Les Nouveaux Affineurs

What Les Nouveaux Affineurs does

Les Nouveaux Affineurs is a French plant-based cheese brand founded in 2017 and headquartered in Lacroix-Saint-Ouen, France, that develops and sells 100% vegan ripened (affiné) cheese alternatives positioned as gourmet, clean-label products made in France with short ingredient lists. Its core technology combines plant-based ingredient formulation with traditional affineur ripening techniques to produce cheese analogues for aperitifs, cooking, and cheese-board use cases targeting mainstream and health-conscious consumers seeking ethical, indulgent dairy alternatives.

The company distributes primarily through French mass retail, with listings in over 1,000 locations across Auchan, Carrefour, Leclerc, Intermarché, Casino, Monoprix, Franprix, and Super U. Following its March 2026 acquisition by Jay & Joy for €2 million, the brand operates as part of a two-brand, two-channel strategy: Les Nouveaux Affineurs serves the mass-retail channel, while sister brand Jay & Joy covers organic and bio specialty stores across Europe.

Revenue is generated through direct unit sales of plant-based cheese SKUs to retail distributors; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The combined Jay & Joy entity raised €2 million in March 2026 from Demeter, Beyond Impact, Mindstone, Vivegan, and Makesense to fund field sales hiring, marketing, and industrial optimization, with a stated target of producing 3 million units annually by 2027. The company is led by founder and CEO Nour Akbaraly and operates with 11–50 employees.

Name

Les Nouveaux Affineurs

Legal name

Les Nouveaux Affineurs

Website

https://lesnouveauxaffineurs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Les Nouveaux Affineurs is a French plant-based ripened cheese brand, founded in 2017 and now owned by Jay & Joy, that sells 100% vegan cheese alternatives through over 1,000 mass retail locations in France targeting mainstream consumers seeking ethical, clean-label dairy alternatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plant-based Cheese

NAICS

Cheese Manufacturing (311513), Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Plant-Based Cheese Analogues Processing (Slices, Shreds, Blocks, Meltables) (AFAHAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cheese Aging/Affineur Services (Maturation & Cave-Aging) (AFAHABAH), Cheese Packaging & Portioning (Retail Packs, Snack Packs, Singles) (AFAHABAI)

Keywords

• Plant-based cheese
• Vegan dairy alternatives
• Affinage cheese
• Plant-based food
• Vegan cheese products

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Plant-based cheese product sales: Direct product sales of vegan cheese alternatives through mass retail and specialty organic stores. Revenue generated from unit sales of various affine (ripened) plant-based cheese products.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Les Nouveaux Affineurs produces and sells 100% plant-based, gourmet cheese alternatives manufactured in France using traditional affineur (ripening) techniques on vegan ingredients with clean, short ingredient lists. The products are positioned as matured (affiné) vegan cheese for everyday consumption, aperitifs, cooking, and cheese boards, distributed through mass retail across France.

Product overview

Les Nouveaux Affineurs operates as a sub-brand under Jay & Joy, focusing on plant-based matured cheese alternatives. The company operates a two-brand, two-channel strategy with Les Nouveaux Affineurs distributed in mass retail (over 1,000 locations) and Jay & Joy distributed in organic and bio stores across Europe. Les Nouveaux Affineurs products are 100% plant-based, gourmet alternatives to traditional cheese, manufactured in France with clean, quality ingredients and a short ingredient list.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Les Nouveaux Affineurs Plant-Based Cheese Line

Quantifiable outcome

• Highest European growth in plant-based alternatives at 15.7% in 2025

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Jay & Joy: Parent company and sister brand; also produces French plant-based cheese alternatives distributed via organic/bio specialty channels across Europe. Most directly comparable in product, geography and customer base.
• Violife: Leading European plant-based cheese brand (owned by Upfield), offering vegan slices, blocks and grated cheese in mainstream grocery. Direct competitor on shelf across European mass retail.
• Miyoko's Creamery: US-based premium plant-based cheese brand focused on aged/ripened vegan cheese wheels using artisanal techniques. Highly comparable on affineur-style craft applied to dairy-free cheese.
• Follow Your Heart: Established plant-based cheese brand (slices, shreds, blocks) widely distributed in North American and some European grocery. Comparable on vegan cheese formats and mass-retail distribution.
• Daiya Foods: Plant-based cheese and meal brand selling shreds, slices and blocks through mainstream grocery in North America and select international markets. Comparable on product format and channel.
• La Vie: French plant-based food brand producing vegan bacon and other meat analogues, with growing mass-retail presence in France. Comparable as a homegrown French plant-based CPG scaling through French supermarkets.
• Forager Project: US plant-based dairy and cheese brand (cashew-based yogurts and cheeses) sold through grocery retail. Comparable on plant-based cheese product format and retail channel.

Broad incumbents

• Bel Group: Major French dairy group (Laughing Cow, Babybel) that has launched plant-based cheese lines under its brands. Comparable as a category incumbent leveraging mass-retail distribution in France.
• Danone (Plant-Based): Global dairy major with a significant plant-based portfolio (Alpro, So Delicious). Relevant as a deep-pocketed incumbent that competes for plant-based dairy shelf space in European grocery.

Emerging players

• Nurri: Plant-based cheese brand focused on foodservice and direct-to-consumer, including aged vegan cheeses. Comparable in craft-style aged plant-based cheese, though primarily foodservice-oriented.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/lesnouveauxaffineurs
• Xx.com/lesnvxaffineurs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Les Nouveaux Affineurs