Graine Créative

What Graine Créative does

Graine Créative is a privately held French arts-and-crafts (loisir créatif) company founded in 1975 and headquartered in Noisy-le-Grand, with manufacturing operations in Preuilly-sur-Claise (Touraine). The company designs, produces, and distributes a catalog of more than 7,000 creative hobby products spanning polymer clay modeling (notably as the first official worldwide distributor of FIMO from STAEDTLER), shrink plastic, soap and candle making (cast by hand in-house), decorative tapes, stencils, masks, textile customization, scrapbooking, and themed gift-box sets (coffrets), supplemented by registered sub-brands including CRÉACORD, QueenTape, Playcolor, and the acquired KI SIGN textile-customization brand. Core in-house production capabilities include thermoforming for masks, vulcanization for creative stamps, and laser cutting for stencils at the Preuilly-sur-Claise workshop, alongside a design team that delivers 800+ novelties annually.

The business operates as a B2B wholesale supplier, selling through a network of art & craft retailers, stationery shops, haberdashery, DIY stores, and education-sector resellers across France, with a dedicated export department serving 60+ countries for FIMO-branded products. GTM is supported by a professional showroom near Paris, a creative-card (fiche créative) tutorial ecosystem distributed via YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and influencer collaborations, plus press coverage on French television (M6, France 2, France 5). Pricing is quote-based wholesale; no public pricing or subscription model is disclosed. The company is founder/family-owned (Roth family and Guilley lineage), with no institutional investment, no public financials, and approximate headcount of 60 employees across two formerly separate SAS entities (DTM Loisirs Créatifs and PWInternational) that merged under the Graine Créative brand in 2020.

Name

Graine Créative

Legal name

DTM Loisirs Créatifs / PWInternational

Website

https://grainecreative.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Graine Créative is a French arts-and-crafts company founded in 1975 that designs, manufactures, and distributes 7,000+ creative hobby products to a B2B network of resellers, educators, and craftspeople across France and 60+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts and Crafts Supplies

NAICS

Sewing, Needlework, and Piece Goods Retailers (45913), Plastics Materials and Basic Forms and Shapes Merchant Wholesalers (42461)

SIC

Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950), Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Crafts & DIY Hobby Supplies Distribution (CRAOAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

General Arts & Crafts Supplies Retail (CRALACAA), Crafting Tools & Equipment Retail (Cutting, Adhesives, Heat Tools) (CRALACAC), Notions & Sewing Accessories Retail (Thread, Needles, Zippers, Buttons) (CRALADAG)

Keywords

• Arts and crafts supplies
• Polymer clay products
• DIY creative kits
• Scrapbooking materials
• Craft wholesale distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Noisy-le-grand

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. B2B Wholesale to Resellers: Primary revenue stream through selling arts and crafts products to professional resellers including Art & Craft stores, Stationery, Haberdashery, DIY stores, and Education sectors. The company provides personalized support including merchandising services, commercial team, and export department.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Graine Créative designs, manufactures, and distributes a catalog of more than 7,000 arts and crafts products, sold primarily B2B to professional resellers (art and craft stores, stationers, haberdashers, DIY shops, and education sector) across France and internationally. The company is the first official worldwide distributor of FIMO polymer clay and produces proprietary product lines including masks, stencils, soaps, candles, decorative tapes, shrink plastic, and creative kits from its Touraine workshop.

Product overview

Graine Créative is a French arts and crafts (loisir créatif) company that distributes over 7,000 creative hobby products through two main companies: DTM Loisirs Créatifs (based in Preuilly-sur-Claise, Touraine) and PW International (based in Noisy-le-Grand, near Paris). The company merged into one entity in 2020 under the Graine Créative brand. The core product portfolio includes FIMO® polymer clay products (for which it is the official worldwide distributor), shrink plastic (plastique dingue), soap and candle making materials, decorative tapes, stencils, masks, textile customization products, scrapbooking/creative cards, wood/cardboard supports, and general decoration items. The company also offers themed gift box sets (coffrets) and operates sub-brands including CRÉACORD® (paracord products), QueenTape (decorative adhesive tape), and Playcolor (gouache paints). The company acquired KI SIGN in 2018, a brand specializing in textile customization. Products are sold B2B to resellers and B2C through catalogues (with over 800 novelties developed annually) and a showroom near Paris.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FIMO: Polymer clay product line - the company is the first official distributor of FIMO worldwide
• KI SIGN
• CREACORD
• Queentape
• CRÉACORD

