REITZEL SA

What REITZEL SA does

REITZEL SA, headquartered in Aigle, Switzerland, is a privately held, family-owned food manufacturing company founded in 1909 by Hugo Reitzel. The company operates as "The Pickle Company" / Groupe Reitzel and specializes in vinegar-based vegetable transformation — primarily pickles, gherkins, mustards, vinegars, and sauces. The group runs multi-brand operations across Switzerland, France, India, and Sri Lanka with over 450 employees and produces approximately 430+ tonnes of Swiss gherkins and 600,000 jars of French cornichons annually. It serves four distinct customer segments: mass retail (GMS) via Coop and Manor, the food-service/Horeca channel (restaurants, hotels, catering), specialized organic retailers through Bravo Hugo, and a small direct-to-consumer e-commerce channel via hugoreitzel.ch, leshop.ch and ENI stations.

The portfolio is organized around three wholly-owned sub-brands — Hugo Reitzel for Swiss-produced pickles and condiments, Jardin d'Orante for French condiments and the French cornichon revival anchored on 11-13 contracted farmers, and Bravo Hugo for organic offerings. Core technology is conventional vinegar preservation and food processing, differentiated by proprietary packaging formats: Polydoy multilayer plastic sachets for gherkins, Easy Bag self-service pouches for ketchup/mustard/mayonnaise, and a dedicated French pouch line installed at the Connerré (Sarthe) facility in 2020 for food-service customers. Manufacturing is split across Aigle (Swiss HQ and primary plant), Bourré and Connerré (French manufacturing), with Montrichard hosting finance and administration. The company holds Fairtrade, NutriScore, and food-safety certifications.

Revenue is generated through contract manufacturing of retailer private-label products — approximately 75% of the French division's €40 million revenue — plus own-brand sales via retail, food-service and e-commerce channels. The French subsidiary (130 employees, €40 million revenue) is the largest disclosed business unit, with Swiss operations, India, and Sri Lanka accounting for the remainder of the group's footprint. The sales-led go-to-market relies on dedicated key-account managers, field sales teams for food-service, and exclusive distribution partnerships (Coop since 2016 for HUGO brand cornichons, Manor for HUGO sauces). B2B pricing is not publicly disclosed; the Mon Cornichon Maison consumer kit retails at €3 with full proceeds donated to partner farmers under the Les Cornichonneurs Français program.

Name

REITZEL SA

Legal name

REITZEL SA

Website

https://groupe-reitzel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1909

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

REITZEL SA is a Swiss family-owned food company founded in 1909 that produces vinegar-based pickles, gherkins, condiments, mustards, and sauces under the Hugo Reitzel, Jardin d'Orante, and Bravo Hugo brands, serving mass retailers (Coop, Manor), food-service operators, organic channels, and e-commerce across Switzerland, France, India, and Sri Lanka.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pickled and Condiment Foods Manufacturing

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Condiments, Sauces & Dressings (CRADAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty Condiments, Sauces & Pickles Wholesale (AFAIAIAJ)

Keywords

• Pickle production
• Sauce manufacturing
• Condiment processing
• Mustard products
• Private label foods

Headquarters

HQ city

Aigle

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Contract Manufacturing (Private Label): Contract manufacturing for retailer/store brands, representing approximately 75% of the French division's revenue. The company produces pickles, condiments, and sauces under retailer brands.
2. Own Brand Products - Jardin d'Orante: Premium condiment and seasoning brand for GMS (mass retail) network, featuring French gherkins and condiments with NutriScore labeling
3. Own Brand Products - Bravo Hugo: Organic pickles and dressings brand for specialized BIO networks and organic retail channels
4. Own Brand Products - Hugo Reitzel: Swiss pickle and sauce brand for food service professionals, named after the company founder

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

REITZEL SA is a Swiss family-owned food manufacturer founded in 1909 by Hugo Reitzel, producing pickles, sauces, mustards, and vinegars. The company operates its own consumer brands (Hugo Reitzel, Jardin d'Orante, Bravo Hugo) and serves as a major contract manufacturer for retailer private labels, with private label accounting for approximately 75% of its French subsidiary's revenue of €40 million.

