Fire-hit bakery finds lifeline through unique partnership with butcher

“Let’s just say it was the final straw after an incredibly rough week,” said Mikael Engler. On Tuesday, September 9 at around 21:40, he responded to an alert sent by the camera surveillance system at his bakery, La Mie dorée, in Saint-Avold, a town east of Metz (Moselle) near the German border.

It had been set ablaze. The fire, whose flames reached to the top of the building, ravaged the bakery, ultimately forcing him to close it indefinitely. 

“I was stunned,” he said, having already dealt with two resignations the week before and broken his collarbone that Sunday.

The baker, who is a local celebrity thanks to an appearance on hit TV show La meilleure boulangerie de France, also owns three other bakeries in the area and received an outpouring of support on social media.

But it was his quick thinking while the bakery was still burning that really saved the business. He approached mairie officials with an innovative idea the same night.

“I got a call from the council the next morning asking if I would help Mikael,” said David Lentz, owner of the nearby Kamin butchers.

Mr Lentz had known Mr Engler for two years and the pair had partnered on several occasions. The latter bought meat from him to stuff his pâtés lorrains.

Mr Lentz was facing his own problems at the time – financial difficulties had inspired him to publish a candid appeal on Facebook asking customers for whatever help they could afford.

“I bought Kamin butchers hoping to write a new chapter of my life and keep offering quality products but if the current situation continues I fear I will have to take a decision I never imagined: closing for good,” he wrote. “Your loyalty, support and purchases, even the smallest, are essential to keep me going,” he continued.

On September 25, Saint-Avold introduced perhaps the first butcher-bakery in France – a bold attempt to keep both businesses afloat.

The Connexion spoke to them about the partnership, local support and what the future might hold.

You have partnered for more than two months now. How has it gone so far? How do you organise it?

David Lentz: It is going great. He [Mikael Engler] drops his bread and pastries every morning at 7:00 so that I can open at 7:30. I basically gave him the side of my window that previously featured barbecue meats. 

Considering these are no longer seasonal, I display his products there. His bread is kept in a small basket nearby. The main benefit is that I get a new source of customers. We have had a 50% boost in clientele – those of Mikael. 

I have introduced new offers to customers since the partnership, such as a surprise basket composed of meat, charcuteries and salad, plus a new loyalty card.The partnership will keep going until Christmas, at least, and probably until early 2026. I will help Mikael until he finds a new location.

Have you found one already, Mikael?

Mikael Engler: I have several leads but Saint-Avold is a small town, which makes it a bit difficult. The renovation effort is expected to take from 18 to 24 months.

The partnership is very fitting, when you look at it. For one thing, I do not lose my clientele, which was my main concern, but it also opens them to David’s products and helps him financially. It’s win-win.

I sell my croissants and two varieties of baguettes but have not displayed my pastries, for lack of space. Instead I distribute them across my three other bakeries and to order.

Are you seen as a curiosity, something people talk about in town?

DL: People say it’s great. There is real support – from locals, the mayor, and other shopkeepers. The first day, I sold out of Mikael’s products in no time, and customer numbers have not dwindled since.

ME: I received support from the Fédération des boulangers de Moselle and several associations I work with. This partnership does not outweigh the loss of income, as pastries and baguettes only cover 10% of my usual turnover, but it is better than nothing.

In Paris, there is already a bakery organising nightclub events. Do you think your butcher-bakery diversification could catch on elsewhere?

DL: It is definitely something different. I think we are the only one in France. La Grange à Fromage, a nearby cheese shop, also burned down recently and it got me thinking that I could do the same thing there. I now sell raclettes as well.

ME: It is funny you mention the trend in Paris. I am planning to do exactly that in my bakeries. We are going to turn them into a sort of nightclub every two months with a morning DJ set from 7:00 to 9:00. We had mentioned the butcher-bakery concept in the past. 

It could technically work as a long-term business model because it allows us to sustain a heavy load of clients over a longer period of time. The butcher benefits from customers between 7:00 and 10:00 - traditionally an off-peak period for butchers - and bakers from clients from 11:30 to 14:30, our off-peak hours. 

They would overlap over time. We need to study our business plan.

Your butcher shop faces financial difficulties, David, and you have asked locals for support. Has this partnership helped in any way?

DL: A lot. More people come, out of solidarity. A woman from Saint-Avold has also started a Leetchi [crowdfunding platform] fundraiser.

Buying the Kamin butchers was a dream come true but I did not expect it would be so difficult. First, Saint-Avold is one of many small towns that have been hit by recent changes in the retail landscape. 

Shops have closed one after the other. Locals now go grocery shopping in supermarkets in out-of-town retail parks, where prices are often cheaper.

My costs, on the other hand, keep piling up: the rent, the loan, staff wages, utilities, the insurance, social security contributions etc. I am doing everything I can but, to be honest, I do not see how I can keep on going financially if it stays like this.

Do you face the same challenges, Mikael?

ME: My situation is different. I am one of the last bakers selling homemade products baked 100% with butter. My customers know this and request them specifically.

Bakeries are not as affected as other shops, such as butchers, which suffer greatly from competition from supermarkets.

• To help David Lentz, search "Solidarité à David Lentz notre boucher" on Google and find the fundraising page on Leetchi.
• To help Mr Engler, send an email to lamiedoree57@gmail.com.