Salins Group

What Salins Group does

Salins Group is the only international company exclusively dedicated to salt production, operating across 10 countries (France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Slovenia, Tunisia, and Senegal) with 4 million tonnes of annual production capacity and approximately 2,200 employees. Founded in 1856 and headquartered in Clichy, France, the group is structured as a private SAS (COMPAGNIE DES SALINS DU MIDI ET DES SALINES DE L'EST) with €68M in registered capital, and is the sole European operator mastering all three salt production techniques: solar evaporation in coastal salt marshes (Camargue, Torrevieja, Margherita di Savoia, Tunisia), thermal vacuum evaporation of dissolved underground brine, and underground mining of rock salt (Varangéville).

The business serves 18,000+ customers across five core use cases: human food and consumer salt (brands La Baleine, Le Saunier de Camargue, Le Flamant, Les Paludiers de Guérande, Bicarbonate La Baleine), agricultural and livestock salt (SODI/SELI blocks), water treatment (Aqua sub-brand with patented AQUA PROTECT® 2-in-1 softener tablets and AQUASWIM ACTI+® additivated pool tablets), winter road de-icing (ROCK subsidiary serving France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg), and industrial/chemical supply (chlor-alkali, glass, paper, detergents via Salins Industries Alimentaires). The group has selectively expanded into adjacent verticals including natural cosmetics (ECLAE, using Camargue Pink Algae) and tourism experiences at major salt sites, generating diversified revenue from B2B industrial contracts, government/municipal de-icing tenders, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce through brand-specific storefronts. Key subsidiaries include Mare Alb (Tunisia, 1965), Atisale Spa (Italy, acquired 2019, operating Europe's largest salt marsh at Margherita di Savoia), and Ets Bourdic (Guérande). Recent capital sponsorship has come from Tikehau Capital (2014) and Omnes Capital (2004), and the group is led by President Hubert François.

Name

Salins Group

Legal name

COMPAGNIE DES SALINS DU MIDI ET DES SALINES DE L'EST

Website

https://salins.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1856

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Salt Manufacturing

SIC

Abrasive, Asbestos & Misc Nonmetallic Mineral Prods (3290)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Salt Mining (Rock Salt, Brine) (IMAKAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Salt & Salt-Based Seasonings (Sea Salt, Flake, Seasoned Salts) (AFAJANAE)

Keywords

• Salt production
• Sea salt manufacturing
• De-icing salt
• Water treatment salts
• Food industry salt

Headquarters

HQ city

Clichy

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Salt production and commercialization: The sole pure saltern exclusively dedicated to salt, Groupe Salins produces and commercializes salt in all forms (raw or elaborated) for all applications: human food, agriculture, chemistry, de-icing, water treatment and other industrial activities. Revenue is generated through B2B sales to over 18,000 industrial and agricultural clients worldwide, and B2C sales through consumer brands like La Baleine.
2. ECLAE Natural Cosmetics: ECLAE is a brand of natural cosmetics born in Camargue and made in France, leveraging the unique treasures of the territory including Pink Algae of Camargue and Marine Salt. Revenue generated through direct e-commerce (www.eclae.com), boutique sales, pharmacies, institutes, and hotel Spas.
3. Tourism experiences: The group offers tourism visits at various salt sites including the Salin d'Aigues-Mortes, Salin de Giraud, mine of Varangéville, and Torrevieja salt marsh, generating additional revenue from tourism activities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Salins Group is the only European pure-player exclusively dedicated to salt, producing and commercializing salt in all forms across solar, thermal and mining techniques. Its offerings span food-grade table salts, agricultural livestock blocks, food-industry ingredients, water-softener and swimming-pool salts, chemical-industry raw salt, road de-icing salts, and Camargue-based natural cosmetics — sold under brands such as La Baleine, Le Saunier de Camargue, AQUA PROTECT®, AQUASWIM ACTI+®, Salins IAA, Rock and ECLAE.

Product overview

Salins Group is the only company exclusively dedicated to salt production, operating across 10 countries (France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Slovenia, Tunisia, Senegal) with 4 million tonnes annual production capacity. The company offers a diversified portfolio of salt products organized into distinct sub-brands: La Baleine for table salts, Le Saunier de Camargue for premium fleur de sel, SODI/SELI for agricultural livestock salt blocks, Salins Industries Alimentaires for food industry applications, Rock for de-icing solutions, Aqua for water treatment products (including patented AQUA PROTECT® and AQUASWIM ACTI+®), and Eclaé for natural cosmetics. International operations include Mare Alb in Tunisia and Atisale in Italy. The group masters all three salt production techniques: solar (sea salt), thermal (ignited salt), and mining (rock salt), supplying approximately 18,000 customers worldwide with salt for human food, agriculture, water treatment, chemical industry, and winter road maintenance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• La Baleine: Historical table salt brand of France, guarantees 100% marine origin salt for cooking
• Sodi & Seli
• Le Saunier de Camargue
• Bicarbonate La Baleine
• Salins Industries Alimentaires
• Rock
• Aqua
• Eclaé
• Marine Salt
• Les Paludiers de Guérande
• Mare Alb
• Le Flamant
• Vins des Salins du Midi
• AQUASWIM ACTI+
• AQUA PROTECT

