Reconciling family and professional life with creating a business

Andi MALANDA

Founder of Super Food Africa

African grocery store

The France Active advisor gave me what I was missing: a listening ear and the possibility of a guarantee.

Reconciling family and professional life with creating a business

Nantes (Pays de la Loire)

African grocery store

From idea to reality

Right now is a great time for professional retraining. It was both the desire for change and necessity that drove Andi Malanda, 35, to open an African grocery shop in Nantes last summer: “I was convinced that this type of shop, which was lacking in the Saint Joseph district, could be successful. I started thinking about it six years ago, when I saw the example of another local shop”. At the time, this mother of 4 children was still providing home care services, after having been a hospital worker for 8 years. In the little time she had left between family and professional life, she launched her own market study to research and assess the customer base for tropical products in the Saint Joseph district, where she herself moved in 2019.

Setting up the project

Her first budget forecast indicated that the project could work. But finding premises was more problematic. It took her almost three years.. “I started prospecting, but at the same time I didn’t have a bank to finance the premises”, explains Andi Malanda. As I was in contact with the Maison de la création in Nantes, I managed to set up an appointment with France Active. The advisor gave me what I was missing: a listening ear and the possibility of a guarantee. As my family provided me with capital, a bank finally approved my file and at the same time I found premises. ”

Opening the shop Super Food Africa opened its doors in October, after works to ensure it was compliant with regulatory standards, financed by a loan guaranteed by France Active, as part of the Accès + programme*. And as Andi Malanda’s intuition predicted, customers flock to her shop for products that they can’t find elsewhere, products from the Congo, where she is originally from, and from other African countries: cassava leaves, chillies, palm oil. The food comes from wholesalers or other grocery shops in the Paris area. She also relies on African diaspora festivals to develop the activity. But the St. Joseph’s district alone, with its new housing offer, guarantees business opportunities for Super Food Africa. The store also has the advantage of being a 5-minute walk from her own home so she is still available for her children.

Focus on the Inclusion through Self-Employment programme:

In March 2021, France Active responded to a call for projects launched by the French Ministry of Labour, Employment and Integration. On this occasion, France Active extended its Creation Pact with new support modules for the most fragile entrepreneurs, focussing on 4 themes:

financial education (managing cash flow, managing relations with your banker, management charts and tools, crowdfunding and financial analysis and management),
protection and security (risk prevention, social and legal protection, civil liability, cyber risks)
digital awareness (for prospecting, brand awareness, etc.),
awareness of commitment.

And for young people aged 18 to 30, a bonus of €3,000.

Has benefited