A lesson from... ALUVY founder Jean-Pierre Cauchy

#2 Follow your intuition!

The story

Back in 2020, two friends decided that barbecues didn't have to be ugly. Indeed, Aluvy provides grills with their own colourful, stylish, easy-to-use frameworks! The initiative—which no-one initially really believed in (after all, who would boast about their sausage grill?)—has been a success for the Isère-based duo, whose backgrounds are in the aluminium and digital industries. Since gas barbecue Lulu, charcoal barbecue Marcel, outdoor kitchen Jean  and high table Josephine were showcased at Maison&Objet Paris last September there’s been a new edition to the family in the form of gas plancha Lola, with pastry chef Nina Métayer (of Jean-François Piège’s Le Grand Restaurant and Café Pouchkine) creating a brioche perdue à la plancha (griddled French toast) to mark its launch. The convincing results were certainly a hit with the chef, who left full of ideas for outdoor cooking. Just as well, because it'll be very much in vogue once the fine weather arrives, thanks notably to the brand’s summer kitchen, a hyper-functional garden island. The Aluvy vibe is set to change in March 2024, but no information has yet been released.

Jean-Pierre Cauchy: “During the Maison&Objet Paris trade show, where we were showcasing our first two barbecues, Marcel and Lulu, visitors to our stand suggested that we consider developing an appliance that could be used in small spaces such as on terraces and balconies. Our designer came up with a small electric version based on our original mould, and although he did a good job, it just didn't work. The feet were too thin, the link with our other products wasn’t there, and it didn’t fit in with our story, so we didn’t take it any further”. 

A bad start 

The blessing

Jean-Pierre Cauchy: “Forced to abandon a concept that we believed in and had put a lot of work into, we still felt that the potential was there, and the idea that stemmed from Maison&Objet Paris, which we initially saw as a mistake and a waste of time (we believed in the electric project for a long time) eventually gave rise to a hybrid product that we hadn’t even thought of! It was during this phase that we came up with the idea for Sam, the coffee table that also serves as a brazier and outdoor fire pit for warming up chilly evenings or even cooking a snack. It now accounts for 30% of our turnover”. 

Jean-Pierre Cauchy: “A doubt is often not a doubt at all”. I’ve learnt three things from this experience:
1. Trust your instincts, because the requests we got on our stand at Maison&Objet Paris were very insightful.
2. Don’t delay putting the wheels in motion and getting things done so that you can soon see for yourself, because 3D images can be misleading.
3. Don’t hesitate to ask questions of people close to you, people who know the brand well, because they will confirm any doubts and help you make the right decisions. 

The lesson

Strike while the error’s hot!