From Idea to Success: The Inspiring Journey of a Pastry Entrepreneur

Rachida El Haouari – – –

Rachida El Haouari – – –

Rachida El Haouari – – –

Les pâtisseries de Rachida – – –

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Rachida El Haouari – – –

Rachida El Haouari has transformed her passion into a thriving professional activity. After a career change and decisive entrepreneurial support, she created "Les pâtisseries de Rachida" in Rodez. In 2024, she was selected for the 101 Femmes à Matignon competition and became an ambassador for the Coq Créa community, the community of entrepreneurs supported in their business creation journey.

Based in Rodez in Aveyron, Rachida El Haouari turned her passion into her profession by becoming a pastry chef. Aged 47, she created her company called Les pâtisseries de Rachida a year and a half ago. “I was first a sales assistant for several years. I baked for fun. During the lockdowns linked to the Covid epidemic, I made cakes for family, friends, neighbors and even healthcare workers! I made so many that people kept asking me: why don’t you make it your job ?” The first step for the future entrepreneur: to pass her CAP Pâtisserie, which is mandatory to become a professional pastry chef. During her training, Rachida El Haouari crossed paths with Aveyron pastry chef Clément Battut. Their discussions reinforced her desire to open her laboratory to make pastries to order but also to organize workshops.

Step by step support

For the practical phase of carrying out her project, Rachida El Haouari first went through Pôle Emploi where she was registered. She was directed to the Aveyron Chamber of Trades to register her business as well as to the BGE Aveyron business creation support structure to set up the project. “Our mission is to support entrepreneurs in their business creation or takeover project,” confirms Fabien Kala, head of BGE Aveyron. “We intervene at different stages: very early on when the project is still at the idea stage, at the time of its structuring through more technical support to ensure its viability thanks to market studies and the development of a business plan in particular, then once the company is created to help with its development.” This support is crucial, says Rachida El Haouari. “No one has all the answers, you have to know how to surround yourself.” These experts alert us, inform us and help us with the procedures.” This is how the new pastry chef was able, for example, to obtain an Agefiph grant as a disabled worker, as well as an honorary loan of €7,000 from Initiative Aveyron which was then doubled thanks to a second loan of €7,000 obtained from her bank.

Coq Créa, the network of supported business creators

Very quickly, once her business was launched, success was there and orders poured in. In spring 2024, the Aveyron pastry chef became one of the “101 Women Entrepreneurs at Matignon”. Received by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, Rachida El Haouari became an ambassador for Aveyron. “That gave me a big boost,” she remembers. “That’s also where I was offered the opportunity to become an ambassador for the Coq Créa community”. This community brings together business creators and buyers supported by one of the 27 business creation support networks that are partners of Bpifrance. The ambassadors of the Coq Créa community share the value of the support they have received and encourage future project leaders to seek support, like them, in their business creation journey. “Being supported in the early stages of creating a business allows you to access different training courses to better manage your business or your accounting, but also to meet other entrepreneurs to share your experiences. There may also be support in finding financing or how to take environmental issues into account in your project.” Rachida's pastries are labeled Zero Waste Enterprise, a label that encourages Rachida El Haouari to tackle a new project: join the Bpifrance Coq Vert community, which brings together and supports entrepreneurs committed to the ecological and energy transition.

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