RT Nagar Call Girls Service: 🍓 7737669865 🍓 High Profile Model Escorts | Bang...
Connecting Communities with Food-La Ruche Qui Dit Oui
1. F e at u r e
Saying yes to a designed
network of farmers and
consumers is bringing
together French communities
and covering grocery bills for
network leaders.
30
Natalie Ortiz, Graduate,
MSC, International
Business and Design
Management, Salford,
UK
3. Design entrepreneurship
eration of designers is emerging that
is willing to create sustainable and social change. It’s possible to identify an
interest in designing systems and services (not just apps) that aim to address social and environmental issues
with a focus on the development of
solutions based in local communities
and contexts in which the designer
“empowers individual and other social
actors (service providers, institutions)
to generate social quality.”1
La Ruche qui Dit Oui (French
for “the hive that says yes”) is the
brainchild of a French industrial
designer and chef, Guilhem Chéron,
who had decided to dedicate more of
his time to observing food issues and
thinking of food-related sustainable
solutions that could support communities. It is a network of farmers and
customers that encourages easy access
to local food, thus empowering communities and stimulating their social
fabric. The service allows anyone in
France to start his or her own hive, or
ruche, with neighbors and friends—
and to create a sustainable business
by doing so.
La Ruche is designed around
a tool—a complex but easy-to-use
website on which each member has
an online account (Figures 1-3). The
1. N. Morelli, “Social Innovation and New Industrial
Contexts: Can Designers ‘Industrialize’ Socially
Responsible Solutions?” Design Issues, vol. 23, no. 4
(Autumn 2007), p. 9.
32
Figure 1. A typical ruche home page (in this case, a Paris ruche) before login. At top, there is an explanation about the products offered, a link to a video that explains how the ruche works, and photos
from other ruches that provide a general idea of the concept. There is also a brief introduction to the
ruche’s leader, the location and dates of distribution, and some photos. Interested users can access a
subscription form.
4. La Ruche qui D it O ui: R econnec ting Communities with Food
Figure 3. From this ordering page, users can filter their choices by producer,
product variety, or special selection made by the ruche leader. Users can also
choose “organic only” and specify categories like fruits and vegetables, dairy,
meats, bakery, beverages, seafood, home goods, delicatessen, beauty and
body care, and pets. Subscribers can see product photos and descriptions,
producer information and details, and members’ reviews. They then select a
quantity and add their choices to a shopping basket. Shoppers pay online
through PayPal or credit card.
Figure 2. This is the home page for users who are already subscribed to an
active ruche. At top, dates are specified for the next product distribution;
interested users can choose the week’s produce here. There is a news feed
where members can post messages, updates, news, and photos. Members
often submit recipes made with ruche products, which also appear here. The
notifications column gives updates on new farmers and members that are
joining the network, as well as links to various social media outlets.
33
5. Design entrepreneurship
producers (that is, farmers, cooks, and
other entrepreneurs) post their products online. Products include cheeses,
meats, breads, honey, fruits and
vegetables, homemade soups, natural
beauty products, and wine. The member consumers choose the products
they want for the week (there is no
mandatory fixed contract, so if you
don’t want to buy that week or are on
vacation, you needn’t), and they pay
online. The ruche leaders organize
and set the date and place of delivery
(Figure 4). Producer and consumer
meet each other while trading the
products. They may even improvise
lunch together afterward.
A ruche can include 100 to 1,300
families, 15-plus producers, and 120
or more products for sale (Figure 5).
Each ruche has a local leader in
charge of inviting new members to
join the ruche, and also of finding
local producers who are willing to
offer their harvest for sale (Figure 6
on next page). Leaders are responsible
for creating a group culture of sharing
and ethics; they assume a community
manager role while developing themselves as new entrepreneurs. They
teach the producers and the members
how to use the website and how to
post products, and they organize
the food delivery day. The service
is designed in a way that allows the
leaders to earn an income from it. The
business model of La Ruche qui Dit
Oui can be summarized thus: The
producer receives exactly the price he
asks for; 20 percent is added to this
price; and from that 20 percent, 10
percent goes to the leader of the community hive, 7 percent to the Ruche
headquarters, and 3 percent for paying taxes and bank fees.
Figure 4. Delivery day: A meeting between farmers and consumers in a Paris ruche. (Note: All images are
property of La Ruche Qui Dit Oui.)
Figure 5. A ruche typically includes around 15 farmer producers who serve a network of families with an offering of around 120 products ranging from fresh
produce and meats to homemade soups.
