What Groupe Serap does

Groupe Serap is a privately held French industrial group founded in 1963 by Marcel Badiche, headquartered in Gorron (Mayenne), that designs and manufactures stainless steel milk cooling tanks, wine-making vats, industrial process equipment, and cryogenic freezing systems. Its product range spans on-farm milk coolers from 300 liters to 40,000 liters, complete winery tank systems, custom process tanks for the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and chemical industries, and cryogenic tunnels operating down to -150°C developed in a 30+ year partnership with Air Liquide. Key proprietary technologies include the patented RAINBOW washing cabinet, the OPTICOOL energy-saving system (part of the Tank 2020 project targeting 80% electricity reduction), and solar-powered milk cooling solutions for off-grid dairy operations.

The group operates wholly-owned manufacturing facilities in France (Gorron, Replonges, and the Robert BAS site in Ain), India (Halol, Gujarat), Brazil (Plurinox, Batatais), and a logistics/assembly platform in Mexico (Guadalajara), with a dedicated sales subsidiary in Germany. It serves a diversified customer base that includes dairy farms, premium wineries (Château Pichon Longueville, Vega Sicilia, Rudd Winery among others), large dairy enterprises (Nestlé, AMUL), and the global DeLaval dealer network under a flagship 2024 strategic alliance. Revenue is generated predominantly through direct hardware sales of custom-built equipment, supplemented by spare parts, technical training (Bureau Veritas-certified), and OEM manufacturing for DeLaval-branded milk cooling tanks. Annual sales exceeded €50 million as of 2023, with approximately 500 employees across the group and a 35% employee ownership stake reinforcing the family-controlled governance model under CEO Eric Boittin.

Name

Groupe Serap

Legal name

SAS SERAP Finances

Website

https://groupeserap.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Groupe Serap is a French family-owned manufacturer founded in 1963 producing on-farm milk cooling tanks, wine-making vats, industrial process equipment, and cryogenic freezing systems for dairy farms, wineries, and food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics processors worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dairy Cooling Equipment Manufacturing

NAICS

Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341), Power Boiler and Heat Exchanger Manufacturing (332410)

SIC

Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580), Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Milk Cooling, Storage & Transfer Equipment (Bulk Tanks, Plate Coolers, Pumps) (AFAAAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Dairy Farm Milk Cooling, Storage & On-Farm Quality Management (AFAEACAL)

Keywords

• On-farm milk coolers
• Wine-making tanks
• Cryogenic freezing systems
• Industrial process equipment
• Stainless steel boilermaking

