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SUPPLIERS – FLORENCE BATARD, FOUNDER OF LES BISCUITS DE CAUSETTE: "A REAL COMMUNICATION TOOL COMBINING TASTE, INTENTION, AND EMOTION" (France)
What if a simple cookie could say more than a long speech? That's the bet Florence Batard is making, as she aims to turn her French fortune cookies into a vehicle for emotions in the world of luxury hospitality. |
Category: Europe - France - Industry economy
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- Gourmet restaurants
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- Gourmet restaurants - Sustainability - Providers - Interviews
Interview made by Vanessa Guerrier-Buisine on Wednesday 20 August 2025
 Florence Batard is the founder of Les Biscuits de Causette
Photo credit © Les biscuits de Causette
At a time when luxury hotels are striving to create memorable and profound experiences, Biscuits de Causette offer a poetic, positive and, above all, simple solution. A personalised, fun and eco-friendly product designed in France. These simple biscuits respond to travellers' quest for meaning and contribute to their overall well-being.
Journal des Palaces met with Florence Batard, the founder of this unique concept. Far from being at a loss for words, she treated us to an inspiring conversation worthy of the most elegant tearooms in luxury hotels. Between a holistic approach and logistical considerations, she guided us step by step to better understand the arrival of these unique cookies in the most beautiful hotels.
Journal des Palaces: What is the DNA of the company and the vision behind Les Biscuits de Causette?
Florence Batard: Les Biscuits de Causette has its origins in a somewhat forgotten expression: “faire un brin de causette” (have a little chat). It's an invitation to take the time to talk to someone, for the pleasure of exchanging ideas. It is this simple, human idea that underpins our approach. We believe in the value of genuine exchanges. Moments when a message or a kind word can make all the difference.
Our ambition is not only to create connections between people, but also to offer professionals a unique medium for conveying what makes them unique: an intention, a word, an identity. Each cookie becomes a vehicle for emotion, capable of transforming a simple gesture into a lasting memory.
Our vision? To put indulgence at the service of relationships and writing at the service of communication. To create meaning in the details. To offer moments of attention, resonance, and presence in places where people often pass by without meeting.
This is our way of rethinking luxury: not through ostentation, but through emotion. Desirability seduces. Resonance touches, awakens, anchors a memory, and strengthens attachment. We defend a transformative luxury. Each message slipped into a cookie becomes an invitation to slow down, feel, and forge a more sincere human connection.
Les Biscuits de Causette bring relational and emotional depth. They don't seek to impress, but to touch.
What are your different ranges of sweet and savoury cookies, and how do they differ from similar products on the market?
We offer two complementary approaches that make our ranges so rich.
On the one hand, we offer a tailor-made service that allows each professional to include the message they want to convey: a thoughtful gesture, a brand signature, a promise, or a meaningful word. This format offers direct, discreet, yet powerful emotional communication that fits perfectly with the values of each property.
On the other hand, we have created two collections of pre-written messages that are ready to use. The first, “Brin de Causette,” comes in four themes: “Cœur à Cœur” (Heart to Heart), to encourage deep conversations between couples; “Cœurs à Corps” (Hearts and Bodies), with questions to rekindle desire; “À Cœur Joie” (Heart to Heart), with “If you were...” questions—a Chinese portrait game—to help guests discover each other among friends or family; and “De soi à soi” (From Self to Self), which invites introspection. The second collection, “Sérénité” (Serenity), offers gentle messages to help guests drift off to sleep. These collections are ideal for enriching the guest experience and creating authentic moments.
What really sets our cookies apart on the market is the personalization that goes into the very heart of the product. The message—up to 170 characters—is printed on edible paper, can feature a logo, and include a QR code. The QR code opens a digital gateway to a greeting card, video, or website, extending the experience beyond the cookie.
The personalization is embedded in the biscuit, not on the packaging. This is a major breakthrough: it gives properties the freedom to convey their values while respecting an eco-friendly and innovative format. Les Biscuits de Causette thus become a real communication tool combining taste, intention, and emotion.
What packaging options are available? What factors guided these choices?
We currently offer three packaging options tailored to the needs of professionals: two individual packages—one made from recyclable plastic, the other from a compostable bio-based material—and a bulk version with no outer packaging.
In wet environments such as spas, the choice of recyclable food-grade plastic meets a preservation requirement to maintain the crunchiness and taste of our cookies. This format also guarantees a four-month shelf life, a key advantage for properties that want to manage their stock with peace of mind.
For professionals committed to a zero-plastic approach, we offer virtuous alternatives: compostable individual packaging and a bulk version presented in suitable food containers. The latter allows for refined presentation—on a buffet, a cookie on the rim of a welcome glass, or on a courtesy tray in a guest room.
In this way, we constantly strive to combine environmental commitment, operational constraints and aesthetic requirements to offer solutions that are both responsible and rewarding for our guests.