Product overview

REITZEL SA is a Swiss-French family company founded in 1909, operating as 'The Pickle Company' - transforming vegetables into delicious vinegar-based products for healthy and joyful eating. The company operates a multi-brand portfolio: Hugo Reitzel (Swiss pickles and sauces), Jardin d'Orante (French condiments and seasonings with French cornichon revival), and Bravo Hugo (organic product line). Core products include pickles/cornichons, sauces/mustards/vinegars, organic products, and local/regional offerings. The Food Service division provides innovative packaging solutions including Polydoy sachets and Easy Bags for professional catering customers. The company processes over 400 tons of Swiss gherkins annually and produces approximately 600,000 jars of French cornichons. Manufacturing facilities are located in Aigle, Switzerland and Connerré, France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hugo Reitzel: The Swiss pickle and sauce brand, named after the company's founder.
• Jardin d'Orante
• Bravo Hugo

Products and services

• Hugo Reitzel branded products

Quantifiable outcome

• 430+ tonnes of Swiss pickles produced in 2018
• +2 more outcomes

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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CoopcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2016Swiss retailer Coop has been supporting Reitzel's Swiss cornichon initiative since 2016, offering HUGO brand cornichons and cucumbers nationwide in their stores. Coop is committed to supporting local products with Swiss cultivation and processing.
• Swiss Cornichon FarmerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of Swiss farmers (12 producers in 2018) engaged in cornichon cultivation across German and French-speaking Switzerland, supported by Reitzel to revive local cornichon production.
• French Cornichon FarmerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench farmers (11 in 2018, growing to 13 by 2020) participating in the Jardin d'Orante initiative to revive French cornichon cultivation across Loir-et-Cher, Sarthe, Indre-et-Loire, and Maine-et-Loire departments.
• Les Cornichonneurs FrançaisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of French cornichon farmers founded with Jardin d'Orante support, serving as a discussion space for technical production, commercialization, and promotion of French cornichons. Consumer kit proceeds (3€ per kit) are donated to this association.
• CARDTSminorOthersCharitable organization supported by Reitzel as part of the company's philanthropy initiatives.
• Humanity & Inclusion (Handicap International)minorOthersInternational disability organization supported by Reitzel for over 20 years, featured in the Reitzel calendar editions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Conagra Brands: Conagra's portfolio includes pickles, condiments, and sauces (e.g., Mrs. Wages, Hunt's), positioning it as a broad incumbent comparable to Reitzel's pickled vegetables and sauces across retail and foodservice.
• French's (McCormick & Company): French's, owned by McCormick, is a leading mustard and condiment brand in North America; McCormick is one of the world's largest spice and condiment manufacturers, making it a broad incumbent comparable to Reitzel's condiments portfolio.
• Kraft Heinz (Vlasic): Kraft Heinz owns the Vlasic pickle brand, a household-name global pickle competitor; it also has a broad condiment portfolio comparable to Reitzel's multi-brand approach.
• McCormick & Company: McCormick is the global leader in spices, condiments, and seasonings with broad retail distribution; it competes with Reitzel across condiments, mustards, and sauces with a much larger portfolio.
• Del Monte Foods: Del Monte produces pickled vegetables, condiments, and sauces with broad retail distribution in Europe and globally; its multi-category CPG platform is comparable in scope to Reitzel's offerings.

Regional players

• Lesieur (Avril Group): Lesieur is a leading French condiment and edible oil producer under the Avril Group, operating primarily in France with vinegars, mustards, and sauces; it is a regional player in the same French condiment wholesale and retail channel as Reitzel.

Direct peers

• Maille (Unilever): Maille is a French premium mustard and cornichon brand owned by Unilever, directly comparable to Reitzel's Jardin d'Orante and Hugo Reitzel ranges; both compete in French/Swiss retail with vinegar-based condiments and cornichons.
• Fallot Mustard Mill (Maison Fallot): Maison Fallot is an independent French mustard producer with artisanal and private-label offerings, directly comparable to Reitzel's premium French condiment positioning and contract-manufacturing capabilities.
• Amora (Unilever): Amora is Unilever's flagship French mustard brand and a direct competitor to Reitzel in French mass retail mustard and cornichon categories, with comparable private-label and co-manufacturing models.
• B&G Foods: B&G Foods owns specialty pickle and condiment brands (e.g., Mrs. Wages, Vermont Specialty) with multi-brand and private-label strategies comparable to Reitzel's Hugo Reitzel, Jardin d'Orante, and Bravo Hugo structures.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/reitzelsuisse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reitzel-sa

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 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 REITZEL SA