Customer testimonials
Biscuit Factory: The CTCPA is assisting Mon P’tit Crush in growing its business and refining its recipes
15
Apr
Published on: April 15, 2026
The CTCPA is supporting Mon P’tit Crush in expanding its cookie business and refining its recipes. We spoke with David D’AREXY, partner and manager.
“The support provided us with a solid foundation to get started, lending credibility to our approach and reassuring our partners. The recipes developed with the CTCPA are reliable and immediately usable, allowing us to quickly produce consistent, high-quality cookies.”
Tell us about Mon P’tit Crush: structure, vision, values, products…
Mon P’tit Crush is an artisanal cookie shop founded in October 2024 in Poitiers. Since August 2025, we’ve been based in Montbron, in the Charente region. It’s a family business: there are five of us partners, including my wife, my older brother, and our children. My older brother, who has a background in mass retail, brings us a valuable distribution network, and my passion for fine dining has been one of the driving forces behind the project.
Our bakery is committed to artisanal and sustainable practices. We work with local producers: our flour comes from a mill located less than ten kilometers away, we source our butter from within a radius of about one hundred kilometers when local supply is limited, and our nuts come from the nearby Périgord region. We strive to support producers and maintain their profit margins by prioritizing short supply chains and quality.
We sell our cookies to supermarkets, such as the Leclerc stores in our area, and specialty food shops. Since cookies have a shelf life of 5 to 6 months, this makes distribution and sales easier.
We currently offer a range of five cookies that blend tradition with new discoveries: classic dark chocolate chip cookies, sea salt caramel and milk chocolate cookies, Alsatian sprits, Italian lemon canestrelli, and walnut shortbread, all made in collaboration with our local producers. The idea is to help people rediscover recipes that aren’t necessarily well-known everywhere, while preserving authentic artisanal craftsmanship.
How did you come to contact the CTCPA? What were your needs? What were your objectives?
Before we started making our cookies, we needed technical and hands-on training. We first took a food safety course in Poitiers, and then decided to learn about cookie production, storage, and the use of industrial machinery. Our goal: to produce on a medium scale, using reliable recipes and the right equipment.
It was in this context that we turned to the CTCPA and participated in a week-long training session in Nantes in September 2024 – “Launching a cookie production business”. The training allowed us to test different types of machines—wire-cutting and rotary cookie presses—and to understand their advantages depending on the type of dough. This helped us choose the right equipment, a crucial decision, as a mistake could cost between 30,000 and 40,000 euros.
We subsequently also enlisted the CTCPA’s help in developing our recipes: the classic chocolate cookie, the sea salt caramel and milk chocolate cookie, and the walnut shortbread. We worked closely together: defining specifications, establishing a budget, testing samples, and final approval. Thanks to this approach, we obtained reliable recipes, ready for production in our bakery, while saving time, money, and gaining credibility with our distributors.
Why did you choose the CTCPA? How did you hear about the CTCPA?
I discovered the CTCPA online while looking for a training program before starting my own cookie business. Their program seemed ideal to me: short but comprehensive, covering all the essential aspects. For someone starting a business, the format was perfect.
I chose the CTCPA because of its professionalism and warm welcome. After speaking with the administrative staff, I was able to confirm the quality of the support and the costs. The training is largely covered by individual training accounts, which was a real advantage: I only had to pay a very small portion myself.
How did the support go?
The training with the CTCPA was very enriching, comprehensive, and intensive. We started with a review of hygiene practices, which helped us clarify all the key concepts, before moving on to the use of machinery—an essential aspect for producing efficiently and properly equipping our workshop.
Our main points of contact, Marie Luce LE BRIQUER (Cereal Project Manager) and Gilles BERTHEAU (Head of the Cereal Division), are knowledgeable and approachable professionals. Marie Luce has a deep understanding of the industry, and Gilles brings his technical expertise to the table. They are attentive to participants’ needs, listen carefully, and are able to explain complex concepts in a clear and accessible way.
We were part of a small group, which encouraged discussion among participants from a variety of projects: a cookie factory, an artisanal cannery, a confectionery lab… These interactions were very enriching and allowed us to compare our approaches and experiences.
The training alternated between theory and practice. We were able to test the machines firsthand: each type is suited to a different dough, and getting hands-on experience with these machines during the training helped us make a more informed decision about which equipment to choose.
After the training, we turned to the CTCPA to develop our recipes. The technical center took charge of refining our two main sweet recipes, including defining the specifications, setting the budget, conducting tests, and final approval. The recipes are reliable and immediately ready for use in our semi-industrial lab, allowing us to save time, minimize errors, and strengthen our credibility right from the launch. The recipes developed with the CTCPA have resulted in consistent, high-quality products that are now among our best sellers.
What is your assessment today? How do you see the benefits of this support?
Today, the results are very positive. Retailers are interested in the origin of our products, our status as artisans, and our laboratory’s compliance. Thanks to the training, our laboratory meets all standards, and we have a firm grasp on hygiene, safety, and moving forward.
The support provided us with a solid foundation to get started, validating our approach and reassuring our partners. The recipes developed with the CTCPA are reliable and immediately applicable, allowing us to quickly produce consistent, high-quality cookies. The training covers all the essential aspects: packaging, selection of raw materials, storage… These elements are reflected every day in our work and in the trust our partners place in us.
What are your next goals or announcements?
Our next goals are to develop new recipes, particularly to reflect seasonal trends. After focusing extensively on sweet treats, we will now turn our attention to savory recipes for the appetizer season, from April through September. These recipes will adhere to our guidelines: high-quality ingredients, ideally made with butter, locally sourced whenever possible, and proven to appeal to a wide audience.
