You sometimes have to wait for long minutes to enjoy their biscuits.
At just thirty years old, Josephene and Jozeph can boast of the success of their cookie brand, called Jojo's Dough.
However, the story might never have seen the light of day.
In full confinement, the two Cannes residents found themselves unemployed.
“My husband had a company in the construction industry, but Covid was fatal.
He had to start doing temporary assignments
,” confides the manager.
Both fitness enthusiasts, they came up with the idea of making delicious protein cookies.
Josy, as she likes to be called, takes care of the making while he
“has the idea of posting this on TikTok”
.
Curiosity feeds appetites to such an extent that demand floods in from all over France, thanks to their posts.
The lovers can't believe their eyes and are not ready in terms of logistics.
“We first thought of La Poste, before realizing that we couldn't deliver food that way.
I found Chronofresh and we started working with them
,” explains the young woman.
A few weeks later, when the couple received the invoice from their delivery man, it was a cold shower.
“The Jojo Adventure”
turns into disillusionment.
“We knew neither the taxes nor the supplements imposed by Chronofresh.
It cost us 25 euros while we charged our customers 10 euros.
We had to react quickly to make profitable shipments by imposing a minimum quantity
.
TikTok and Instagram, ingredients for success
Following these financial setbacks, the couple then encountered a lively virtual controversy.
Many Internet users are indeed offended on TikTok and Instagram following a posted video.
A misunderstanding around a visual makes some believe that a cookie sells for 19 euros, when in reality it is a box of four.
Jozeph fights back
"by using harsh comments to create new videos, and it works so much that singer Keen'V sent us a message of support"
.
Poopi, the influencer with millions of subscribers, also makes a video in which she tests cookies.
“By posting at the same time, they made everything explode, the site actually crashed”
she relates, enough to transform this bad buzz into an opportunity for their brand of cookies.
From amateurs, the two entrepreneurs will quickly move on to professional status.
From 2021, they will start looking for their first premises in the south of France.
In the midst of Covid, banks are reluctant to grant loans.
The couple nevertheless managed to secure an investment worth 40,000 euros.
On August 8, 2021, the first point of sale opens its doors in Le Cannet.
And success is there.
“Once again we did not anticipate this much.
Jozeph and his father did the work.
On the day of the inauguration, his father was setting the last screw at 11 o'clock.
We opened an hour late, but that didn't stop us from being sold out
.
In the middle of summer, many Ile-de-France residents coming on vacation to the south spot their store and advise them to come and conquer the Parisian market.
Franchises and international openings
The partners are opening a new chapter of Jojo's Dough from September 2021 by looking for premises in the capital to open the second store.
Faced with a cautious market and after more than 70 visits without a crush, they managed to open the second store in October 2022. The challenges are piling up
“We have had a lot of problems in our premises, and, in the meantime, I I gave birth.
The adventure is now written for three people
.
The question of franchises naturally arose without the couple really having to make any effort to recruit potential candidates.
“We received more than a thousand emails without even posting an ad.
We couldn't respond to everyone, we were overwhelmed
.
In less than a year, franchises were inaugurated in Le Touquet, Guérande, Antibes, Lyon and Rouen.
Jojo's Dough is even exported internationally.
Josephene claims to have granted franchises in Belgium and Switzerland.
The two acolytes even received offers to open boutiques in Dubai and Singapore, which they declined.
“We didn't have the feeling, for the moment it's no.
It is essential in our eyes that the franchise can change the life of the franchisee, that the approach is sincere
.
The couple would instead like to open stores in the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic, where they each draw their origins.
And the numbers match the success.
Last year, each of the seven stores opened achieved an average turnover of 800,000 euros thanks to the company's 30 employees.
On social networks, they have almost a million subscribers.
Some of their videos in which they feature themselves have hundreds of thousands of views, with a record of 25.8 million.
Huge figures that give wings to the couple.
Jojo's Dough will soon open its doors in Melun.
Saint-Paul d'Ax, Bordeaux, Rennes, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille will follow during 2024.