MEKA Solutions: A Robot to Make Harvesting Traditional Breton Vegetables Easier

A native of the Côtes-d’Armor region in France and the son of a dairy farmer, Corentin Le Méhauté understood the complexity of the profession from an early age: “My father never really had weekends. It was a concept he wasn’t really familiar with.” Like his brothers and sisters, Corentin was strongly encouraged by his parents to pursue higher education to ensure a more stable and less arduous future, but his attachment to the agricultural world remained strong.

After studying mechanical engineering and completing internships in agricultural machinery in Alsace and the United States, Corentin began his career in this field. He took a detour for a few years into the defense and naval sectors, and then, while living in the Netherlands, he joined Oddbot, a startup specializing in weeding robots. He was the second full-time employee and helped build the company from the very first prototypes to its current fleet of 40 robots sold throughout Europe.

In June 2024, back in France in Brittany, Corentin launched MEKA Solutions. The startup, dedicated to agricultural robotics, aims to facilitate the manual harvesting of vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, and artichokes and address the challenges facing the industry.

Brittany is France’s leading region for the production of these vegetables, but the land allocated to them is decreasing every year, ultimately posing a threat to national food sovereignty.

“It’s difficult for farmers to find the labor needed for harvesting. Working conditions—especially in the fields during winter—are harsh and discourage many. It’s a vicious cycle: consumers don’t want to pay more, producers can’t raise wages, and foreign labor—which has long been the industry’s lifeline—is also becoming scarce.”

While robotic solutions exist in the United States, they require colossal investments (over 1 million euros) that are suitable for mega-farms across the Atlantic but not for farms in Brittany. MEKA SOLUTIONS aims to champion the French agricultural model and small-scale farms.
 

The robot designed by MEKA Solutions is positioned as a solution that provides “just what’s needed.” The robot will be deployed in the fields to:

• Detect vegetables that are fully ripe using AI-powered vision.
• Cut them.

To achieve this, various technological components must be developed.

“While my expertise lies in mechanical engineering, I’ve educated myself in software, AI, and embedded systems to gain a solid understanding of the challenges involved.”

MEKA Solutions has been incubated for several months at ENSTARTUPS on the ENSTA campus in Brest. The company has been provided with office space, and its CEO receives guidance through the key stages of the project.

“Maryline Besnard, head of the ENSTARTUPS incubator, encouraged me to present my solution in innovation competitions.” And it was a success. MEKA Solutions won the Solutions4Good competition and the one organized by the Vegepolis Valley competitiveness cluster, securing several thousand euros in prize money.

“When you’re on your own, this support is invaluable.”

The adventure is just beginning. The startup will become a full-fledged company in a few months. Hiring and investments will follow to enable the solution to take off and be brought to market.