"Housing a colony of bees" or "a place where many people work and stir in all directions". This is the double definition of a hive brought by Larousse. BETC responds in a way and in its own way to both.
Indeed, it’s not unusual to find similarities between BETC and a beehive, and it’s no coincidence that its mascot (present on the old logo) is a bee. An agency with more than 1,200 employees in a hot desk working space that emulates creativity in a larger sense, it was only natural that BETC invite onto its rooftops these small pollinators that we call bees. They thus complete the list of residents at the Magasins généraux. Though…. They were actually the first to settle here! Indeed, because BETC has been involved in this project since 2010, when it was still headquartered in the 10th arrondissement – a time when an idea was born: that big cities and large companies could participate in the development a unique ecosystem suited to the urban environment.
Why? Well, no one can say the contrary: it’s pretty nice and quaint to have beehives at your workplace, and to be able to enjoy the honey that’s harvested. But it’s especially interesting because Parisian green spaces contain less pesticides and insecticides than there are out in the fields, and bees are not very sensitive to air pollution. The honey harvested on the roofs of the capital is of high quality. To the delight of agency clients and contacts (who may have received jars of honey with greeting cards or thank you notes), but also for employees, since BETC Kitchen will soon introduce this tasty elixir harvested on its own roofs to its menu.
There are 10 beehives and nearly 700,000 bees that we house in Pantin, all part of a broader framework of sustainable development and the evolution of urban biodiversity. Our roof and patio also boast 700 square meters of space containing 17 varieties of fruit trees, a dozen varieties of shrubs, and around 20 varieties of perennial varieties, ferns and grasses.
And the icing on the cake? Several times a year, our employees can take advantage of gardening sessions and harvests to inform and raise awareness around this approach to preserving biodiversity. And they even leave with a little basket to take home!
