In Provence, companies are taking charge of their projects

The following three examples illustrate this

Meet three companies in Arles, Sénas and Aix-en-Provence that chose to settle in the region to growth their business. They hail from three different sectors ‒ agri-business, cosmetics and healthcare ‒ and are preparing to conquer new markets from their bases in Provence. In this period of reopening, they are ramping up their projects, driven by optimism, determination, expertise and passion for what they do.

The COVID-19 crisis is a difficult turning point for our economy, but fortunately many companies are resuming operations with an optimistic outlook. Those who are preparing to launch are progressing by leaps and bounds, while others are summoning their capacity for adaptation to implement their business plan.

Construction in Sénas for Italian group La Linea Verde

La Linea Verde is a leading European producer of packaged salads and fresh prepared meals, especially chilled soups. With the help of Provence Promotion, the group had just moved to the Provencal town of Sénas when the coronavirus pandemic struck. That meant that their arrival began with office renovation work and negotiations with local skilled contractors to perform the work, but one week into the reopening phase, they shifted their priority back to building the plant.

The first salad washing and packaging lines will be up and running this summer. They will be followed by additional production lines for ready-to-use ingredients, bagged lettuces for store brands and, most likely, a line marketed under the company's own brand which is currently in development.

The family-owned company has 30 years of experience in agri-business with a business model based on close relationships with local growers and a bold CSR policy incorporated in its management approach. The Sénas site, La Ligne Verte France, currently employs 10 people. The outfit plans to create 30 jobs by the end of the year and will have added a total of 50 by the end of 2021.

Alyscamps: determination and passion

Julie Faivre-Duboz decided to create the Alyscamps brand in response to her family's need for cosmetics that are healthy, effective and pleasant to use. It was quite natural that her project would take root in Provence, namely Arles, which is her husband's home town and a place they both love. When a shop came up for sale in downtown Arles, it was the opportunity she had been waiting for to jump in. Her environmentally and socially responsible brand is called Alyscamps, which means "Champs-Elysées" in the Provencal language. Every product in the line contains 97% to 99% naturally sourced Provencal ingredients (olives, almonds, figs, etc.) with an emphasis on multi-active ingredients for all-in-one products to help the whole family (women, men and teens) avoid excessive cosmetic consumption.

But there were plenty of hurdles to clear between summer 2019 when she spotted the location and today. Julie, a Doctor of Pharmacy, and her husband, who is also a pharmaceutical expert, began looking for support to fine-tune their business plan. They met Provence Promotion at the Salon des Entrepreneurs in Paris and the agency helped them by identifying opportunities and making introductions with key players, including Initiatives Pays d’Arles and the economic development office for the towns of Vallée des Baux-Alpilles, which became active partners in Alyscamps.

The lockdown afforded an opportunity to work out the details of the brand launch, which began with an e-commerce site and will expand in early July to the brick-and-mortar shop devoted to wellness.

E-Scopics unveils its first prototype

The start-up E-Scopics was founded in 2018 by Claude Cohen-Bacrie to bring to the international market a next-generation ultrasound probe with connectivity and dedicated apps for use by a wide variety of healthcare professionals.

The coordination amongst the staff played a decisive role in meeting the R&D milestones laid out for producing the first prototype. The employees in charge of the data integration aspect of the software only came to the office when it was strictly necessary. Their organizational efforts paid off with the first "live" demonstration of the prototype during a video conference held in late April.

They are expected to continue advancing with continuous improvements to the product up to its market launch in 2021. The headcount at the company has doubled since it was founded. E-Scopics now employs 13 people, including inpatriates who received professional relocation assistance from Provence Promotion. That figure is expected to rise in the next year.

After securing €1,700,000 in public financing, E-Scopics is looking for additional seed funding. At a time when the stakes are high in public health, the E-Scopics promise of a digital probe paired with dedicated software and apps paves the way to providing better care to patients who suffer from chronic diseases such as NASH (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease).

For more information on Provence Promotion's support for companies.