Digital and oenology: the novel of a lifetime

Tell us about your background

Aldric Tourres: I left Le Havre and my native Normandy to pursue studies in chemical engineering in the Paris region. After a Master's degree in Industrial Marketing, I worked as a key account manager for companies such as GE Plastics and Bayer. In 2006, I joined SpecialChem, a digital marketing company established in the chemical sector. At that time, Arkema was one of my clients. My experience has allowed me to familiarize myself with different ways of working and corporate cultures. It is with full knowledge of the facts that I wanted to join Arkema. It is a Group that uses the best of chemistry's potential to enable sustainable innovation. Like Bostik, it has all the keys in its field to promote a more sustainable world tomorrow. I share these values and I am happy to be part of this major project.

What is your role at Bostik?

A.T.: I joined the company in July 2017. For five years, I had European responsibility for all product management activities for the three industrial entities. This allowed me to forge links with all the functions of the organizations. After that, I was given the opportunity to return to one of my passions for the digital transformation of marketing functions, taking on the role of global manager of Bostik's digital activities with a sales and marketing perspective.

Who makes up your team?

A.T.: We are a team half based in France and the other half in the Netherlands. A young team made up of as many women as men. The diversity and inclusion aspect is very important to me. It is as much a way of defining collective intelligence and agility as it is a means of attracting and retaining talent. We can count on multidisciplinary talent: webmasters, traffic and user experience specialists, conversion, tracking and analytics experts, etc. They take on project, governance or infrastructure responsibilities and work on demand for entities within the Group. I would like to emphasize that iTeam is our support and technical expert for everything that happens behind the servers.

A few words about Artificial Intelligence, which is very much in the spotlight today. How can it contribute to your sector?

A.T.: I see it as an augmentation tool. In fact, I prefer to talk about Augmented Intelligence. The idea is to help us produce quality content faster, in greater numbers and more efficiently. As we have been able to create the conditions for the emergence of a digital culture at home, we must acculturate ourselves to AI, learn to surf this wave and see what is shaping up tomorrow, next week, in a month and in a year.

For example, this year we are launching conversational agents on our websites that are agile enough to support the experience of our online users with unparalleled precision. Beyond a certain number of exchanges, these chatbots will hand over to our agents to interact directly on products and solutions that interest Internet users. This allows our technical department to focus on the subjects that provide maximum value.

Where does your interest in the world of wine come from?

A.T.: My passion for oenology is the result of meeting winegrowers. Over the last twenty years, I must have met around a hundred, listening to their stories, their joys and sometimes their sorrows. I realized how much wine is the result of an alchemy between a winegrower and a terroir. At the same time, I took courses to better understand the secrets of the nectars hidden in our bottles. The techniques of wine production and, of course, wine tasting are endless opportunities for discovery.

Loving the world of wine is one thing. Writing a novel is another. How did you go from one to the other?

A.T.: To tell you the truth, I had even less intention of writing a book as I thought for a long time that I was useless at French (laughs)! It goes back to primary school, where I collected 'zeros' in dictations. And the way I was monitored put me under pressure rather than freeing me. Then a few years ago, my wife took up sculpture. Seeing her give free rein to her creativity with such joy made me wonder: what about me, what would my art be? At the same time, in 2015, like so many people, the Paris attacks plunged me into a state of incomprehension about the world around us. I was approaching my forties. I needed to open up intellectually, to reflect on the meaning of life, to share values. This intimate quest led me to better appreciate the simple things in life, the beauty of nature, encounters, to take an interest in philosophy, spirituality and personal development.

I have noticed that a whole host of people in the wine-growing and wine-making industry are the perfect embodiment of these subjects. It was on this fertile ground that the idea germinated in me to write a book in order to share my discoveries and, who knows, to spark the interest of some in setting out on the same path. In concrete terms, one Sunday I got up at five in the morning to start writing a short story about wine, which I then dared to have people read. To my great surprise, a friend who is a novelist encouraged me to continue the experiment. So much so that in nine months - the figure is no doubt significant (laughs) - I overcame imposter syndrome and came up with the plot and structure of my book. It then took me almost two more years to write it!

Haven't you yourself been tempted to switch to wine growing?

A.T.: It's not an adventure you just throw yourself into. In my book, the character is 25 years younger than me. Would I be able to endure the very physically demanding daily life of a winegrower like him? Intellectually, I would love it, I find the job fascinating, but I don't think I'm made of the right stuff (laughs). And as for writing books and being able to make a living from it, the prospect seems even more improbable to me.

Have you thought about using your expertise in digital marketing to promote your book?

A.T. : I had this weakness (laughs)! I created a website, social media accounts, and added trackers to find out the statistics on how many people visit my site. I took my professional obsession to the extreme and even advised my publisher on how to present my book on Amazon!

How was your novel received?

A.T.: I am a fulfilled man. I did everything I wanted to do. Finishing writing my book was already a first victory. Then finding a publisher was an unexpected opportunity. 250 copies have been sold. And I am happy when one of my readers tells me that they no longer enjoy wine as much as they used to.

Precisely, what are your preferences in this area?

A.T.: In my book, I mention six winegrowers who have particularly inspired me. In the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, that of Sancerre, also in the production area of Corbières, Minervois and Terrasses du Larzac. The terroirs of Occitanie also offer superb wines, both red and white, in terms of value for money. I myself am a member of a wine-growing operation in the Terrasses du Larzac. It is a recently created estate by a young couple of enthusiasts who took this crazy gamble. I have 200 vines there and every year they pay us the rent in bottles. It is not at all a product to make a profit but an investment for pleasure. It is a good system to support small producers who do not necessarily have the means to buy land and equipment. To my great regret, there are no vineyards in my native region of Normandy. In a way, I was able to invent a destiny for myself as a winegrower by putting my words into it. I hope I have made you want to discover them.

Editions L'Harmattan, “Les Impliqués” collection, 2024, 336 p., www.lesimpliques.fr