French flavour in Kapan

Published: Oct 6, 2022 Reading time: 2 minutes

Migration Employment

The Grigoryan family lived in France for over six years. The family members had medical conditions and were recovering in France. After successful treatment, they returned to their homeland - Armenia.

While considering their return to Armenia, they learned about an opportunity for support from the L’Office Français de l’Immigration et de l’Intégration (OFII). Returning to Armenia, they received financial support from OFII Armenia and from us, People in Need (PIN), to establish a business in Kapan.

"I learned before how to cook, and by living in France and exploring the bakeries, I was keen to establish my own bakery in my hometown," says Arik.

The Grigoryans returned to Armenia in 2020, just a few days before the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Months later, they found the strength to start their business journey with their Nancy Cafe Boulangerie—inspired by the name of the city of Nancy where they had lived.

French Ambassador in Armenia, Anne Louyot, and representatives of OFII Armenia met with the Grigoryan family in Kapan and cheered Nancy Boulangerie՛s opening.

Apart from the financial support, PIN is helping the beneficiaries with training. Recently we organised a training session on business development, innovation, and digital marketing to help startuppers grow their businesses and share experiences with other returnees.

We are helping returned migrants through employment, social, and business support within the OFII supported “Support to the reintegration of voluntarily returned migrants through employment, social and business support” project since 2016.