Products and services

• La Baleine Historic French table salt brand guaranteeing 100% marine origin salt. Offers fleur de sel, fine salt, and coarse salt in white and grey varieties for culinary use by household consumers.
• SODI / SELI Pure salt blocks for livestock farming — no.1 pure salt block brands for all types of livestock. Includes pure salt blocks and complemented blocks with minerals and trace elements for animal nutrition.
• Le Saunier de Camargue Fleur de sel brand from Camargue, harvested naturally using sea, sun, and mistral wind. Premium artisan sea salt from southern France for gourmet and culinary uses.
• Bicarbonate La Baleine Sodium bicarbonate product for daily use in cooking, body care, and household cleaning applications, sold under the La Baleine brand.
• Salins Industries Alimentaires (Salins IAA) Salt products and tailored salt solutions for food-industry professionals. Provides agro-food industrial salts including seasoning, preservation and processing ingredients for prepared dishes, cheeses, butters, charcuterie, fish and bakery products.
• Rock De-icing salt expert. Subsidiary of Salins Group based in Mulhouse providing winter road maintenance solutions including advanced storage and sales of road salt for municipalities.
• Aqua Water treatment salt brand offering high-purity salts for water softeners, swimming pools, and dishwashers. Includes the patented AQUA PROTECT® 2-in-1 softener tablet and AQUASWIM ACTI+® additive salt for pools.
• Les Paludiers de Guérande Guérande salt brand produced by paludiers (salt farmers) using ancestral methods. Offers coarse salt, fine salt, fleur de sel, and flavored salts.
• ECLAE Natural anti-aging cosmetics brand born in Camargue and made in France, formulated with Pink Algae Bio from Camargue. Offers skincare products and a spa massage experience.
• ECLAE Spa Experience at Salin d'Aigues-Mortes Hot salt-pouch massage experience offered at the Salin d'Aigues-Mortes site using Rose Algae of Camargue and Camargue Sea Salt as active ingredients, available June through end of September.
• Salin d'Aigues-Mortes tourism experience Guided tourism experience at the Salin d'Aigues-Mortes salt works in Camargue, allowing visitors to explore and learn about Camargue salt production.
• Le Flamant / Mare Alb Sea salt produced by Tunisian subsidiary Mare Alb via natural evaporation at four salt marshes across Tunisia, commercialized under the Le Flamant brand representing 70% of Tunisia's food salt market.
• Vins des Salins du Midi Quality wines produced in the saline Midi region, sold as an adjacent consumer offering from the Salins du Midi estate.
• Marine Salt Expert brand for wet sea salt, supplying moist sea salt for various food and industrial applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 18,000 clients worldwide trust Groupe Salins
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Michael BeerensminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Street artist Michael Beerens collaborated with La Baleine table salt brand to create special packaging designs, illustrating a shared passion for the sea and creating an event for consumers at the salt section.
• Fondation de FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013The Salins Foundation was created in 2013 under the auspices of Fondation de France to support actions of general interest in environment (biodiversity conservation and protection), heritage (valorizing material and intangible heritage of salt production in France and abroad), and health (improving health worldwide by supporting iodization and fluoridation projects).

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Solvay SA: Belgian global chemicals producer with historic soda ash and salt-linked activities. Broad incumbent in the European chemicals value chain where Salins sells industrial-grade salt inputs.
• China National Salt Industry Corporation: State-affiliated Chinese salt monopoly controlling domestic salt production and distribution. Broad incumbent in the global salt market relevant to Salins for Asian trade flows and competitor benchmarking.
• INEOS Group: Global petrochemicals giant with chlor-alkali and salt-consuming chemical operations. Broad incumbent in the chemical value chain where Salins serves industrial customers.
• Cargill (Salt): Privately held diversified agribusiness with a North American salt business covering food grade, water conditioning, and de-icing. Broad incumbent serving overlapping end-markets to Salins but with a different geographic footprint.

Direct peers

• K+S AG: German-listed global salt and potash producer operating the iconic Morton Salt brand. Direct competitor across food-grade salt, industrial chemicals, and de-icing in European and global markets.
• Compass Minerals International: NYSE-listed global salt and specialty plant nutrition company producing rock salt, highway deicing salt, and specialty products. Most direct publicly listed comparable to Salins' industrial salt and de-icing operations in Europe and globally.
• Nouryon (Salt & Soda): Global specialty chemicals producer with significant salt and soda ash operations used as raw material for glass, detergents, and chlor-alkali. Comparable to Salins' chemical-industry customer segment.

Emerging players

• Tata Chemicals: Indian-listed chemicals and salt producer with salt, soda ash, and bicarbonate operations serving food and industrial customers. Comparable emerging-market salt producer with a branded food salt portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC1PoFYdC6pJpgtyInmOK2Ig
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/salins

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

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 Salins Group