MIF 2022 – The MIF trade fair has just opened the doors to its 10th edition and already several hundred visitors are waiting in front of the Parc Expo in Versailles on 10 November 2022. 815 exhibitors are getting ready to welcome more than 100,000 local enthusiasts. Curious, in love with knowledge, sensitive to French manufacturing, everyone has a good reason to wander between the stands. Among all these creators from France, the JHP workshop welcomes regulars and novices, knife fans and strollers. What a wonderful surprise when it received the Grand Prix du Public from the jury of the Made In France 2022 exhibition.
The team of cutlers shared the prize list with four other awards: innovation, hope, entrepreneur and product. A round of applause for a joyful team at the top of their motivation and good humour. And a flurry of thanks for the happy hands that voted for them.
The Made In France Exhibition: the prizes and the winners
The MIF 2022 list of winners
You can’t wait to find out who the winners are, so we can’t wait to tell you the good news. But let’s keep it civil and start with the other winners.
The Made in France event celebrates 5 categories and nominates 5 contenders.
Category Entrepreneur of the Year
🏆 The trophy for involvement in the Made In France approach is awarded to Laetitia Van De Walle: Lamazuna (vegan beauty products).
The other nominees:
- David Soulard : Meubles Gautier ;
- Julien Tuffery : Atelier Tuffery (jeans tailor) ;
- Philippe Denecé: Intuis (household appliances);
- Pierre Schmitt: Groupe Velcorex (clothing manufacturing).
Category Hopeful of the Year
🏆 The winner who demonstrated his ability to develop his business (creation or revival) is Adrien Jaminet: trumpet and brass instruments manufacturer.
The other nominees:
- Krokola: responsible and educational chocolate;
- Linaé: natural care products with organic French flax extracts;
- Plume: manufacturer of eco-designed electric scooters;
- Urban Cuisine: connected indoor vegetable garden.
Category Innovation
🏆 The prize goes to the company with the best innovative idea (product or service), namely Temo: boat engines.
The other nominees:
- Humidistop: polarity inverters against humidity;
- Repulp Design: eco-designed coffee cups;
- Sirea: self-consumption cabinets and industrial programmable controllers;
- Wave Angel: illuminated alarm clocks.
Category Product of the Year
🏆 Here, it is the added value of the product or service, its different positioning, that decides the jury to reward Cosme Literie.
The other nominees:
- Instead: furniture made from grain from beer brewing (spent grain);
- Les Transfarmers: plant pots, composters and diffusers;
- Merlin: stories, music and documentaries for children;
- Subtea’L: innovative tea infusers.
Public’s Grand Prize
🏆 And the last but not the least, the Grand Prize of the public was awarded to… Us! The JHP workshop, cutlers in Saint-André des Eaux (44). The jury is counting the votes of the public, so you, ladies and gentlemen who read us.
🙏 Many thanks for your encouragement, trust and concern. The same goes for each member of the team, all happy, motivated and proud of their skills.
The 2022 Jury
But then, apart from our dear public, who awards the prizes? It is a group of men and women from the French business world, all experts in their field of Made In France.
- Guillaume Mortelier: Executive Director of Bpifrance;
- Gilles ATTAF: President of the Origine France Garantie label;
- Joël FOURNY: President of CMA France;
- Nathalie GUIRMA: TV producer and presenter;
- Martial YOU: Editor-in-Chief of RTL’s economic service;
- Alain Di CRESCENZO: President of CCI France;
- Stéphanie GELOT: business advisor European Commission and member of Comex IE-Club.
Rewards for the winners
Apart from the eternal gratitude of all these people, what do our laureates receive as a reward for their good and loyal efforts in France?
The 5 winners take home:
🏆 A €1,000 discount on their participation in MIF 2023;
🏆 A subscription to Fait en France magazine;
🏆 A publication in the same magazine;
🏆 An interview on the set of Fait en France, TV show;
🏆 Dedicated communication on the MIF network (press release, post, newsletter).
Buying French-made: consumers convinced
At the household level, each of us can use at least one Made in France product: skincare, toothbrushes, clothing, accessories, knives (at random😉 ). French manufacturing, whether artisanal or not, invests in all areas of daily life. Deciding to consume French means contributing to the national effort to create local wealth.
Tanja Lefèvre, on the Brandt group’s stand, strives to explain to visitors to the show that manufacturing household appliances in France “is still possible”.
And while the confinements have highlighted our dependence on external markets, the energy crisis is a reminder that transport costs also impact on the economy.
Today’s buyers are becoming more responsible and are looking for quality, local products and green products. And all this within their budget. Although! Exhibitors describe visitors as premium consumers willing to pay the price. Awareness of fundamental values has never been so high.
Moreover, Gaëtan Billant (Atelier Missegle) talks about the Made In France show, “not as a fashion, but as a real groundswell”.
MIF 2022 Versailles : the place to be
The exhibitors
Having a stand at MIF increases visibility and promotes brands. Exhibitors improve their reputation by talking directly to consumers who are interested in and sensitive to French manufacturing.
But it is also the entire ecosystem that they meet at this now unmissable event. It is precisely this real contact with their customers that e-commerce companies appreciate. It is also an opportunity to meet new suppliers, partners, distributors, manufacturers, etc. Or simply to put a face and a human being to a telephone number. How many people work together for years without ever meeting?
“Getting together is particularly conducive to creativity,” says Charles Yvon, representative of the Parapluie de Cherbourg
Some of them make 10% of their annual turnover in these 4 days of exhibition. French quality, yes or no?
The visitors
A shop owner in Normandy explains that this is the perfect time to find new items to put on her shelves.
Many onlookers fill Santa’s sack. Finding original and quality ideas remains the challenge of the end-of-year celebrations. The love of work well done and of French creation increases every year in the hearts of our compatriots.
In short, the joy of discovering local talent and regional know-how is at MIF 2022.
According to Fabienne Delahaye, president and founder of the MIF, the 2022 edition will welcome 100,000 visitors.
Political personalities
Like the Salon de l’Agriculture, the MIF is now the place to be. 500 journalists, 243 television reports, 268 radio programmes and 1,161 press articles attract our politicians, including the presidential candidates. For them too, it is the perfect opportunity to get in front of their public (voters?) and discuss societal issues.
At its first edition, the MIF 2012 welcomed 70 exhibitors and 15,000 visitors. The success of the Made in France 2022 trade show proves the commitment of industries, craftsmen and grey matter, a guarantee of a strong local economy in a fluctuating global context. A little “Cocorico” in principle! Thank you to all of you (creators and consumers) who participate in making beautiful ideas bear fruit.
🤔 And here, you can recognize the mathematicians by their doubtful pout: 10th edition in 2022 and the MIF starts in 2012? Hm! Hm! Bravo ! In 2020, a catalogue would replace the face-to-face event.
Come on, it’s time for those who didn’t come to Versailles to discover the Morta Knife collection.
Salon du Made in France: the official website