24 HOURS

Around and at the Mill at Bo&Mie
While Paris awakens at 5 a.m., at Bo&Mie, we’re not yet asleep. In fact, we never sleep. Operating on a three-shift system, the teams at the patisserie/bakery in our four Parisian shops (plus one in Barcelona) work tirelessly to balance volume and quality for our thousands of daily customers. From shaping baguettes to baking pastries, from the rush of opening to the handover between shifts, it's a 24-hour immersion in the well-buttered machinery of the house.

10:30 p.m.
Night Shift
In the shop on Rue Turbigo (Paris II), Maxime, the pastry manager, begins his day at midnight. He, ‘who can’t manage to sleep at night,’ oversees the production of lemon tarts, chocolate éclairs, and other treats that will be distributed to the other shops in the early morning. As the final link in the chain, he, along with the 4 people working under his supervision, ensures the perfect finishing of the pastries coming out of the workshop.

1:00-3:00 a.m.
Turn on the Oven
On the floor above, Nacim, like all the other bakers at the shop, turns on his oven around 3 a.m. As the head baker, he will carry out the baking of traditional breads, spelt breads, and savory rolls. Taking over the dough from the previous day’s team, he then shapes the baguettes that will go into the oven at 7 a.m., ready to be served fresh at opening time. The deck ovens will be reactivated periodically throughout the day, as the 500 baguettes sold daily are baked in 4 to 5 sessions. Despite rising energy costs, which account for 3 to 4% of revenue, this rhythm remains unchanged, though shop prices have had to be adjusted.

2:30 a.m.
Savory Prep
On the Rivoli side, with nearly 500 bagels and 800 sandwiches to assemble for the 4 (soon to be 5) Parisian locations, Moussa's team works in perfect sync with the bakery team, which supplies the bread (baguettes and buns) for the various sandwiches. In order, those who arrive in the dead of night will first assemble the salads, then the bagels, and finally the baguette sandwiches. The daytime team will handle all the setup (preparing cream cheese, sauces, cutting vegetables) needed for the assembly by the ‘savory team’ the following night

6:30 a.m.
Shift Change
And it's time for another round. At daybreak, the 'morning teams' take over from the night shifts. Thanks to a centralized information system regarding production needs and several email or WhatsApp groups, communication is greatly facilitated. In an operation employing 150 people, with nearly 50% in production, smooth information flow is crucial

7:30 a.m.
Opening
It's a rush, with some customers sometimes waiting outside the shops. Pastries, baguettes, and sandwiches for those already anticipating their breakfast disappear from the shelves at a rapid pace: usually, a restocking happens by 8:30 a.m.

7:30-8:30 a.m.
Delivery Departure
At Bo&Mie, each location has its specialty. While awaiting the opening of a 2000-square-meter lab in the Clichy area, the production of all the house’s offerings, except for bread, is distributed across the 4 Parisian locations: savory items at Rivoli, pastries at Turbigo, travel cakes at Saint-Martin, and viennoiseries at Saint-Michel. At daybreak, the four trucks in the fleet supply each shop. This is also when B2B clients (LVMH, Google) come to pick up the bread produced for them, accounting for 5% of the total production that won't make it to the storefront.

12:00 p.m.
Lunch Rush
The second rush of the day. After a lull between 10 and 11 a.m., the bakeries fill up again. The focus shifts from pastries to hearty snacking. Salads, quiches, sandwiches, and nostalgic treats like cookies occupy the tables where customers sit before heading back to the office or continuing their exploration of Paris. In the afternoon, the pace slows down, and pastries with tea get their moment of glory before the evening rush for baguettes begins.

9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
The Office
In addition to work in the bakeries, Bo&Mie's growth also involves its office. About twenty people handle HR, accounting, and communication. Managed internally, the communication strategy and various digital content for the brand are, like their other products, homemade. In the brand-new office space that houses the team, they also focus on the future development of new locations, whether in France, such as the upcoming TGV station in Aix-en-Provence (following a successful bid against competitors like Paul), or internationally with a forthcoming opening in Saudi Arabia.

Text & Photos Florian Domergue

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