Your company is based on an inclusive and artisanal model. How does this translate into your production chain, and how can it meet the CSR commitments of a high-end hotel?
At Les Biscuits de Causette, inclusion is an integral part of our value chain. All our production is entrusted to a French adapted company committed to employing people with disabilities. This partnership illustrates our commitment to a more inclusive economy.
We select only French raw materials from short supply chains to guarantee traceability, quality, and a reduced carbon footprint. On the environmental side, we limit packaging and choose responsible solutions that favour recyclable materials.
Our model combines social utility, performance, and environmental sobriety—three concrete levers to strengthen the CSR policy of the hoteliers who choose us.
Finally, our mission—to create connections—resonates fully with the social commitments of a hotel of tomorrow: offering meaningful experiences, enhancing guest well-being, and valuing human relationships. Because a sincere gesture, a well-chosen word, or a thoughtful gesture can sometimes transform an entire stay.
What types of business guests are you targeting today, and what opportunities do you see in the hotel and events industry?
We mainly target hospitality professionals: hotels, guest houses, spas, and event organizers looking for innovative relationship concepts. Our cookies add an emotional dimension to the guest experience. They can be given at reception, in rooms, or used to liven up group events.
They are perfect for events such as private parties, cocktail parties, seminars, and weddings, where each cookie becomes a tool for connecting people. Thanks to the customizable messages, they can convey a brand message, a special touch, or a surprise.
We also support companies in their relationship strategy: offering a cookie with a message becomes a powerful and original communication tool.
How do your creations help to rebuild connections in an increasingly digitalized society?
Indeed, our society is largely digitalized... but it increasingly aspires to look up from its screens and rediscover the flavour of genuine interaction. This is one of the key findings of the Pinterest Predicts 2024 report: despite being ultra-connected, Generation Z and Millennials are now expressing a growing desire to slow down, refocus, and nurture their well-being through deep and sincere discussions.
This is precisely the need that Les Biscuits de Causette fulfils. Each cookie contains a carefully crafted message: a friendly question, an invitation to discuss. A small gesture, but a big step towards others. During a hotel stay—a time for rest and reconnection—these messages become triggers for conversation, smiles, and sometimes even confidences.
To take things further, we came up with Tchin Causette: a friendly event that brings our intention to life. Designed for hospitality professionals, this turnkey concept enlivens shared spaces and transforms them into real meeting places for travellers and locals alike.
Each guest receives a Biscuit de Causette with a question to start the conversation. It's a simple way to encourage conversation, respond to the quest for authenticity, and leave a lasting impression.
How does the “De soi à soi” range, which focuses on reconnecting with oneself, fit into contexts such as spas or wellness retreats?
In spas, attention to the body is often central: treatments, massages, physical activities... But what about caring for the mind? What about the space left for introspection, emotion, and inner dialogue?
The De soi à soi collection was born from this observation: we allow little time for this intimate dialogue with ourselves.
And yet, moments of rest—a treatment, a tea break, a night at a hotel—are special times to nurture it. Les Biscuits de Causette respond to this with simplicity and meaning, offered in a relaxation area, at the reception desk, or on the pillow, they offer everyone an invitation to refocus.
A kind word, a question for introspection, a moment of self-reflection. It's an accessible, low-cost way to enrich the guest experience and gently open the door to the world of personal development. A subtle response to a growing desire for overall well-being—physical, mental, and emotional.
By offering a De soi à soi cookie, you are sending your guests a simple and sincere message: “Here, we take care of you in every way, including the most intimate. Take this moment for yourself, to listen to yourself, to refocus…”
What are your development plans for the coming months, particularly in terms of distribution or co-creation with players in the hospitality industry?
We are pursuing two main avenues: local roots and shared experiences.
Firstly, with the development of Tchin Causette, our friendly concept based on question cookies, designed to liven up hotel common areas and create links between travellers and locals. This offering will soon be tested in several properties in the Pays de la Loire region.
At the same time, we are developing a tourism product for accommodation providers: a series of cookies containing answers to, “Did you know?” questions about the region, its unusual places, traditions, and expertise. “Golden ticket” cookies will also allow certain guests to win tickets to partner cultural and leisure sites. This is a fun and powerful way to promote the region and enrich guests' stays.
On the distribution side, we are starting collaborations with concierge services and tourist offices to distribute our offering more widely.
Co-creation is at the heart of our approach: we believe that the best ideas come from dialogue and sharing. So, if you have any ideas, inspiration, or simply the desire to create alongside us, get in touch! We would love to work with you to imagine the next biscuits that will spark curiosity, emotion, and new experiences.
 Les Biscuits de Causette are available in sweet and savory flavors
Photo credit © Les biscuits de Causette
 In rooms, at the spa, at the bar, at the restaurant... There are so many ways to enjoy Biscuits de Causette, making them a bridge between travelers
Photo credit © Les biscuits de Causette
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