34
6. La Ruche qui D it O ui: R econnec ting Communities with Food
Guilhem Chéron officially
launched La Ruche qui Dit Oui
in early November 2011 with 177
participants and seven ruches spread
across the country. These seven
ruches and participants were part
of the design process and had been
planning and organizing themselves
since spring 2011. In December, one
month after they opened, the number
of official ruches had grown to 20,
with 35,738 participants.
This network of farmers and
customers weans people away from
the supermarket habit, regenerates
relationships with neighbors, and
supports local producers.
What do the bees value?
The accelerated growth of La Ruche
qui Dit Oui and its geographic
expansion highlights that it is able to
respond to a specific need and that
has been designed maintaining a very
Figure 6. Each ruche is organized around a local leader who solicits new members and encourages local
producers to offer their products for sale.
user-centered perspective. Some of
the key aspects valued by the members (leaders, producers, and consumers) are described as follows:
The leaders/entrepreneurs: I
interviewed leaders of various ruches
all over France and was told that La
Ruche offers an income of approximately 200-400 euros per month
($250-$500), depending on the
ruche’s performance and location.
Currently, the goal is to offer the leaders an income that is enough to cover
household food expenses. In fact,
ruche leaders see themselves as budding entrepreneurs. Some enjoy the
idea of creating a sense of community
in a society in which individualism
is rampant and where roughly 40
percent of the adult population lives
alone. This represents a real challenge,
but also a great opportunity. For others, motivation lies in watching the
ruche grow, and being able to grow
with it, knowing that participation
and effort is based on respect for the
environment, healthy habits, and
honest trade.
The consumers: People value
quality. They know and can taste the
difference in an apple produced five
kilometers away and one that came
from New Zealand and has been
refrigerated for weeks. They value
traceability. And although not all the
35
7. Design Entrepreneurship
products are officially certified organic, they can at least see the practice
as ecologically sound. Meeting the
farmers and (if they wish) visiting the
farm reassures them and creates value
for the whole community.
The producers: Conventional
food trade has reached a twisted and
unethical peak. Farmers commonly
receive only 5 to 15 percent of the
final price of what they produce.
La Ruche pays them more fairly
for their labor. At the same time, it
acknowledges their importance and
reintroduces meaning to their work.
On a more practical level, the service
offers them the possibility of delivering to several ruches in the same
area. Yves de Rochefort, a producer
of organic vegetables, says he delivers
his products to five different ruches,
three in his home area of the Loiret
and two in Paris, which is a journey
of about 40 kilometers (65 miles).
(In general, producers travel no more
than 30 km to deliver, but there is
not much food cultivated near Paris,
so it is an exception.) De Rochefort says his goal for 2012 is to be
able to sell “entirely and only within
La Ruche qui Dit Oui.” The ruche
network allows producers to deliver
to all their accounts in one Saturday,
because the ruches are close and
accessible. This facilitates transport
while saving energy, as well as facili-
36
tating a financially sustainable trade.
Not only that, but the improvement
in income makes it easier for farmers
to grow according to the guidelines
of organic agriculture, which is good
for everyone (Figure 7).
For everyone involved, the ruches
offer a sense of belonging to a larger
community, and the support the
ruche idea gives to this wider network
is a key driver making this service different from others, and represents a
transition to a more connected society
and a more sustainable lifestyle.
As of this writing, there are
around 100 ruches within the larger
network, with more than 300 in the
process of startup (that is, finding
NICOLAS THIRARD
Organic farmer and
dairy producer
“La Ruche allowed me
to go from a seasonal
contract to become a
full time employee”
€ 7924 of revenue
Oct. 2011—Jan. 2012
3 ruches in Paris
VINCENT LEPOTTIER
Organic farmer
“Selling in a market is the
equivalent of 44 hours
of work for an income
of € 2,400. The Ruche is
18 hours of work for an
income of € 1,800.”
€ 23,409 revenue
Oct. 2011—Jan. 2012
3 ruches in Paris
YVES DE ROCHEFORT
Organic farmer
Flour, bread, and pasta
“In 2012 my goal is to
pass everything to the
Ruche.”
€ 15,742 revenue
Oct. 2011—Jan. 2012
5 ruches, 2 in Paris and
3 in Loiret
Figure 7. Producers’ testimonials.
8. La ruche qui D it O ui: r econnec ting Communities with Food
local producers and consumers, places
to deliver, and meeting regulation
and sanitary norms). Ruche leaders
receive guidance and training from
the La Ruche qui Dit Oui management team. At the moment, there
are around 30 ruches opening each
month, and about eight application
requests are received each day (Figure
8). The La Ruche core management
team includes a designer, a web interface specialist, a project developer, and
a community manager.
