Pipaillon 1A

Catherine Bodson

Founder

Catherine’s passion is the land. From the Bodson nurseries near Liège, where her grandfather grew apples, pears and quinces, she was inspired by the women in her family: the gentle memory of Aunt Aline, in charge of the Hotel Jacoby at Lacuisine (you couldn’t make it up), and Aunt Yvonne and her fabulous preserves brought from her orchards in Flanders.

In 2013, after an international career in the private and European public sectors, Catherine wanted to get back to basics, to embrace her roots and her deep passion for cooking by launching herself into making and selling bottled delights.

François Boitquin

CFO

François joined Pipaillon in 2019, to help the company shift gear and achieve its true potential. He is in charge of Administration & Finance.

François has a solid academic background in Sciences and in Finance, which were the fields where he started his professional career. Over the last years, he was increasingly involved in entrepreneurial ventures. Pipaillon convinced him to keep dedicating his vast experience to the benefit of sustainable initiatives and to help them flourish.

François holds a master’s degree in Chemistry (1987/1991 - ULB – Brussels-Belgium), a master of science in management (Solvay Business School-Brussels - 1991/1996) and an MBA (INSEAD France - 2002/2003).

Julien Leclercq

As for Julien, it was his friendship with Catherine, and especially his love of food, which literally pulled him in. He started as a client, and Pipaillon soon became his cafe of choice.

A Cordon Bleu chef with common sense, he would buy himself jars for his home recipes. One thing led to another, and in 2014 he left his job in political communications and entered the atelier. From being an observer, Julien quickly turned into an adviser, before taking the leap and becoming a partner.

Julien is now in charge of the Production and Logistics (and an amazing IT genius).