Startup provides grave maintenance service

A company named Alba, founded by two business school students, offers grave maintenance services for individuals whose relatives may not be able to travel. The service connects families who want to maintain a distant grave with a network of students who live nearby and can travel to clean and flower the grave.

Student maintains a grave in Paris

Marine Corbasson, a student from EM Lyon and co-founder of Alba, was assigned by the deceased's sister, who lives in the east of France, to maintain the grave of a woman named Stéphanie at the Kremlin-Bicêtre cemetery. Marine described the cemetery as being "covered in yellow leaves" and noted that the grave was in good condition, having been cleaned twice this year.

Service includes eco-friendly care

She explained that the service includes weeding, removing debris, and changing the flowers, using only environmentally friendly products. Each service is followed by a "before/after" photo sent to the clients so they can see the work done.

Startup addresses a common need

Alba has already attracted over a thousand clients, mainly people who live far away, are too old to travel, or are disabled. An expatriate from Hong Kong even asked them to take care of his parents' grave in a small village in the south.

Students combine needs and work

Marine mentioned that the idea for Alba was born from two observations: most graves were in poor condition, not necessarily out of disinterest, but due to people living far away and not having the time. As students, it was difficult to find a flexible part-time job, so they decided to combine these two needs.

Founder reflects on meaning and purpose

Marine said she was initially afraid of being alone in the middle of the graves, but found that there was always noise and life, more than one might think. She emphasized the importance of the project, stating that in a world where you can have sushi delivered in twenty minutes, it is hard to be sure that a grandfather's grave is flowered on All Saints' Day. She and her classmate took a year of leave to focus fully on the project.

Startup hopes for long-term success

Marine also mentioned that Alba does not generate enough revenue yet, but she hopes to live off the project in the long term. She concluded that working with the deceased makes you think about yourself, about the meaning of life, and leaves you with even more desire to enjoy.