2023-11-13 13:03:14
Have a real action and implement it with other people. » Alexandre Coing always had the idea of leading a project. Within his business school (Essec), the choice of his specialty was obvious: media. “I wanted to touch on these creative industries while testing different entry points, starting with cinema, one of my passions. I was very interested in the business developed in the world of cinema and the media industry”, he explains. Because these two areas have “a logic of editorial line, of stories to tell”.
Alexandre Coing had several experiences in a production company and then in a film school in Marrakech which had the project of developing film studios. For his last internship in 2014, he joined Le Fooding. “I was working on the partnership research part. » At Le Fooding, Alexandre Coing then found this “editorial line logic” and discovered a profession that brings together “the commercial, strategic and creative sides”. Even more, Alexandre Coing is seduced by the fact “to capture reality and give it a form that can be communicated to an audience”.
An essential professional break for Alexandre Coing
It is this common thread that he will follow in the development of the media. He quickly acquired responsibilities in other verticals: HR, finance, accounting, etc. He also trained the youngest in work-study contracts. “Transmitting is very important to me. When I was in business school, I gave private lessons to young people to train them for competitive exams”explains the one that we would describe, according to him, as “caring and attentive”.
In 2017, the company experienced a real change and welcomed a new minority shareholder: the Michelin guide. Fooding is experiencing digital development and is being deployed abroad two years later: Mexico, the United States, England… The workforce is also changing: “There were 10 of us in 2014, there are now 25.”
Despite this rise, Alexandre Coing left the company in 2020. “I decided to leave because I wanted to pursue my other passion: cycling. » In the program : “A cycling trip across Europe, all the way to Norway. » But Covid forced him to review his plans. “I finally opted for a trip close to home to rediscover France and see it as a complete territory. » A professional break then essential for “get out of a professional tunnel since school and come back fresher, with new ideas”. A year later, he finally reunited with his Fooding team: “I realized that the story was not finished and that I still had a lot to contribute. »
Fooding is exported to Belgium
Upon his return, Alexandre Coing becomes, in 2022, general director of the company in partnership with Christine Doublet. “We define the projects to be carried out together then I take care of the commercial and strategic part while she directs the project and takes care of the editorial part. We complement each other in a very instinctive way. »
Together, they continue their international development. For the first time, in 2023, the team exports the “whole model” in a neighboring country, Belgium. “We wanted to deploy a more sustainable model, with more depth. » Why Belgium? “For three reasons. The first: we had already developed a short guide to Brussels in 2018 and it made us want to dig deeper. The second: we recruited a new Belgian editor-in-chief, which encouraged us to go in this direction. The third: we have visited Belgium many times and we were seduced by the food offer, the vitality and freedom of the people and the diversity of the restaurants. »
Why not start a new business?
Is he planning to go further? “We created content in 90 destinations. This gave us lots of desires and dreams but to move the complete model to another country, it must be accessible and feasible. Christine and I have a fairly strong presence and we can’t imagine launching Fooding in another country too far away without us being able to invest in it. » We will therefore have to wait until 2025 or 2026 before seeing Fooding establish itself elsewhere.
Beyond the company, Alexandre Coing is not ready to settle elsewhere either. “Professionally, I’m very happy like this because I’m free to set up projects. Personally, I would like to organize events around cycling but in an associative way. » Will he one day leave Fooding? “I know that the day I leave, I will create a business, something that resembles me, to enjoy the same freedom. »
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