Artémis Gibier : bringing hunters and restaurateurs together to promote local game

At a time when wild boar, deer and hare are back in vogue on our plates, whether in regional bistros or Parisian Michelin-starred tables, one figure is surprising: in France, the land of hunting, 70% of the wild game consumed comes from New Zealand and Eastern Europe. Amazing! We thought that game hunted in the Indre region would end up on the region’s tables. This figure also surprised Charlotte de Fougères, herself a hunter, cook and mother – and an expert in wild boar Bolognese: “For me, hunting is a philosophy and a way of consuming, a connection with the rural world,” she says. “As a mother, I want to feed my children healthily and simply, so what could be better than venison tenderloin with herbs? I prepare my wild game, at home, for my family and friends.” This scarcely believable 70% figure also convinced her to found a start-up to guarantee the traceability and supply of venison. The result was “Artemis Gibier”, a digital platform that brings together the entire hunting ecosystem: hunters, federations, collectors, wholesalers, processors, restaurateurs, as well as local authorities and public institutions.
With passion and meticulousness, Charlotte sifted through the entire hunting supply chain to identify the roadblocks and develop an innovative digital tool. One of the main objectives is to limit the waste of the game that is killed but too often never eaten, due to a lack of health guarantees. The project also aims to enhance the value of wild game by creating a link between all the players involved so as to better track the meat’s journey from the hunt to the plate. All too often overlooked, especially in urban areas, wild game offers a real alternative to farmed meat, which is responsible for 50% of greenhouse gas emissions. Big game, on the other hand, has virtually zero carbon footprint, so eating more of it means choosing a sensible, sustainable path of consumption. Nutritionally, it’s a particularly lean meat: for example, wild boar meat is five times less fatty than pork.
By awarding Artemis Gibier the Futur(e)s Food “People’s Choice Award” thanks to almost 3,600 online votes, the public has clearly understood that hunting is an excellent way to consume ultra-local, in close-knit circuits. In addition to her digital application, Charlotte de Fougères also intends to structure and support the production chain by encouraging the creation of new slaughtering and processing facilities, and of course to improve the image of hunting.

By Alice Polack et Jean-Pierre Montanay