Following its latest catering tender, Beam is expanding its panel of partners with the arrival of Nectar, a house that distinguished itself through an offering that is demanding, creative, bespoke, and committed. Alongside Capdevielle Traiteur, Lacoste Traiteur, Maison Dulou, and Maison Monblanc, it now joins the circle of approved caterers supporting Beam’s client events. The company also embodies a strong CSR commitment, reflected both in the design of its dishes and in the way it manages its teams.
Meet Laurent Dufour and Sébastien Fougère, managers, and Eva Buisson-Stich, Sales Director and Partner.
How was Le Nectar founded, and what are its activities?
Le Nectar was born from the meeting of two chefs, Sébastien Fougère and Laurent Dufour. One built his expertise in Michelin-starred establishments, the other in traditional gastronomy. After working for various houses, they decided to branch out on their own to highlight the best of their skillsets. Le Nectar has developed by offering traditional cuisine revisited with modern and exotic touches.
Today, our catering activity serves three types of clients. First, event organizers, who represent 60% of our business. We handle seated dinners, cocktail receptions, and lunch buffets for 20 to 2,000 guests depending on the request, and we provide the service. The remaining 40% is split between catering delivery and weddings. With this delivery offering, we stand out by providing companies with the option to compose their own cocktail receptions : aperitif, lunch, or dinner, either autonomously or accompanied by delivered meal trays for more intimate lunches.
Le Nectar emphasizes its CSR commitment. How does this translate into your offer?
Our structure has been engaged in a CSR approach for several years. Certified ISO 20121 since 2022, we are regularly audited on our responsible management practices. While we make a point of working with seasonal fruits and vegetables, we also prioritize local or French producers whenever possible. This includes products such as duck and foie gras sourced from a cooperative in the Périgord region. Likewise, our fish comes from responsible fishing, and we make sure to limit the presence of beef on our menus.
Consistent with this approach, our menus are always divided into three categories: one-third vegetarian, one-third fish, one-third meat, in order to reflect current food trends. We pay great attention to portion planning. Depending on the client’s needs, our quotes are calibrated as closely as possible to avoid food waste and reduce leftovers once the event is over. These are small actions we refine daily which, combined, help strengthen our positive impact.
In your opinion, how do the offers and experiences provided by Le Nectar align with Beam’s needs?
Although our collaboration is recent, we quickly noticed that our values align with those of Beam, particularly regarding CSR commitments. More pragmatically, we also know that our establishment’s quality–price ratio works in our favor. This allows us to adapt well to Beam’s various event services and client budgets.
It is worth noting that in our tender response, we received high scores for the taste aspect of our proposal. Our flexibility, bespoke menus, responsiveness, and of course the warm smiles of our maître d’hôtel and the attention they give to guests likely played a role as well, or so we assume!
Once we learned that we had been approved as a partner, we immediately reached out to Beam’s teams to have them taste our “cocktail boxes.” Beyond our desire to share our cuisine, we wanted to meet them, get to know them, and facilitate the communication and teamwork that lie ahead. It also matters to us to support Beam’s client events by being present on-site, ensuring the quality of our service and familiarizing ourselves with each venue. We also place great importance on feedback: What did they enjoy? What can we improve? This is our vision of a successful partnership—maintaining cohesion, fostering continuous dialogue, and being able to adapt.
