The Group

Ethik Investment Group was founded in 2003 by Edouard de Broglie, a specialist of innovation and Social Responsibility. Edouard is the author of a reference book published in 2002 in France, about Social Responsibility (“Brand face Ethic” Pearson 2002). As an Entrepreneur, Edouard was previously the successful owner of an IT company in France (Trade Connection), earning around one million dollars per year.
Willing to reinvest its profits into a useful idea, Edouard met with a lot of foundations all over Europe and finally met with numerous blind foundations in France, Germany and Switzerland. Together they organized a dinner in the dark hoping to raise awareness about disability.

As an ex-marketing consultant for major brands (he worked more than 15 years for Young & Rubicam and Havas), Edouard immediately understood the high potential of the concept as a useful business. He proposed to the foundation, Paul Guinot in France, to cooperate to set up a company to create a model of a profitable company who employs a high percentage of visually impaired people.

As a model of cooperation, Paul Guinot and Ethik Investment opened their first permanent private restaurant in the dark in Paris with no support from foundations, the government, or even with the help of loans.

For the pair, success was immediate, as both national and worldwide press supported the project from the start, and they continue to do so. Patrons are constantly frequenting the restaurant, and reservations are booked two months in advance.

Dans le Noir? became an independent group and is now expanding in different activities :

Restaurants : Paris, London, Barcelona, New York + Franchise in St Petersburg
Spa : Paris, Projects in Kiev and London
Ethik Event : Socially useful and responsible events
Ethik Management : Training and consulting to improve productive difference at work.
Ethik Image : Communication through Social Responsibility and Difference
So Useful : Strategic planning to transform social responsibility into productive business and profit

The group has around 75 permanent staff members; including management, but excluding franchises and non-permanent staff.
50% of the staff have some type of disability…but we prefer to say difference!
Sales for 2012 are expected to be over eight million dollars, with a profit expected of 12%.