The story of Nicolas Grossemy: From a French student to a successful Indian entrepreneur

The story of Nicolas Grossemy: From a French student to a successful Indian entrepreneur

Nicolas Grossemy, a French entrepreneur, has made a significant impact on Bengaluru’s culinary scene with his venture, Paris Panini. His journey from a business student to a successful restaurateur is both inspiring and instructive.

Nicolas Grossemy

Nicolas Grossemy

Early Life and Education

Born to teacher parents in France, Nicolas developed a passion for cooking early on, assisting his mother in the kitchen. This early exposure to culinary arts ignited a lifelong love for food. At 22, he moved to India to pursue a master’s degree at Kedge Business School. During his studies, he wrote his dissertation on Indian startups, which laid the foundation for his entrepreneurial aspirations in the country.

The Birth of Le Casse-Croute

In 2014, while interning in India, Nicolas identified a gap in the market for authentic European-style sandwiches. Leveraging his culinary passion and business acumen, he launched a food truck named Le Casse-Croute in 2015. The venture aimed to offer fresh, high-quality French-style sandwiches to Bengaluru’s residents. Despite challenges such as sourcing ingredients and navigating local regulations, the food truck garnered a loyal customer base.

Transition to Paris Panini

Recognizing the limitations of scaling a food truck business, Nicolas transitioned to a brick-and-mortar model. He established Paris Panini, a French-style café in Indiranagar, Bengaluru. The café specializes in gourmet sandwiches, freshly baked bread, and homemade ingredients, providing an authentic French dining experience. Under his leadership, Paris Panini has expanded into a successful chain, reportedly achieving a turnover of ₹50 crore.

A strong name of the product is necessary to create an identity

Nicholas believes in product-centric branding. He advises youngsters entering the food business to choose a brand name that directly showcases their product. He says that your brand name should be such that people connect with your product just by saying the name. He says this is necessary to create a strong identity.

Business Philosophy and Insights

Nicolas emphasizes the importance of product-centric branding, advising entrepreneurs to choose brand names that clearly reflect their offerings and resonate with their target audience. He also shares insights into the economics of running a food business, highlighting the significance of managing food costs, rent, labor, administrative expenses, and marketing to maintain a healthy profit margin.

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Current Endeavors

Today, Nicolas continues to oversee the operations and expansion of Paris Panini, contributing significantly to Bengaluru’s culinary landscape. His journey from a French student to a successful entrepreneur in India exemplifies the impact of passion, adaptability, and strategic planning in achieving business success.

What is the calculation of food business?

Grosemi shares valuable insights on running a food business. He says that the cost of the product you are selling is usually 28 percent of the total expenditure. Apart from this, rent is 10 percent, labor cost is 15 percent and administrative cost is about 10 percent. Apart from this, marketing cost is between 5-10 percent. Nicholas says that after deducting all these expenses, a profit of about 15 percent remains.

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