Read the video transcript here
Christophe Guinot trades in sought-after goods.
He is an oyster farmer in a lagoon on the southern French Mediterranean coast.
His big problem: thieves.
They regularly took boats to the breeding nets in which Guinot raised his shellfish in the sea - and simply tore them off.
Three tons of oysters were stolen from him in this way.
No wonder, because oysters are attracting a lot of business.
Especially on the holidays, they are in demand in French gastronomy - for up to 5 euros each.
But then Christophe Guinot came up with a simple but ingenious idea to put an end to the thieves. He hid a piece of paper for each net in an empty oyster - and closed it again. It read: "They have just gained their own weight in oysters!" As well as Guinot's contact details. The idea behind it: Anyone who claims their price will be asked where they bought the oysters. If they weren't delivered by Guinot, he'll know the oysters were stolen and the police can track down the thieves.
Christophe Guinot, Oyster Farmer
“Thanks to this tracking method for our shellfish, I am able to find this rude person, professional or not, who sold my oysters to a wholesaler who then sold them to a fishmonger.
And with the help of the Coast Guard and the police, we can - or they are able, because it's their job - to catch whoever is stealing from our oyster farms. "
In which oyster the note is hidden, only Guinot knows.
And a thief cannot look inside all oysters.
Christophe Guinot, oyster farmer
“I can see it, this is this one.
From the outside nobody can tell them apart except me, because I live with them and they live with me.
These are my babies. "
(reads out :)
"You have just gained your own weight in oysters."
Since Guinot introduced his slip method in 2016, there have been no new oyster thefts on his farm.
Christophe Guinot, oyster farmer
»It has a deterrent effect.
And I'm more interested in a deterrent than a repressive approach. "
His co-producers in the area also thought the idea was brilliant - and also began to hide winning tickets in their oysters.
Fabrice Bacquier, Leucate Coast Guard
»In 2016, hundreds of kilos of oysters were stolen.
But over the years we've seen a steady decline in thefts. "
In 2017, the Ministry of the Interior recorded 19 oyster thefts in the area.
Fabrice Bacquier, Coast Guard Leucate
"And this year, since the end of 2020, there hasn't been a single one."
So far, a customer has never claimed his profit from himself, says Guinot.
This was the case with some neighboring breeders - and the police were alerted.
The customers like that.
Stephanie, regular customer:
"Since I know what a genius the owner of this shop is, it's not surprising that it works."
Journalist: "Do you think it's a good thing that, thanks to this slip of paper, there are fewer thefts?"
Stephanie, regular customer:
»Yes!
Less theft also means: fair production conditions for the oyster farmers here in the lagoon. "
And so in the end everyone benefits from it, except for the thieves.
But especially those who find a note in the oyster.
