Flavours and fragrances in "Large" sizes
As part of its tutored projects, this year the LProPAC perfume-aroma professional license welcomed the Traiteur Grand company, for a partnership full of meaning: plunging students into the bubbling bath of professional life. At the end of a year's collaboration, the young chemists were able to reveal the essence of their creativity at a successful presentation.
Rarely has a presentation sharpened the senses so much at the University of Montpellier. At the end of the 2020-2021 academic year, the LProPAC Perfumes and Flavors students took their examiners on a sensory journey. A test in name only. Bursting balloons releasing scented powders, an olfactory cocktail bar, scented bubbles, massage candles, or salts with floral and fruit aromas, Ghyslain Morvan, president of the Traiteur Grand group, was welcomed by a flood of scents and flavors, each more original than the last.
A partner in good taste
A member of the Jardin des Plantes Foundation and one of the University's preferred partners for the organization of its events, Ghyslain Morvan didn't come to talk business. Well, not directly. Today, the company director came to assess the work of the students who, throughout the year, have been following in his footsteps as part of their tutored project. " Each year, we offer an industrial partner the opportunity to help students in this professional degree program to carry out a project that meets their specifications", explains Isabelle Parrot, in charge of industrial relations for the program, which has already forged a fruitful partnership with perfumer Arthur Dupuy.
And as every good entrepreneur needs to have a nose for innovation, Ghyslain Morvan didn't hesitate for a second when faced with this proposal: " I've got lots of ideas, so when someone offers me the resources to develop them, I go for it. I immediately imagined the innovation that could come out of such an exchange. And yet, faced with the projects presented that day by the students, the president of Traiteur Grand made no secret of his surprise: " I wasn't expecting this! I thought two or three projects would stand out from the crowd, but I found fourteen excellent responses to my proposals. These young people amaze me with their ability to produce value and create, even in a period made complicated by health measures. The results are striking!
The meaning of innovation
The result of a year's work during which the manager and students were able to exchange ideas and devise original sensory experiences in line with their partner's brand image. " The aim is for them to be able to propose a product or sensory experience that can be integrated into Traiteur Grand's commercial offering ", explains Isabelle Parrot. This requires the latter's involvement, and we ask him to intervene in the training and guide the students through the various stages of their work. It's a new experience, and one to which the entrepreneur readily agreed. " I've always been keen to take part in the student challenge. I learned a lot at school and during work placements, and that's what made me what I am today. So as soon as I get the chance, I strengthen the link between school and business. I'm passionate about it!
Ghyslain Morvan will particularly remember this student's proposal for Traiteur Grand's top-of-the-range Couture brand: " a small kit containing a mini scissors, thread, a small dressmaker's tape measure and a scented massage candle .It was cute and chic! However, he doesn't forget the scented vase, " as spectacular for the eyes as it is for the nose ", and the popping balloons, " I loved it! Our customers need sensory experiences that go hand in hand with the culinary experience. They demand originality. " The success of this tutoring program is set to continue for another year, as the next batch of students will benefit from the caterer's expertise, with the added challenge of adding a note of eco-responsibility to their bouquet.