Headquarters

HQ city

Gorron

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Milk Cooling Equipment Sales: Sale of bulk milk coolers, milk tanks, and related equipment for dairy farms. Products include closed milk coolers (FIRST.SE, FIRST.SC) from 550 to 30,000 liters, open milk coolers (FIRST.S, FIRST.SU) from 300 to 2,000 liters, and vertical milk coolers from 11,000 to 40,000 liters. Revenue from equipment sales is the primary stream.
2. Wine-Making Equipment Sales: Design, manufacture and sale of stainless steel wine tanks and equipment including ST truncated tanks, SC cylindrical tanks, compartmented tanks, SP parallelepipedic tanks, SE elliptical tanks, thermal treatment units, mobile tanks, heat exchangers, and grape harvest cooling tunnels.
3. Industrial Processing Equipment: Custom treatment tanks for food manufacturers, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and chemical industries. Includes process tanks, CIP stations, storage tanks, First Flo containers, and cooling tanks for food products.
4. Technical Training Services: Technical training for technicians covering refrigerant handling certification, introduction to refrigeration, advanced technician training, and milk adviser technician programs. Includes assessments certified by Bureau Veritas Certification.
5. Spare Parts and Accessories: Sales of spare parts, kits, accessories and tools required for installation and maintenance of all SERAP products. Services available to repair technicians and distributors within the SERAP network.
6. DeLaval Partnership Manufacturing: Manufacturing of DeLaval-branded milk cooling tanks under strategic partnership. SERAP handles product development, manufacturing, testing, and quality assurance for DeLaval's global milk cooling tank requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Groupe Serap designs, manufactures, and sells stainless steel milk cooling tanks (300 to 40,000 liter capacities), wine-making vats and tanks, industrial process equipment for food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries, and cryogenic freezing systems operating at temperatures as low as -150°C. The company serves dairy farms, wineries, and industrial manufacturers globally, with manufacturing facilities in France, India, Brazil, and Mexico.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FIRST.SE Milk Cooler Closed horizontal milk cooler with 550 to 30,000 liter capacity range, featuring the patented RAINBOW washing cabinet. Designed for dairy farms and collection centers requiring bulk milk cooling with integrated cleaning system optimized for milking robot requirements.
• FIRST.SC Milk Cooler Closed horizontal milk cooler with 550 to 30,000 liter capacity range. Designed for dairy farms requiring bulk milk cooling solutions with reliable temperature control.
• Vertical Milk Cooler Vertical milk cooler with 11,000 to 40,000 liter capacity range, designed for large-scale dairy operations and milk collection centers requiring high-volume bulk cooling.
• FIRST.S Milk Cooler Open milk cooler with 300 to 2,000 liter capacity range, designed for small to medium dairy farms.
• FIRST.SU Milk Cooler Open milk cooler with 300 to 2,000 liter capacity range, designed for small to medium dairy farms.
• Solar Milk Cooling Solutions Solar-powered milk cooling technology using solar trackers for dairy farms in areas with defective electrical grids. Includes solar milk can coolers (MCC) and HRU (Heat Recovery Units) for heating water by recovering calories from milk cooling. Developed in partnership with OK WIND.
• ECOTEMP Energy Recovery System Energy recovery system for milk cooling that pre-cools milk before it enters the main tank, reducing energy consumption during the cooling process.
• HRU Heat Recovery Units Heat Recovery Units that recover calories from milk cooling to heat water, providing energy savings for dairy farms.
• OPTICOOL System Comprehensive solution for reducing electricity consumption in milk cooling, part of the Tank 2020 project aimed at reducing annual electricity consumption by 80% for dairy farms.
• Mobile Closed Milk Cooler Mobile closed milk cooler designed for transportable milk cooling applications.
• Instant Milk Cooling Systems Instant milk cooling systems for rapid milk temperature reduction immediately after milking.
• Milk Can Cooler Milk can cooler designed for farms using traditional milk cans rather than bulk tanks, particularly suited for emerging markets and small-scale operations.
• ST Truncated Wine Tank Stainless steel truncated wine-making and storage tank for wineries, designed for fermentation and wine storage.
• SC Cylindrical Wine Tank Stainless steel cylindrical wine-making tank for fermentation and storage at wineries.
• Compartmented Wine Tank Stainless steel compartmented wine-making tank allowing simultaneous fermentation of different wine batches in separate compartments.
• SP Parallelepipedic Wine Tank Stainless steel parallelepipedic wine-making tank offering rectangular form factor for wineries with space constraints.
• SE Elliptical Wine Tank Stainless steel elliptical wine-making tank for wineries.
• Thermal Treatment Units Thermal treatment units for wine-making processes including temperature control during fermentation and wine stabilization.
• Mobile Wine Tank Mobile stainless steel wine tank for transport and transfer operations in wineries.
• Wine Heat Exchangers Heat exchangers designed for the wine industry to control temperatures during winemaking processes.
• Grape Harvest Cooling Tunnel Cryogenic tunnel for grape harvest cooling, operating with neutral gas atmosphere to protect grapes from air, developed in partnership with Linde Gas.
• Cryo Tunnel ZF3 Cryogenic freezing tunnel operating at temperatures as low as -150°C, developed in partnership with Air Liquide. Used for crust-freezing, IQF freezing, and fragile product freezing in food processing applications.
• Cryogenic Tunnel CFP Cryogenic tunnel freezing equipment operating at very low temperatures, developed in partnership with Air Liquide for food processing applications.
• Cryo Immersion Unit CFV Cryogenic immersion unit for food processing, developed in partnership with Air Liquide, used for individual quick freezing (IQF) of food products.
• First Freeze Cooling Tunnel First Freeze cooling tunnel for food processing applications, developed in partnership with Air Liquide.
• Industrial Process Tanks Custom stainless steel treatment tanks including process tanks, CIP (clean-in-place) stations, storage tanks, First Flo containers, and cooling tanks for food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and chemical manufacturers.
• Technical Training Services Technical training for technicians covering refrigerant handling certification, introduction to refrigeration, advanced technician training, and milk adviser technician programs. Includes assessments certified by Bureau Veritas Certification.
• Spare Parts and Accessories Sales of spare parts, kits, accessories, and tools required for installation and maintenance of all SERAP products, available to repair technicians and distributors within the SERAP network.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% reduction in annual electricity consumption for milk cooling
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, minor and regional.

• DeLavalflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 April 2024Strategic alliance announced April 2024 for global milk cooling tank manufacturing. Starting Q4 2024, SERAP assumes full ownership over product development, manufacturing, testing, and quality assurance of DeLaval's milk cooling tanks globally. SERAP has manufacturing facilities in France, India, Brazil, and Mexico. DeLaval handles global distribution through their dealer network. DeLaval-branded coolers will feature customized technical specifications.
• Air LiquidecoreTechnology or Integration30+ year partnership to design and manufacture cryogenic freezing equipment for the food industry. Jointly developed complete range including cryo tunnels (ZF3, CFP), cryo immersion units (CFV), and First Freeze cooling tunnels. Applications include crust-freezing, IQF freezing, and fragile product freezing.
• Linde GascoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for grape harvest cooling tunnel technology. Linde Gas collaboration for cryogenic tunnel specially designed for grape harvest cooling, operating with neutral gas atmosphere to protect grapes from air.
• OK WINDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Breton company OK WIND to power milk coolers through solar tracker installed on farms. Part of Tank 2020 project for energy-efficient solutions.
• Pôle CristalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in Tank 2020 project focused on reducing electricity consumption by 80% through innovative milk cooling solutions.
• GIE Elevages de BretagneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in Tank 2020 project focused on reducing electricity consumption in dairy farming.
• Institut de l'ElevageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in Tank 2020 project for developing energy-efficient milk cooling technology.
• LactalisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in Tank 2020 project focused on sustainable milk cooling solutions.
• LaïtaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in Tank 2020 project for developing energy-efficient milk cooling technology.
• Premier Wine Cask, Inc.regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive representative for SERAP wine tanks in North America. Exhibited SERAP ST truncated tank at Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, California.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• GEA Group: Large German industrial group supplying separators, homogenizers, and complete dairy processing lines. Overlaps with SERAP in milk cooling, heat exchangers, and stainless-steel process equipment, but serves a much broader food/dairy portfolio including processing and packaging.
• SPX FLOW: Global supplier of process equipment for food, dairy, and beverage industries. Comparable in heat exchange and dairy processing technologies, with broader fluid handling and industrial scope than SERAP.
• Alfa Laval: Swedish industrial leader in heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling. Direct overlap with SERAP's heat exchangers and dairy processing equipment, with broader food/water/pharma reach.
• Tetra Pak: Global dairy and food packaging giant with processing equipment division. Comparable in dairy processing equipment and stainless-steel systems; SERAP is more specialized in on-farm cooling, while Tetra Pak spans processing through packaging.

Direct peers

• BouMatic: International dairy equipment company specializing in milking systems and on-farm cooling tanks. Direct competitor in milk cooling with similar distribution and dealer-based go-to-market.
• DeLaval: Global leader in dairy farming solutions (milking, cooling, herd management). Direct peer in milk cooling equipment and now SERAP's flagship OEM partner; comparable product category, customer base (dairy farms), and dairy farm technology focus.
• Packo Cooling (part of CTB): Belgian dairy cooling tank manufacturer (acquired by CTB). Closely comparable to SERAP in on-farm bulk milk coolers with stainless-steel fabrication; competes head-to-head in Europe.
• Mueller Industries / Paul Mueller Company: US-based manufacturer of milk cooling tanks and stainless-steel dairy equipment for on-farm and processing applications. Direct peer in bulk milk cooling tanks with comparable product range and dairy farm customer base.

Others

• Air Liquide: Industrial gas and cryogenic technology partner of SERAP for 30+ years. Comparable through cryogenic food freezing equipment collaboration; primarily an industrial gas supplier rather than equipment competitor, but adjacent in cryogenic IQF systems.

Emerging players

• Stainless Steel Craft (custom fabricators, e.g., Polar Ware, A&E Stainless): Custom stainless-steel fabricators serving food, dairy, wine, and pharmaceutical industries. Comparable in custom process tanks for wineries and food/pharma but typically smaller scale and more regional than SERAP.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Groupe Serap