doesn’t require any irrigation to grow on rooftops, that can be declined in so many high value products and experiences, and that doesn’t compete with local producers in our regions: it is the perfect answer to the challenges of urban agriculture.

With my sisters, we combine the knowledge of the city – (the 4 of us Parisian by birth, and Bérengère the youngest of us a trained urban planner) – and that of nature, our father cultivating land in the countryside. Personally, I went back to school to gain academic knowledge in Agriculture this year and am passing this new degree in the coming weeks. Finally, our combined experience of corporate jobs in Retail, Industry, Finance and Hospitality are an invaluable asset to face the challenges of entrepreneurship.

This spring, the containment due to the Covid pandemic postponed part of our projects, significantly reduced our income and made teamwork more complex.
We took advantage of this period to set up a research project with an agricultural university to further reduce our carbon footprint by using solar energy to dry our product, and to create online experiences that allow visitors to discover our activity remotely.

Moving in the Middle East with my family a few years ago, I started a new position in a leading regional company. I was asked to lead a large transformation program, affecting all divisions and subsidiaries. Reporting to the board of the Group, I recruited a multicultural team of 15 people and successfully delivered in time the change expected, gaining positive feedbacks from all the departments we involved.

We are the first to grow saffron on rooftops.
Our innovative solution was rewarded in April 2020 but the Solar Impulse Foundation as on of their Efficient Solutions. 

Where many technologies thrive on how to produce more food, closer to the most densely populated areas of the world, we focused on a down-to-earth path. Instead of asking ourselves, how can we grow plants in the city, we asked ourselves what plants would thrive in that context. We decided to take advantage or the elements we could already find in a city: a climate that we tested and is sufficient for our plants, and easily accessible crowds for the very limited times in the year where many hands are needed. The only missing things were the soil, and our plants need very few, and the plants, that we brought to the first places we planted. Soon, however, our plants will multiplicate and we will be able to be self sufficient and to provide for local needs. Our culture uses no irrigation, no fossil fueled energy, and no fertilizer nor pesticides coming from the petrochimic industry. Our installations are very light, which allows to cover even roofs that were not built to welcome vegetation on the top. We then have the pleasure to welcome more and more visitors to show and pass our knowledge on this marvelous plant, and on how a little treasure can be cultivated with so little. 

We think that our activity could have positive impacts on several levels.

We start by giving access to high quality local saffron, by sharing our knowledge and set ups with all kinds of public, and installing resilient vegetalization on roofs.

We hope to promote local products, and to encourage consumers to wonder, search and be amazed by the diversity and quality of products growing close to them.

We believe that spending time in contact with nature is beneficial to all at several levels, and the state of mind of the participants to our workshops after an hour or more on our roofs rewards us every time. We see that on top of relaxing them, it awakens curiosity, give space to contemplation, makes ideas and projects rise...and we see more and more of our visitors in their own agricultural or natural projects several months later! If we could be part in that decision, this is a great reward. 

Finally by growing saffron on roofs we aim to show that a sober, light vegetalization on roofs is possible. It is light, consumes no fossil energy nor water. And we believe we can make a living with it, without relying on subsidies or any public or private support. Our culture answers a lot of the reasons building owners or managers, or public authorities often are reluctant to promote the reintroduction of more vegetation in cities.
And we believe the more there will be, the better places to live cities will be. 

Within next year, we aim at empowering 10 new project leaders to launch and run new urban saffron farms in european cities. 

By 2023 we aim at reaching 37 new project leaders, locally as well as overseas. 

Our main barrier is financial. Extra funding is necessary for all founders to be able to dedicate their capacities to the project, as well as lauching further development, improvement and expansion of our project. 

We will raise funds by the end of the year to have the necessary means for our projects. 

We provide top quality, local saffron to professionals and customers. Its quality is asserted and the way its cultivated extremely transparent; everything is done by hand, and the customers can easily visit one of our farms, and even participate in the gathering. We also sell a panel of products around saffron, for those who like or want to discover it without cooking. We provide a product with close to no carbon footprint, with the best quality that exists on the market (every harvet is tested and asserted).

We offer a variety of visits and workshops on our farms. According to the season, we transmit our knowledge on gathering and transforming saffron, or/and show how it can be recognized, cultivated, cooked... These workshops are designed for differents publics; some are free, especially designed for local communities, or specific cases or groups. Others have a fee, designed for visitors, tourists, and companies. We offer a poetic and natural break in the city, teach about a culture which is very easily accessible. 

We also offer for professionals a greening service, in which we plant saffron and maintain the roofs. We can organize specific workshops for the building owners/occupants, make a specific harvest of saffron depending on the surface...we make sure the area is well maintained and harvested. 

Initially we funded the launch of our first farms using our personal savings and the support of our bank which granted us 2 loans.

We are currently reimbursing these loans and financing our daily activity using the income from saffron and experience sales, as well as greening services.
In order to develop at the pace we aim at reaching, we are preparing a fundraiser for end of 2020.

The investment for the first farms was completely from our pockets. Now that confidence in our project is asserted, the cost of new farms is divided between the structure owner and us. The costs will be much lower, and the revenue for our production is expanding, as the demand keeps growing. 

Furthermore, in 2021, our plants will have reproduces and grown enough for us to be self sufficient in saffron bulbs; after several years, each saffron bulb multiplies itself and all the young ones need their own space. Having bought 96000 bulbs for the firsts farms, we will now produce enough to provide for every new farm, as well as selling the surplus. Once we reach that point, averey new farm will have very low costs, but add revenue with the additional production and workshops it allows us to organize.

Total money invested from partners savings : 41k$

Bank Loans (CIC / Credit Industriel et Commercial) : 190k$
Revenue of the first fiscal year : 40k$

We seek 1.7M$ for equity, we plan on closing the fundraising by end of 2020.

Estimated 2020 expenses : 39k$ (without salary for the partners at this stage / before starting international development)

By 2021, salaries will be essential, as well as several development that have so far been postponed. The expenses will therefore increase sharply, if we wand the project to survive and bloom.

My three sisters and I have been doing everything by ourselves since the beginning of this adventure. However for our project to grow and really take a step up in its development, we feel we need support, technical, and financial. 

We thing that the Elevate Prize would bring a great help, to our project and ourselves personnaly. That joining a group that promotes that many positive projects would be very rewarding and inspirational.

We wish for our project to get to another level, in scale and in the positive outcomes it can have, and we therefore need to grow and develop our production and sells. 

We won't be able to afford working full time on the project without remuneration for a lot longer, and we need more people working with us, but for that proper funding is necessary, until we reach full profitability and self sufficiency.

We have so many things we want to develop, however priorities and the right rythm are key. Advice and mentorship, plus the experience of other project would greatly help us and save time and maybe mistakes we do on our own.