Real 3D printed cakes: will digital patisserie Louviers tempt the judges of the Who Wants to Be My Partner competition?

From her 200 m² workshop in Louviers, she 3D prints cakes and other sweet and savory pie bases. This is Marine Corey Bayeux, “born in the east of France, but Norman at heart,” who installed her suitcases and food-grade stainless steel 3D printer at the Hub nursery in Louviers (Eure) in September 2022.

An invention that allows business leader and founder of Digital Pastry to combine her experience in 3D printing and love for confectionery and attracts investors. This Wednesday, March 6th, she will appear on the show Who wants to be my partneron the M6 ​​to try to persuade the jury to fund the next €150,000 fundraiser to enable the plant to be built.

To convince the jury, which included, among others, Tony Parker, Jean-Pierre Nadir and Kelly Massol, Marine was able to take advice from Pierre Hermé. The famous pastry chef, having opened the doors of his workshop to her, accompanied her on the set to defend a digital baking project. “His team helped us create the most telegenic cake possible,” says the founder. And to better educate investors about her product, there’s time for hands-on work: “I made them get their hands dirty before asking them to put their hands in their wallets,” she smiles.

Save time and reduce packaging

“Our goal is to support chefs who work at high hourly volumes and have difficulty recruiting new employees,” explains Marin. The idea is innovative. Mini-casseroles and other dinnerware-style kitchen utensils are lined up on shelving in the walk-in coolers, as well as much more artistic or large-format pieces.

Early customers include pastry chefs who are setting up shop and looking to differentiate themselves with products that can’t be found elsewhere, as 3D printing allows for the creation of cake bases that cannot be made by hand or with large quantities of ingredients. time and attention to detail, but also meeting current needs in the fight against waste. The founder calls one of her colleagues and a chef who prepares savory dishes in the workshop kitchen: “We have requests from caterers for sweets or containers such as bowls that are edible and compostable.”

After leaving 3D printing startup Sculpteo in 2018, Marin learned baking through CAP and invested €90,000 to prototype her 3D printer. Adapted to professional food containers, the machine will create molds by mixing dry products, cocoa flour, sugar with liquid products contained in the attachment. The tart bases are formed in a few minutes and then placed in the oven for one hour at 150°C.

Today, Marine Coré Baillais, accompanied by 9 employees, hopes to raise 1 million euros and thus qualify for the BPI (public investment bank) “First Factory” program. While waiting for the amount to be collected, Digital Pastry continues to assemble machines, very soon for CFA Raphaël Mallard in Le Havre, its first client in Normandy, and also invites chefs and trainers to familiarize themselves with the process. “I dreamed of a workshop full of people,” she sighs.