This "very cute" pastry chef couple received an "honorary loan" from the Sophia Antipolis urban community.

Monsieur and Madame Choux, as they are nicknamed in the region, launched their pastry business in November 2023.

Léa Fenet, who has always worked in catering, and her partner Benjamin Canals, pastry chef, have become specialists in sweet choux buns, offering online orders for both the general public and the catering industry.

They quickly made a name for themselves on social media and wanted to open a store to gain more visibility.

"Not everyone has Instagram. We wanted to have a physical storefront. Especially since on the internet, people had to order 48 hours in advance," explains Léa Fenet.

Supporting young businesses

To make this project a reality, the couple set about building a business plan: "We weren't very well off financially. And it was when we went to see our bank that the branch manager told us about a zero-interest interest loan, an initiative of the Sophia-Antipolis urban area. At first, we had trouble getting into it. We thought: more paperwork, more administration. And then, in the end, it went really well."

It went so well that a few weeks later, the couple appeared before a committee of business leaders, who would grant them the first BPI France neighborhood honor loan awarded in the territory of the Sophia Antipolis urban community (Casa).

This system, orchestrated by the Banque Populaire d'Investissement (BPI), was launched in January 2025. Its objective is to support young companies in their development.

In the heart of Vallauris

"We lent Benjamin and Léa €20,000 for their project," explains Christophe Fantino, director of the Sophia-Antipolis Agglomeration Initiative, a BPI delegation at the local level.

"This loan helped them get their business off the ground in terms of cash flow. And since our scheme serves as a seal of approval, it reassured their banking institution, which was also able to help them."

As a result, the boutique "Choux, By Ben et Léa" opened on May 19th, at 12, avenue du Stade, in the heart of Vallauris.

"It's better to have a window display, where we can find our choux buns as well as homemade chocolate éclairs. We're lucky enough to have a small terrace and we're starting to make a name for ourselves in the city," says Léa Fenet.

A loan possible throughout the metropolitan area

"It is precisely because Benjamin and Léa settled in the center of the Cité des Potiers that they were able to benefit from this system ," explains Christophe Fantino. "It is reserved for companies that set up in the priority neighborhoods of the city policy (QPV) . And in the territory of the Casa, there is only one QPV neighborhood: it is Vallauris Center."

Even if it's not exactly the same type of loan (the financing is different), the Initiative network attached to the Casa also offers assistance to entrepreneurs throughout the metropolitan area: "We have the budget to support all the project leaders who approach us. 200 of them do so every year, across all sectors of activity."

Among them is the company EV Garage Riviera, founded by two young people a little less than a year ago on the heights of Vallauris: it has since become the regional leader in electric vehicle repair and maintenance.