MEET THIBAUT LAFARGUE, FROM FRENCH FASHION TO FRENCH BIOTECH

French, 28 years old, alumni of the Quebec University of Montreal (UQAM) and French Institute of Fashion (IFM). From his first job as Marketing & Communication assistant for the Chalhoub Group between Paris and Dubai, where he helped overseeing fashion shows, PR campaigns and content production for Ingie Paris, a luxury brand founded by Ingie Chalhoub. He is now the Head of Marketing & Communication at Bon Vivant, a French startup specialized in alternative dairy proteins production through precision fermentation, so a totally different world from my fashion and advertising background ! His work now consist in building a strong brand for Bon Vivant, reinforcing legitimacy and expertise as a B2B DeepTech company, while also making the brand and tech accessible to a broader audience, with a lot of pedagogical content.

What was your first job and what is your actual job?

First job: Marketing & Communication assistant for the Chalhoub Group

Actual job: Head of Marketing & Communication for Bon Vivant

Do you believe entrepreneurs are born with innate qualities or made through experiences and learning?

👶🏻 Born

🏋️‍♀️ Made

In the classic debate, which came first for you: the egg or the chicken?

🍳 Egg

🐔 Chicken

In the realm of technology, which do you think will have the greatest impact on the food system in the next 10 years? 

I’m obviously biased here, but I do think new technologies (like precision fermentation, amongst many others) whill shape the future of our food system. I do believe that if we are to succeed in tackling the environmental challenge ahead of us, we need complementary solutions, as one doesn’t fit all. I’m saying this as a French person, and we’re notoriously conservative with our food, but we shouldn’t oppose tradition and innovation, or food heritage versus food technologies. I think technologies such as precision fermentation will precisely allow us to keep enjoying these foods that are part of our culture, while preserving our planet and its ressources.

Which skill do you believe will be more useful in the future of work?

I believe adaptability for sure. As we can see with the pandemic and the rise of AI, our world, and specifically in the work sphere, is transforming at an ever-faster pace. As professionals, we need to make sure that we are always on the lookout for what’s to come, and to keep an open mind as to what changes we can make to improve and what we can learn to keep our skills relevant. And I think that’s a good thing, many opportunities are in our reach, but it requires a whole lot of willingness to evolve. Work smarter, not harder is definitely a thing, and learning how to use new tools or new ways of thinking is the way to get there in my opinion.

Describe the most surprising culinary experience you’ve ever had

I must confess it’s a bit blurry, but I remember as a kid my parents taking me to Futuroscope, which is a futuristic theme park in France, and tasting for the first time “molecular cuisine”. There was a whole frenzy around it back then, and it was marketed as the future of food, which I think might’ve been a bit overstated, but it was interesting to have this experience of deconstructing the way we think and feel about food, with savory-looking foods that were actually desserts, and vice-versa for example. When you think of it, we can still find this trend today with the whole TikTok craze about dupe pastries like what Cedric Grolet does.

Name a professional you think we should interview

That will sound very corporate, but I’m all in favor for turning the lights on women in tech, especially in leading positions so I would say Hélène Briand, who’s the founder of Bon Vivant. She comes from an agronomical engineeering background, already a male-dominated branch, and she is now a successful industrial startup founder, leading the way in making our food system more sustainable.