INSIDERS with Gilles Galoux
CEO at Baouw
Today, we’re looking at Baouw, the French organic sports nutrition brand disrupting the industry. To understand how you go from 20 years in food manufacturing to creating an engaged outdoor brand, we sit down with Gilles Galoux, CEO and co-founder.
Since its launch in 2017, Baouw has established itself as a reference in the European outdoor nutrition market, with an approach that combines performance and health. 70% annual growth, B Corp certification, and a team that has grown from 3 to 30 people in just a few years.
Before you dive into the interview, fair warning: Gilles doesn’t mince his words. Clear business vision, strong convictions about health, and real opinions on company culture.
Over to Gilles, enjoy the read!
Hi Gilles! Great to chat with you today! Can you tell us how Baouw was born? What drove you to create this brand?
Originally, I come from the food manufacturing industry. I spent about twenty years at two major groups, Unilever and Mondelez. The idea for Baouw came from a combination of factors.
Professionally, I’d reached a plateau. And personally, I’d shifted toward alternative consumption—organic, with raw ingredients. That created a real disconnect with the ultra-processed products I was working on. At the same time, I had plans to move to Annecy to get closer to the mountains and launch my own business.
Looking at the market, particularly the US which is more mature, I realized there was no outdoor brand positioned on organic, healthy, and natural nutrition in Europe. Back then, between 2013 and 2016, existing products were heavily processed, with endless ingredient lists, very focused on pure performance. There was no organic offering. I looked closely at Clif Bar in the US, a real inspiring success story.
To move forward, I needed expertise in nutrition and taste. I met Benoît Nave, a nutritionist and former coach to elite athletes, as well as Yoann Conte, a two-Michelin-star chef and huge sports enthusiast. We launched our first five bars in 2017.
Did it take off immediately or did it take time to establish yourselves?
Commercial launch wasn’t easy. Running stores were seeing tons of brands coming through. What really launched us was Xavier Thévenard’s UTMB victory in 2018, using only our bars. That gave us a massive spotlight.
Then we expanded the range: savory bars, which really differentiated us, purees in 2020, protein bars, natural gels, and more recently the entire hydration line.
"What really launched us was Xavier Thévenard's UTMB victory in 2018, using only our bars. That gave us a massive spotlight."
Was Europe in the vision from day one, or did it come progressively?
The market started in France first, then quite quickly moved to Belgium and French-speaking Switzerland, somewhat naturally through our social media networks.
In 2022, we raised significant funding from Seventure, a Paris-based fund specializing in health and microbiome. That allowed me to structure the company and recruit senior profiles: digital marketing, innovation, operations, commercial. Today, we’re around thirty people.
What are Baouw's major challenges today in this hyper-competitive market?
The market is indeed hyper-competitive with many new brands entering. But at the same time, the sports nutrition market is exploding because the number of race entries is exploding, which drives consumption upward.
Our challenge is to stay among the top brands faced with increasing marketing investments. We position ourselves on performance, but also on health, and that’s what distinguishes us.
There are real health issues linked to sugar overconsumption: dental problems, diabetes, hepatic steatosis. We recommend reasonable dosages, between 50 and 60 grams of carbs per hour, with healthy products. That’s different from the current trend of carb overbidding.
The other challenge is international. Food is very cultural, so we have a focused strategy on Europe rather than wanting to go everywhere.
"There are real health issues linked to sugar overconsumption. We recommend reasonable dosages, with healthy products. That's different from the current trend of carb overbidding."
You were B Corp certified this summer. Where did that initiative come from?
It’s a serious label that validates what we were already doing on the environmental side: 100% organic, local production as much as possible, and on workplace well-being.
I have very little turnover. We’ve built a strong company culture: no fixed hours, remote work, showers for midday sports, and an annual ski seminar with the whole team. That creates a strong employer brand that attracts even profiles from finance or abroad.
The next HR challenge is to internationalize the profiles and the company mindset, particularly by switching to English as our internal working language.
A word on the financial situation and what's next with your investors?
We have very aggressive growth rates: +65% last year, +72% this year, and we’re targeting +70% next year. Since this year, we’re profitable.
That gives us choices moving forward: continue developing on our own funds or do another fundraise to accelerate internationally.
Finally, a message for industry players?
We’re looking for partners: distributors, retailers, athletes, influencers, content creators, and event organizers, particularly in our target markets which are Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, and Germany.
Thanks for your time Gilles, it was a pleasure discussing various aspects of Baouw. See you soon!
