Restaurants have been one of the industries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic
“Seventy five percent of my business disappeared,” said Ariane Daguin, founder of D’Artagnan and a farm-to-table pioneer.
By Geri Stengel for ForbesWomen
photo: Ariane Daguin, founder of D’Artagnan, and farm-to-table pioneer / GEERT TEUWEN
As of July 10, 2020, more than 26,000 restaurants closed; 60% of those have closed permanently, according to Yelp Economic Average. With Covid-19 cases still rising, more full or partial lockdowns are expected, which will result in more restaurant closures in the future. It’s not just restaurants that have been hit hard. Those who provide their ingredients, such as farm-to-table producers and distributors, have been, too.
Beginning on March 14, 2020, restaurants shuttered, as public health restrictions increased. “Seventy five percent of my business disappeared,” said Ariane Daguin, founder of D’Artagnan and a farm-to-table pioneer. D’Artagnan provides quality poultry, meats, foie gras, charcuterie, mushrooms, and truffles to fine restaurants.
Locally sourced food is fresher, more flavorful, environmentally friendly and, often, healthier. No wonder many fine restaurants source their ingredients locally. Diners are willing to pay more for farm-to-table ingredients because doing so promotes local economies, safeguards the environment, and supports proper animal treatment.
As it turns out, so are home cooks.
How A Farm-To-Table Distributor Got Its Start
In 1985, while working at a small charcuterie in New York City, Daguin was excited when the opportunity to market the first domestically produced foie gras presented itself. She is a French immigrant and the daughter of the renowned Gascon chef André Daguin. She and a co-worker pooled their financial resources to launch D’Artagnan, to be a wholesaler of domestically produced foie gras and other local, farm-raised delicacies. The company name refers to the fourth musketeer in Alexandre Dumas’s novel. He also was from Gascon.
No Other Crisis Prepared Her For The Coronavirus Pandemic
In the 35 years D’Artagnan has been in business, many challenges arose. “I’ve never experienced anything like what we are experiencing today,” said Daguin.
Not when she and her partner started the business with just $15,000. Even back in 1985, that wasn’t much money to start a food distribution business. With no collateral, the pair couldn’t get a loan. “Thank God, we had products that chefs were very enthusiastic about,” exclaimed Daguin. They want tasty meats and poultry coming from animals raised in a natural, sustainable, and humane way. D’Artagnan has been at the forefront of the organic movement in America, pioneering organic, free-range chicken, and humanely raised veal. “The chefs saw we were passionate. Many were immigrants or a son or daughter of an immigrant. They related to us. So they helped us by paying COD [cash on delivery].”