What Dammann Frères does

Dammann Frères is a historic French tea specialist, founded in 1825 and operating as part of the Polo del Gusto group, with headquarters in Dreux, France. The company controls the full value chain of flavored tea creation, from global sourcing across origins including China, India, Japan, Ceylon, Africa, Korea, Nepal, Taiwan, and Colombia, through in-house aromatic blending and formulation by a dedicated team of aromaticists, to final packaging across formats including loose leaf, metal canisters, tea bags, and iced tea sachets. Its product portfolio spans black, green, white, oolong, and dark (Pu-Erh) teas, herbal infusions (maté, tisane, carcadet, cacao, turmeric, rooibos), matcha, scented/enfleurage teas, Earl Grey and classical blends, single-origin Grands Crus, plus gift sets and tea preparation accessories (cast iron and porcelain teapots, cups, insulated bottles, canisters).

The company monetizes across five revenue streams: directly operated retail boutiques (27 locations across France and internationally in Luxembourg, Prague, Turin, Milan, Seoul, and Osaka), a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront (dammann.fr), wholesale distribution through 270+ authorized resellers in 27 countries, a franchise program (become a franchisee), and a dedicated B2B corporate gifts service. Pricing is unit-based (e.g., iced tea 6-sachet box at €7.50, insulated bottle at €26.00) with free shipping above €40 in metropolitan France; no consumer subscription model is described. Customer segments are hybrid, with individual retail consumers (tea enthusiasts, connoisseurs, and gift buyers) as the primary segment and corporate/B2B clients (employee gifts, client appreciation, event gifts) as a secondary segment.

The company holds the French "société à mission" designation, has been a UN Global Compact participant since 2016, and has formal commitments to carbon neutrality and biodiversity impact reduction. In June 2023, Dammann Frères received equity investment from IDIA Capital Investissement, Crédit Agricole Régions Investissement, and Ambition Agri Agro Investissement to fund international expansion, headquarters and production site relocation, and sustainability initiatives. The company is privately held under French law (DAMMANN Frères SAS, SIREN 451 570 519) and is GDPR-compliant with a dedicated RGPD committee.

Name

Dammann Frères

Legal name

DAMMANN Frères

Website

https://dammann.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1825

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Dammann Frères is a historic French premium tea specialist (founded 1825) that sells loose-leaf and packaged teas, herbal infusions, gift sets, and accessories through 27 owned boutiques, a direct e-commerce site, 270-plus resellers across 27 countries, and a B2B corporate gifts service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Tea & Infusions

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

akta.pro primary industry

Tea (Leaf, Bagged, Instant, Concentrates) (CRADAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Tea Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAG), Specialty Tea Shops (Loose-Leaf, Tea Bars) (THAFAKAD)

Keywords

• Premium loose leaf tea
• Flavored tea blends
• Herbal infusions retail
• Tea gift sets
• Corporate tea gifts

Headquarters

HQ city

Dreux

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices25 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail boutique sales: Revenue generated through company-owned retail boutiques selling teas, infusions, accessories, gift sets, and delicacies directly to consumers.
2. E-commerce / Direct online sales: Revenue from direct online sales via the dammann.fr website, offering the full product range for home delivery.
3. Wholesale and distribution: Supply of teas and infusions to authorized resellers and distributors across France and internationally.
4. Franchise fees: Revenue from franchise development, granting third parties the right to operate DAMMANN Frères branded boutiques.
5. Corporate gifts / B2B sales: Business gift service for corporate clients, providing branded tea gift sets and products for business gifting purposes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Dammann Frères is a French tea specialist that produces, blends, and retails premium loose-leaf teas, scented teas, herbal infusions, and iced teas, together with tea preparation accessories (teapots, cups, insulated bottles, matcha tools) and curated gift sets. Products are sold through company-owned boutiques, the dammann.fr e-commerce storefront, authorized resellers and distributors in 27 countries, a franchise program, and a dedicated corporate gifts service.

Product overview

Dammann Frères is a historic French tea company established in 1825, operating as part of the Polo del Gusto group. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of tea and infusion products organized across multiple categories: core tea varieties (black, green, white, oolong, and dark teas) sourced from origins worldwide including China, India, Japan, Ceylon, Africa, Korea, Nepal, Taiwan, and Colombia; herbal infusions including maté, tisanes, rooibos, and specialty infusions; and specialty products like matcha and scented teas prepared through traditional enfleurage methods. The product line extends to iced teas and infusions in convenient sachet formats, gift sets and packaging options, and a range of tea preparation accessories including cast iron and porcelain teapots, cups, insulated bottles, and preparation tools. Products are available across multiple packaging formats including bulk loose tea, metal canisters, tea bags in boxes, and wrapped tea bag sachets. The company operates retail boutiques across France, Luxembourg, Italy, Czech Republic, South Korea, and Japan, supported by an e-commerce platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Carbon neutrality and biodiversity impact reduction commitments

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Antadis (e-commerce agency)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe DAMMANN Frères website project was developed in collaboration with Antadis, a digital e-commerce agency. The project team included Mathilde, Aurélien, Florent, Thibault, Romuald, and Emmanuel from Antadis, who handled the design and development of the e-commerce platform.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mariage Frères: Historic French premium tea house founded in 1854, offering loose-leaf teas, blends, and gift sets through Parisian boutiques and international locations. Direct head-to-head competitor to Dammann Frères in the French premium tea specialty retail segment with comparable heritage positioning and product range.
• Kusmi Tea: Premium French-based tea brand (Russian origins) with broad distribution in retail, grocery, and e-commerce. Comparable product mix of flavored black teas, wellness infusions, and gift sets, and overlapping customer base in the European premium tea market.
• Le Palais des Thés: French premium tea company with owned boutiques, e-commerce, and a strong focus on single-origin teas, scented blends, and tea education. Closely aligned business model with Dammann Frères' in-store tasting, aromatic expertise, and gift-set-led assortment.
• Harney & Sons: US family-owned premium tea company selling loose-leaf teas, sachets, and gift sets via DTC, wholesale, and a small boutique footprint. Highly comparable premium positioning, in-house blending heritage, and gifting-led merchandising.
• Tea Forté: US-based premium tea brand known for pyramid tea bags, signature packaging, and hotel/hospitality distribution. Overlaps with Dammann Frères on premium gift sets, packaging-led design, and corporate gifting channel.

Broad incumbents

• T2 Tea: Australia-origin global premium tea retailer with hundreds of owned stores and a wide flavored/Singles assortment. Comparable go-to-market in boutique retail and gift-led tea merchandising, though T2 operates at a significantly larger international scale.
• Twinings: Iconic UK-based global tea brand owned by ABF, with mass-market and premium tiers. Competes with Dammann Frères in the premium blended tea segment in Europe and via grocery and hospitality channels, but at much larger volume and broader reach.
• Dilmah: Sri Lankan-owned vertically integrated premium tea brand distributed globally across retail, foodservice, and hospitality. Comparable single-origin positioning and direct-from-origin sourcing narrative that Dammann Frères emphasizes in its Grands Crus range.

Emerging players

• The Republic of Tea: US premium tea brand focused on single-origin, herbal, and functional blends sold via DTC and wholesale. Comparable small-batch, curated positioning with overlapping customer base in health-conscious tea drinkers.

Others

• Polo del Gusto: Italian strategic holding group that owns Dammann Frères and other premium Italian food and beverage brands (e.g., Caffè Vergnano). Parent entity providing shared services, capital, and international expansion capabilities relevant for benchmarking the group's portfolio strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dammannfr
• Facebookfacebook.com/DammannFr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dammann-freres

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 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 Dammann Frères