Having become the world leader in food processors, the family SME of Maxime de Jenlis has established itself in thirty-six years in kitchens around the world.
When in 1961 he launched his first multifunction robot – capable of cutting, mincing, slicing, grating – the artisan butcher Pierre Verdun was far from imagining that, sixty years later, his company Robot-Coupe would impose itself as the world leader in professional food processors, present in all the kitchens of starred chefs. And even less than its little sister, Magimix, created in 1972 for housewives, would rise to the rank of number one in value market share in the sector of specialized supermarkets (GSS). “Faced with capitalist groups, we are only craftsmen! says, modestly, Maxime de Jenlis, 58, CEO of Magimix, bought thirty-six years ago by his brother.
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Still, the family SME, which has a turnover of between 100 and 150 million euros, has continued to increase its sales. Including when the health crisis shut down restaurants and deprived the brand of the 3,000 points of sale that distribute it: it grew by 20% in 2020.
“Taking advantage of the home-made trend, we adapted our production capacities, mobilizing our production lines for products intended for individuals,” explains Maxime de Jenlis. While betting on the Internet to sell them. Result: its multifunction cooking robot absorbs 45% of the market share, its robots 40%, its blenders 20%, its Nespresso machines 50%.
But the ambition of the boss remains unchanged: to put quality at the service of the general public, by always pushing innovation further. The proof, with its Cook Expert cooking robot, launched in 2016, of which it sells 50,000 models per year, now equipped with a Bluetooth connection to make recipes remotely from your smartphone. Or its new range of blenders which has a nutritional program supporting diets. “Without banks or investment funds behind it to dictate its choices”, the SME, which belongs 100% to the family, has made it a point of honor to manufacture in France. Its tricolor jewel? Its production site in Montceau-les-Mines, in Burgundy, which employs 170 people. And among them the nephew of Mr. Verdun. “Robot-Coupe allows us to have the capacity to maintain a small household appliance industry in France”, explains Maxime de Jenlis.
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Our robots are very popular in England and in countries such as Lebanon or Israel, with a strong culinary tradition around family meals
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Here, everything is designed and assembled on site, with parts from French and even European subcontractors. But, unlike Moulinex, which opted for quantity, constantly multiplying the models, Magimix preferred to bet on quality and offers a limited range of ultra-sophisticated robots. Their price? Count between 230 and 1,200 euros. “They are, of course, more expensive than those made in Vietnamese factories,” he admits. But the made in France has a price and a lifespan. » At Magimix, all the spare parts and the motor of the reputedly durable and unbreakable robots are guaranteed for thirty years. “Our strength is our after-sales service,” he says. An asset in the era of disposables and planned obsolescence. On the distribution side, if the leader Thermomix, marketed by the German Vorwerk, has opted for home sales, Magimix has managed to free itself from the giant Amazon and the large supermarkets by relying on a network of distributors (Darty , Baker) trained by him.
In the projects, Maxime de Jenlis wants to accelerate the international development of the brand which, present since 1973 in the United States, achieves 55% of its turnover there. “Our robots are very popular in England and in countries like Lebanon or Israel, which have a strong culinary tradition around family meals,” he explains. His latest conquest? The Chinese market, where he established himself two years ago, opening eight stores of his own. “We have developed 1,500 Chinese recipes that we had to adapt and adapt to consumer tastes,” he says. His challenge? Seduce a population accustomed until now to restaurants and street food, which rediscovers the pleasures of home cooking.