What Starwell does

Starwell is a French B2B food and beverage distribution company founded in 2004 and headquartered at 16 rue Henri Barbusse, 92110 Clichy, France. The company operates as an exclusive distribution intermediary for approximately 30 international food and beverage brands in the French market — including AriZona, Mogu Mogu, Vita Coco, Takis, Clif Bar, Calypso, Hampstead Tea, Gu Energy, Lorina, Maaza, Ito En Matcha, Hata Ramune, Flying Goose, Grenade, Tajin, and Freez — spanning North American, Asian, Mexican, and European origins. Its portfolio is organized into four product categories: Boissons (soft drinks, energy drinks, coconut water, iced coffee, teas, specialty drinks), Épicerie Salée (chips, pretzels, sauces, bruschettas, peanut butter), Épicerie Sucrée (waffles, muffins, protein bars, sweet snacks), and Pâtisserie Industrielle (frozen pastries and ice cream).

The company serves two principal customer segments: French food retailers and wholesalers seeking differentiated international assortment, and foodservice/snacking operators (restaurants, cafés, sandwich shops, event caterers) seeking trendy, youth-appeal product lines. Revenue is generated through transaction-fee mechanics on product sales between brand owners and these B2B buyers; pricing is not publicly disclosed and the B2B catalog is gated behind a Typeform inquiry form. Distribution is conducted through direct sales relationships with French retailers and foodservice operators, supplemented by a Deliveroo partnership for Mogu Mogu that adds a delivery-channel layer to the historically pure B2B model.

Go-to-market is event-driven and brand-marketing-led: Starwell participates in trade shows (Salon du Sandwich in 2024 and 2025, Snack Show), secures sports and lifestyle sponsorships (Marathon de Deauville for Clif Bar, Quai 54 for Calypso), and runs earned-media campaigns in French publications (Le Parisien, 20 Minutes, Rayon Boissons) and TikTok/YouTube activations. The firm is privately held as a French SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) with €150,000 registered capital, no parent company, no venture capital backing, and no public listing. Annaelle Weil is identified as the publication contact and Data Protection Officer. There is no proprietary technology, no AI/ML capability, no API, no app, and no software platform underpinning the business — Starwell is a traditional exclusive-distribution operation with a lean 1-10 employee team.

Name

Starwell

Legal name

SAS STARWELL

Website

https://starwell.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Starwell is a French B2B food and beverage distribution company, founded in 2004, that holds exclusive French distribution rights for approximately 30 international brands (AriZona, Mogu Mogu, Vita Coco, Takis, Clif Bar, Calypso, etc.) serving French retailers, wholesalers, and foodservice operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Clichy

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Distribution of food and beverage products: Starwell generates revenue as a distribution partner by distributing international food and beverage brands exclusively in France. The company acts as an intermediary between brand owners and retailers/foodservice operators, earning margins on product sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Starwell is a French B2B food and beverage distribution company that holds exclusive distribution rights in France for approximately 30 international brands. The company supplies French food retailers, supermarkets, wholesalers, and foodservice operators with a curated portfolio of beverages, snacks, savory groceries, sweet groceries, and industrial pastries sourced from brands based in the US, Mexico, UK, Japan, Thailand, India, Spain, and other countries.

Product overview

Starwell is a French food and beverage distribution company with over 20 years of experience, distributing 30 exclusive brands. The portfolio is organized into four main product categories: Boissons (beverages including soft drinks, energy drinks, coconut water, iced coffee, teas, and specialty drinks), Epicerie Salée (savory snacks including chips, pretzels, hot sauces, bruschettas, and peanut butter), Epicerie Sucrée (sweet snacks including chocolate waffles, muffins, and protein bars), and Patisserie Industrielle (industrial pastries). Key brands include Mogu Mogu (coconut jelly drinks), Freez (carbonated sodas), Vita Coco (coconut water), Calypso (lemonade), Trip (wellness drinks), Takis (spicy chips), Gu Energy (sports nutrition), Clif Bar (energy bars), and Hampstead Tea (certified organic teas). The company positions itself as an innovation partner for market players, offering varied and quality products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AriZona

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• DeliveroominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership between Mogu Mogu and Deliveroo for delivery of Mogu Mogu beverages through the food delivery platform.
• Marathon de DeauvilleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClif Bar is a major partner of the Marathon de Deauville, with Starwell distributing Clif Bar products in France.
• Quai 54minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCalypso partnered with Quai 54 (street basketball tournament) for brand visibility and marketing activations.
• RayonBoissonsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVita Coco featured in RayonBoissons magazine, a French beverage industry publication, for brand exposure.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• France Boissons: France Boissons is a French beverage distribution specialist (Heineken France subsidiary) distributing alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to French retail and foodservice channels. Comparable to Starwell as a French B2B beverage distributor with deep retailer relationships, but focused on traditional beer and alcohol categories versus Starwell's specialty non-alcoholic, trendy beverage portfolio.
• Sysco France: Sysco is a major global B2B food service distributor with French operations through its Brake France and Davigel subsidiaries, serving restaurants, hotels, and foodservice operators across France. Comparable to Starwell as a French B2B food and beverage distributor serving retailers and foodservice operators, but operating at massive scale across the full food portfolio.
• Transgourmet France: Transgourmet France is a major French food service distributor (subsidiary of Coop Group) supplying restaurants, hotels, and canteens with broad fresh, frozen, and dry foods. Comparable to Starwell as a French B2B food distributor to foodservice operators, but at much larger scale and with a traditional full-line foodservice focus rather than trending international brands.
• Pro à Pro: Pro à Pro is a French food distributor (subsidiary of the Système U retail group) serving retail and foodservice buyers across France. Comparable to Starwell as a French B2B food distributor, but anchored in the Système U retail ecosystem with broader category scale rather than a curated portfolio of exclusive international brands.
• Brake France: Brake France is a major French food service distributor (part of the Sysco group) serving restaurants, caterers, and foodservice operators across France. Comparable to Starwell as a French B2B food and beverage distributor to the foodservice channel, but with national scale and a more traditional full-line foodservice model rather than curated international exclusivities.

Others

• Toupargel: Toupargel is a French frozen food specialist with B2C home-delivery as primary and a B2B arm (Toupargel Pro) serving restaurants and caterers, with portfolio overlap in frozen pastries and ice cream (Muffin Aunt Mabel's, Sun Lolly). Comparable to Starwell as a French food distributor with overlapping frozen-patisserie SKUs, though Toupargel's main channel is B2C grocery delivery rather than B2B specialty brand curation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/starwell
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@starwell

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Starwell