It is very likely that we will once again turn to CTCPA for these new recipes. In addition, we are also considering leveraging their expertise for new training programs or the development of complementary products, such as confectionery, in order to diversify our product range while maintaining quality and consistency.
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CONTACT MON PTIT CRUSH:
“The support provided us with a solid foundation to get started, lending credibility to our approach and reassuring our partners. The recipes developed with the CTCPA are reliable and immediately usable, allowing us to quickly produce consistent, high-quality cookies.”
Tell us about Mon P’tit Crush: structure, vision, values, products…
Mon P’tit Crush is an artisanal cookie shop founded in October 2024 in Poitiers. Since August 2025, we’ve been based in Montbron, in the Charente region. It’s a family business: there are five of us partners, including my wife, my older brother, and our children. My older brother, who has a background in mass retail, brings us a valuable distribution network, and my passion for fine dining has been one of the driving forces behind the project.
Our bakery is committed to artisanal and sustainable practices. We work with local producers: our flour comes from a mill located less than ten kilometers away, we source our butter from within a radius of about one hundred kilometers when local supply is limited, and our nuts come from the nearby Périgord region. We strive to support producers and maintain their profit margins by prioritizing short supply chains and quality.
We sell our cookies to supermarkets, such as the Leclerc stores in our area, and specialty food shops. Since cookies have a shelf life of 5 to 6 months, this makes distribution and sales easier.
We currently offer a range of five cookies that blend tradition with new discoveries: classic dark chocolate chip cookies, sea salt caramel and milk chocolate cookies, Alsatian sprits, Italian lemon canestrelli, and walnut shortbread, all made in collaboration with our local producers. The idea is to help people rediscover recipes that aren’t necessarily well-known everywhere, while preserving authentic artisanal craftsmanship.
How did you come to contact the CTCPA? What were your needs? What were your objectives?
Before we started making our cookies, we needed technical and hands-on training. We first took a food safety course in Poitiers, and then decided to learn about cookie production, storage, and the use of industrial machinery. Our goal: to produce on a medium scale, using reliable recipes and the right equipment.
It was in this context that we turned to the CTCPA and participated in a week-long training session in Nantes in September 2024 – “Launching a cookie production business”. The training allowed us to test different types of machines—wire-cutting and rotary cookie presses—and to understand their advantages depending on the type of dough. This helped us choose the right equipment, a crucial decision, as a mistake could cost between 30,000 and 40,000 euros.
We subsequently also enlisted the CTCPA’s help in developing our recipes: the classic chocolate cookie, the sea salt caramel and milk chocolate cookie, and the walnut shortbread. We worked closely together: defining specifications, establishing a budget, testing samples, and final approval. Thanks to this approach, we obtained reliable recipes, ready for production in our bakery, while saving time, money, and gaining credibility with our distributors.
Why did you choose the CTCPA? How did you hear about the CTCPA?
I discovered the CTCPA online while looking for a training program before starting my own cookie business. Their program seemed ideal to me: short but comprehensive, covering all the essential aspects. For someone starting a business, the format was perfect.
I chose the CTCPA because of its professionalism and warm welcome. After speaking with the administrative staff, I was able to confirm the quality of the support and the costs. The training is largely covered by individual training accounts, which was a real advantage: I only had to pay a very small portion myself.
How did the support go?
The training with the CTCPA was very enriching, comprehensive, and intensive. We started with a review of hygiene practices, which helped us clarify all the key concepts, before moving on to the use of machinery—an essential aspect for producing efficiently and properly equipping our workshop.
Our main points of contact, Marie Luce LE BRIQUER (Cereal Project Manager) and Gilles BERTHEAU (Head of the Cereal Division), are knowledgeable and approachable professionals. Marie Luce has a deep understanding of the industry, and Gilles brings his technical expertise to the table. They are attentive to participants’ needs, listen carefully, and are able to explain complex concepts in a clear and accessible way.
We were part of a small group, which encouraged discussion among participants from a variety of projects: a cookie factory, an artisanal cannery, a confectionery lab… These interactions were very enriching and allowed us to compare our approaches and experiences.
The training alternated between theory and practice. We were able to test the machines firsthand: each type is suited to a different dough, and getting hands-on experience with these machines during the training helped us make a more informed decision about which equipment to choose.
After the training, we turned to the CTCPA to develop our recipes. The technical center took charge of refining our two main sweet recipes, including defining the specifications, setting the budget, conducting tests, and final approval. The recipes are reliable and immediately ready for use in our semi-industrial lab, allowing us to save time, minimize errors, and strengthen our credibility right from the launch. The recipes developed with the CTCPA have resulted in consistent, high-quality products that are now among our best sellers.
What is your assessment today? How do you see the benefits of this support?
Today, the results are very positive. Retailers are interested in the origin of our products, our status as artisans, and our laboratory’s compliance. Thanks to the training, our laboratory meets all standards, and we have a firm grasp on hygiene, safety, and moving forward.
The support provided us with a solid foundation to get started, validating our approach and reassuring our partners. The recipes developed with the CTCPA are reliable and immediately applicable, allowing us to quickly produce consistent, high-quality cookies. The training covers all the essential aspects: packaging, selection of raw materials, storage… These elements are reflected every day in our work and in the trust our partners place in us.
What are your next goals or announcements?
Our next goals are to develop new recipes, particularly to reflect seasonal trends. After focusing extensively on sweet treats, we will now turn our attention to savory recipes for the appetizer season, from April through September. These recipes will adhere to our guidelines: high-quality ingredients, ideally made with butter, locally sourced whenever possible, and proven to appeal to a wide audience.
It is very likely that we will once again turn to CTCPA for these new recipes. In addition, we are also considering leveraging their expertise for new training programs or the development of complementary products, such as confectionery, in order to diversify our product range while maintaining quality and consistency.
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