Glaces Rivage, a gourmet career change
Nathalie Kerfridin Bouisson reconnected with her roots by setting up her artisanal ice cream factory in Carqueiranne.
On the port of Carqueiranne, the Glaces Rivage brand has become a gathering point for food lovers. Behind this project launched in 2022 is Nathalie Kerfridin Bouisson, a local woman who transformed a professional career change into an entrepreneurial adventure combining high standards and creativity.
A native of Carqueiranne from a lineage of horticulturalists settled there since 1880, Nathalie Kerfridin Bouisson followed a traditional path. After graduating as an agricultural engineer in Paris, she began a career in marketing before returning to Var 29 years ago. She then turned to medical sales, a sector she would not leave for over twenty years.
From compromise to obvious choice
"My professional life in medical sales was actually a compromise," she confides today.
A job that allowed her to balance family life and career, but moved her away from her deepest aspirations. A childhood memory of "Glaces Marie", a village institution, never left her. The health crisis and an advantageous redundancy plan in her company acted as a trigger.
"I told myself I was going to do something for myself," says the entrepreneur.
The idea of becoming an artisan ice-cream maker emerged as an obvious choice. She passed her vocational qualification (CAP) in June 2021 and perfected her skills with a Meilleur Ouvrier de France before launching her business.
The demand for taste
The philosophy of Glaces Rivage is based on a promise of intense flavours, with recipes low in fat and sugar.
"I wanted to make very good ice cream that is out of the ordinary in terms of taste," explains the artisan.
To achieve this, she relies on a rigorous selection of raw materials: Piedmont hazelnuts, Sicilian pistachios, and above all local products for seasonal fruits (lemons, strawberries, melons, figs). Her scientific background allows her to develop her recipes with precision and intuition.
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The range is divided into two worlds: "Les Incontournables" (The Must-Haves), which revisit classics and sublimate Provençal flavours (Chouchou, Mauresque, olive oil and thyme), and "Souvenirs de Voyage" (Travel Memories), a more personal collection. In total, 26 permanent flavours are completed by some fifty seasonal creations.
From factory to shop
The first challenge was logistical. Lacking commercial premises, it was in a family hangar that Nathalie Kerfridin Bouisson set up her factory in 2022. She opted for a manufacturer-distributor model, targeting restaurateurs. Success was immediate, driven by effective word-of-mouth that brought customers to the factory door.
The anecdote behind the brand name illustrates this journey: the initial name, Regain, a tribute to Giono and her agricultural roots, was already registered, so they had to pivot. To keep the six-letter logo, Regain became Rivage.
Since this year, the company has taken a new step forward with the opening of a shop on the port of Carqueiranne, offering its creations in cones and scoops directly to the public.
A successful local connection
At the same time, Glaces Rivage has built strong partnerships and supplies many renowned establishments along the Var coast, such as Le Café Léoube in Bormes-les-Mimosas, Le Provençal in Giens, Le Manoir in Port-Cros, or Le Samana and La Cantine in Le Pradet.
PLEASE NOTE...
• Factory: Impasse de la Valéranne in Carqueiranne. Open Monday to Saturday (from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm and from 4 pm to 7 pm). • Shop: Plage Peno in Carqueiranne. Open 7 days a week in season (from 12:30 pm to 10 pm). • Website: www.glacesrivage.fr • Instagram: glaces rivage
Article from the paper edition of La Gazette du Var