Products and services

• FIMO Modeling Products Polymer clay line including FIMO Professional, FIMO Soft, FIMO Effect, FIMO Doll Art and FIMO Liquid for jewelry-making and modeling projects; distributed to professional resellers in more than 60 countries.
• FIMO Kids Polymer clay developed for children, easy and pleasant to knead, in 24 colors, sold to resellers for use in educational and family creative activities.
• Shrink Plastic (Plastique Dingue) Plastic sheets that shrink to roughly one-seventh their size when heated in an oven, used to create necklaces, earrings, and key rings; sold to retail resellers.
• Soap and Candle Making Products Moldable soap blocks and candle-making materials including molds, wicks, fragrances, and food-grade wax produced in-house in Touraine; sold to craft retailers.
• Decorative Tape / Masking Tape Decorative paper and fabric tapes in many colors and patterns for decorating notebooks, vases, wallpaper, and other surfaces; sold through art and craft resellers.
• Stencils (Pochoirs) Repositionable, adhesive, washable and reusable decorative stencils manufactured in France using laser cutting, available in various sizes and themes for DIY home decoration.
• Masks and Disguises Fantasy masks and disguises including animal masks, decorative masks, and painting kits, manufactured in-house in France by thermoforming and sold to specialty retailers.
• Textile Customization Products Acrylic fabric paint, printable cotton transfers, ribbons, studs, glitter, and KI SIGN temporary tattoo products for clothing customization, sold to art and craft retailers.
• Creative Cards and Scrapbooking Adhesive felt, epoxy stones, tapes, resin decorations, and Peel Off stickers for decorating cards, frames, and scrapbooking projects, sold to craft retailers.
• Wood, Cardboard and Papier Mâché Supports Raw craft supports including wood, cardboard, papier mâché, polystyrene, and felt items used for kitchen, office, garden, and home decoration projects, sold to art and craft retailers.
• Decoration Items Party and celebration decoration materials including felt, Japanese rice paper, stickers, balloons, organza bags, feathers, and shells, sold to art and craft retailers.
• Graine Créative Coffrets (Gift Box Sets) All-in-one craft kits offering initiation kits, jewelry kits, and themed activity sets with step-by-step illustrated instructions for beginners and gift buyers, sold to retailers.
• CRÉACORD Paracord Paracord products in 28 colors (3 m per bobbin) for creating bracelets, keyrings, and fashion accessories; includes dedicated tutorial book Créations en paracorde.
• QueenTape Adhesive Tape Flexible, strong, waterproof adhesive tape in 10 solid colors and 20 patterns, used to customize vanity cases, handbags, jewelry, and clothing.
• Playcolor Gouache Sticks Gouache sticks for painting on paper, cardboard, wood, glass, ceramic, and skin, including make-up products, sold to retailers for use by children and adults.
• KI SIGN Brand Textile customization brand specializing in temporary tattoos and fabric customization, distributed by Graine Créative following its 2018 acquisition.
• FIMO AIR New FIMO AIR product line launched as part of the FIMO polymer clay family, distributed through Graine Créative's worldwide reseller network.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KI SIGNcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2018French brand and leader in France for textile customization. PW International strengthened its position by redeeming the Ki Sign brand in 2018, specializing in textile customization and temporary tattoo products.
• Editions CarpentierminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Publishing partnership for CRÉACORD brand book 'Créations en paracorde'. Step-by-step guide for creating fashion accessories with parachute cord, with over 20 projects explained.
• FIMO (STAEDTLER)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst official worldwide distributor of FIMO polymer clay for over ten years. The partnership includes exclusive distribution rights, co-marketing initiatives, and collaborative product development including limited edition collections for FIMO's 50th anniversary.
• Madame PATACHOUminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYouTube content creator collaboration for creative tutorials including Amigurumi projects. Partnership for content co-creation and tutorial videos.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pébéo: French manufacturer and brand owner of decorative paints, silk-screen and craft products sold through Art & Craft retailers across Europe. Directly comparable as a French-based creative-leisure brand competing for the same B2B reseller shelf space and end-consumer hobbyist demand.
• Sculpey (Polyform Products): US-based manufacturer of polymer clays directly competing with FIMO in the modeling clay category. Comparable because Graine Créative is the worldwide distributor of FIMO and competes for the same polymer-clay end users, hobby teachers and education channels.
• Artemio: French creative-leisure brand specializing in scrapbooking, card-making and decorative paper craft. Comparable to Graine Créative's scrapbooking and creative-cards line as a French competitor selling through the same Art & Craft and stationery retail channels.
• Creotime: French hobby-craft kit and creative-activity brand serving the same DIY gift-set and creative-kit category that Graine Créative addresses through its Coffrets range. Directly competes for reseller listings in French Art & Craft and Stationery stores.
• Rayher: German hobby-craft distributor and brand offering a broad catalog of DIY, scrapbooking and decoration products across Europe. Comparable to Graine Créative's wholesale distribution model, catalog breadth and reseller-channel go-to-market in the DACH and broader European market.

Broad incumbents

• STAEDTLER: German manufacturer of writing, drawing and modeling products and the owner of the FIMO brand. Comparable as both the principal supplier partner and the largest incumbent in the underlying art-materials category, with broader geographic reach and a deeper product portfolio than Graine Créative.
• Faber-Castell: Global art-supply and stationery manufacturer with deep presence in pencils, markers and creative materials. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose products overlap Graine Créative's arts and craft portfolio and which sets competitive pricing and merchandising standards in the same B2B channels.
• Plaid Enterprises: US-based craft-paint and DIY decoration brand with strong presence in stencils, finishes and decorative craft. Comparable to Graine Créative's stencil, soap/candle decoration and decorative-items categories across the same hobby retail channel.
• Maped: French stationery and art-supply brand selling pencils, scissors and creative tools via the same Stationery and Art & Craft wholesale channels that Graine Créative serves. Comparable as a French incumbent competing for the same B2B retail shelf space and education-sector customers.

Regional players

• Canson: French paper and art-support manufacturer rooted in the same regional creative-supply ecosystem. Comparable for the wood, cardboard and papier-mâché supports and creative-card substrates that form part of Graine Créative's catalog and reseller proposition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC17xhs6MBJAGKs3cLoLI3yQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/grainecreative
• Instagraminstagram.com/grainecreative
• Pinterestfr.pinterest.com/grainecreative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Graine Créative