A year and a half after their launch, sweet potato and cassava péi chips make their nest as an aperitif. They are now distributed in around thirty points of sale, including the largest supermarkets on the island. Yann Bacconnet, the creator of this product innovation, has just integrated and equipped a new production workshop to meet demand.
“Sa lé dos means in Creole “It's good, c'est gayar”, that’s why I chose this name”, recalls Yann Bacconnet, the creator of the Salédos brand, Reunion sweet potato and cassava chips. The novelty of Salédos chips remains intact on the local market : they are from Reunion, handcrafted from local products and typically local flavors. The most popular reference, sweet potato chips combine three varieties : white sweet potato (the classic), orange (the sweetest) and the red (the least known). The cassava chips were, at first, a little hard to the bite ; a new formulation made them crispier and crunchier. Finally, the third reference, with massalated cassava, is also recommended for those who want to concoct a purely Reunionese modern-day aperitif : these chips are made with Rama masala. Outside of packaging, Yann Bacconnet only has local suppliers : the salt comes from Saint-Leu, SPHB oil, fresh vegetables from farmers in Sainte-Suzanne and Saint-Pierre. Result : a successful product, attractive, tendency, providing the certainty of creating a little surprise as an aperitif or as a picnic starter. You didn't get it : Salédos chips are lightly salted without being bland (one of Yann Bacconnet's secrets), preservative-free and gluten-free. The Yuka application awarded them its green badge (without risk).
An attractive product that keeps its promises
It is on this basis, with the support of his wife and family, the support of Adie* and the advice of the Chamber of Trades and Crafts, that Yann Bacconnet launched himself and was able to build his first loyal clientele. “I sold my first packet of chips in November 2021”, he remembers. Another date marked with a white stone : Salédos chips were in the catalog of Carrefour péi products last February. “My first promotion. It worked very well. » A new proof, if it was needed, the obvious potential of the product, despite a price necessarily higher than that of industrial potato chips. Salédos chips have gained visibility since their entry into Leclerc hypermarkets, then Carrefour. With delicatessens and wine cellars that offer them, they are now available in around thirty points of sale throughout the island.
A professional reconversion
Another sign of project progress : Yann Bacconnet has a new production laboratory, larger and more equipped than the one he had set up at his home to begin with. If he has not completely turned his back on his former profession (thirty years of experience in audiovisual in Reunion and mainland France), Yann Bacconnet is undergoing a professional reconversion, consequence of the Covid crisis. Anticipating the decline in the local advertising market, observing the limits of the Reunion offer in the PSA department, he found in Salédos a new way to use his intuition and creativity. The Reunion spirit of Yann Bacconnet did the rest. “I arrived in Reunion at the age of five, I grew up in Hell-Bourg, I feel like I'm from Reunion. I wanted to design a product that was from Reunion and in line with today's expectations of short-circuit quality. » A fourth Salédos reference is expected in 2024.
* Association for the right to economic initiative.
