L’Atelier du Ferment: scaling fast while staying in control of production

L’Atelier du Ferment began with a fruit kefir recipe in the family kitchen and its first bottles sold at local markets. Today, it has a team of around 30, two brands sold through supermarkets and organic retailers, and average annual growth of 80%. With its “Cap 2030” plan, the company now aims to increase production tenfold, supported by a new facility and extensive automation.

In this session, co-founder Marjolaine Nantillet explains why traditional ERP systems, with implementation timelines of 12 or 24 months, couldn’t keep up with a business reworking its processes almost every month, and why she chose Bonx early on. Emeline Chambard shares how she uses Bonx every day to manage the supply chain, from receiving EDI orders to using AI agents to schedule shipping.

What's covered

• Why kefir is more complex that it looks: how it differs from kombucha, and why preserving homemade quality means adapting the process to the product, rather than the other way around.
• Choosing an ERP: from proposed implementation timelines of 12, 18, or 24 months to getting Bonx up and running in two to three months.
• Keeping up with growth: shipments tripled at the start of the year, orders received through EDI instead of entered manually, and traceability data sent to retail distribution centers in one click.
• Launching a new product independently: how Emeline created the ginger beer production workflow in Bonx herself, then used it as the basis for new variants.
• AI in day-to-day operations: agents that calculate shipping dates from business rules, and a sales team that gets the figures it needs by asking Bonx’s AI assistant.
• Cap 2030: a new facility, automation, new drinks, and the shift from firefighting to steering the business.