5 Apr 2024
Who are you ?
We’re two students in our 5th year of general engineering training at Icam’s Grand Paris Sud site, working on an entrepreneurial end-of-studies project.
Our project, entitled Ma Cousine Française, is part of the MSE (Mémoire Scientifique Entrepreneurial). It began as part of the PCE (Projet de Création d’Entreprise) which is part of our 4th year curriculum. We won the pitch competition and got very good feedback from the juries during our presentations, which encouraged us to pursue this adventure during our dissertation.
Today, we’re working full-time on this project for 6 months, with the support of Icam and Cowork Magis, a Catholic incubator run by Jesuits.
What is Ma Cousine Française ?
Ma Cousine Française is a company that specializes in the manufacture and sale of cheeses in Canada, using local raw materials while integrating French know-how. The result is reduced environmental impact, improved taste and lower prices. We aim for semi-industrial production, offering quality cheese at affordable prices. Our mission is to optimize the company’s operations to increase volume while reducing costs, thanks to our engineering background. The entrepreneurial skills we’re developing complement our training very well indeed.
How did you come up with the idea for this project ?
The idea came to us during our Experiment in Canada, where we noticed the high cost and lack of taste of French cheeses available on the local market. Despite the availability of raw materials, French know-how seemed to be lacking. Convinced of the technical and financial viability of our idea, we decided to develop a project to produce a high-quality, low-cost, low-carbon cheese aimed at a broad market segment.
A typical week ?
Our weeks are very dynamic and varied. We divide our time between the coworking space to gain experience and knowledge, and out in the field, meeting French artisans. We spend two days a week at the Icam, enriching our project through discussions, readings, meetings and advice from in-house experts and entrepreneurial mentors.
What are the next steps in your project ?
We’ve just won the “Tous labellisés” competition organized by the Pépite 3EF of the Université Paris-Est Descartes in the “Emergence” category. This intense competition brought together 28 participants this year, and the pitch exercise was a thrilling moment! We are deeply honored to have been selected as one of the 5 finalists in our category. The Émergence prize rewards Early Stage projects, and this recognition underlines the credibility and feasibility of our solution. Ma Cousine Française’s clear, well-constructed offering responds to a problem identified on the spot, backed up by proven technical feasibility and promising prospects.
As for the next steps, we’ve set ourselves a July 1 deadline to validate the project’s feasibility, and we’re committed to taking all the necessary steps to make the most informed decision possible. If our studies conclude that the project is viable, we plan to move to Canada to start the business !
Icam nurtures the entrepreneurial spirit among its students, launching projects like ours that stimulate this dynamic. By training entrepreneurial engineers, Icam is actively building this ecosystem, supported by the Jesuit spirit that aims to perpetuate this dynamic.
Ma Cousine Française was featured on France Inter’s “Déjà Debout” program on May 7 🎉. A great opportunity for the students and a great way of highlighting the project and Icam.
➡️The replay interview.
To follow and support their adventure, feel free to like their LinkedIn page !