Challenges
Of course, not everything is bees and
honey. The ruche idea does present
some difficulties.
On the producer’s side, the fact
of not having a definite, fixed contract
involves some insecurity and uncertainty, especially in the early stages of
the ruche. The producers must specify
the minimum amount of product to
be sold to justify making the delivery
trip; if that minimum cannot be fulfilled, the transaction simply can’t be
made. That uncertainty opens farmers
to the risk of a production surplus, of
food not sold and possibly going to
waste. The surplus problem is often
reduced with the passage of time,
as consumers begin to adjust their
routines to coincide with food that is
seasonal. Moreover, once customers
taste good tomatoes from a particular
MAY 3, 2012
8 opening requests/day
In Construction
383
Ruches Opening In May 2012
30
Ruches Oficially Opened
75
4 openings/week
Figure 8. The ruche idea is really taking off, with subscriptions growing by leaps and bounds.
farmer, for example, chances are they
will come back for more, and that
farmer will be able to manage his
harvest accordingly. Indeed, the likelihood of customers coming to know
the farmer personally tends to cement
the relationship.
From a shopper’s point of view,
it can be said that La Ruche appeals
especially to the type of people who
are sensitized to food and sustainability issues and would not have a
problem paying a higher price for
better quality. Ruche prices are not
overly high in comparison to some
French organic stores, and in some
ruches they are even lower than
found in the average supermarket.
This sensitive issue is omnipresent
and continually discussed within
the network. It is an issue that may
be solved with the passage of time:
In other words, as more people buy
into the ruche, as more communities
subscribe to the system, it becomes
more financially and environmentally
sustainable.
Convenience is another issue.
The website is very easy to use and
allows everyone to choose and pay
online, but the delivery holds to a specific schedule in each locality (ideally,
no more than a 5- to 10-minute walk
for customers). This requires ruche
members to commit to shopping at a
regular time each week.
37
9. Design entrepreneurship
the role of the designer as
an entrepreneur in social and
sustainable innovation
Many designers, especially young and
emerging designers, see their role as
reframing and finding a balance between what customers need and want
and what is best for society as a collective and common entity. They hope
to make their work more meaningful
and to contribute to making the world
a better place in which to live. At the
same time, design is increasingly recognized by business as a process that
aids in conceptualization and visualization of communications, products,
and business strategy, not to mention
services. This case study is part of
a larger research project focused on
understanding social and sustainable
innovation and the emerging role of
the designer in this area.
Designers hoping to create
sustainable innovation, like any
designers involved in innovation,
must learn to observe problems and
develop innovative solutions through
researching a subject, a service, a
group of people—by understanding what works for them and for the
environment. They do this by talking
to people and by being empathetic, by
living and getting involved with them
in order to understand the context
in which they operate. Sustainability
may mean having a vision of business
38
feasibility, but not necessarily focusing
on economic value as a final goal; the
goal may rather lie in the value a service can generate for its users and the
communities in which they live. Good
design management always means the
ability to manage teams of people and
to facilitate processes and tools that
can exploit and expand their creativity
and vision—to design efficient, fast,
appealing, and productive services
that are as simple and natural as possible for the people involved. Sustainability goes further in its need for
environmental consciousness and a
long-term perspective. But one of the
most important aspects for designers
involved in social innovation and entrepreneurship is the ability to look at
the bigger picture and strive to solve
problems where they originate—to
focus on solving problems rather than
consequences.
Guilhem and the La Ruche qui
Dit Oui team (Figure 9) are examples
of a new idea, a new type of designer,
and a new type of service that generates value for people without compromising the needs of the environment
in which they live. The ruche network
is an example of what Ezio Manzini
calls SLOC: small, local, open, and
connected. It’s the story of a designer
and a designed service in transition
toward something more human, more
fair, and more rich in values, meaning,
and coherence within the environment.
Suggested reading
Manzini, E. “Small, Local, Open, and
Connected: Design Research Topics in the Age of Networks and
Sustainability.” Journal of Design
Strategies, vol. 4, no. 1 (Spring
2010).
Ortiz, N. “A New Sustainable Designer: A Case Study of Collaborative Organizations and Creative
Communities.” Masters thesis,
University of Salford-Euromed
Management, 2011.
Thackara, John. In the Bubble: Designing in a Complex World (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005). n
Reprint #12233ORT30
Figure 9. Guilhem Chéron (center, with strawberries) and the original La Ruche qui Dit Oui team.
