Vegafruits

What Vegafruits does

Vegafruits is a French agricultural cooperative headquartered in Saint-Nicolas-de-Port, Lorraine, founded in 1991 through the merger of two regional fruit cooperatives (Jardin de Lorraine and Vergers de Lorraine). It specializes in Mirabelle de Lorraine — the first French fruit to obtain Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP) status in 1996 — and aggregates 200 producers across 600 hectares of orchards, producing approximately 8,000 tonnes of fruit per year, which the company states represents 40% of the global mirabelle market. Beyond mirabelles, the cooperative handles Quetsche de Lorraine, Cerise Montmorency, and Myrtilles des Vosges.

The cooperative operates three business lines. Fresh fruit is sold via wholesale and retail channels. Processed fruit uses an Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) facility (invested in 2003 for €2 million) that de-stones, halves, and flash-freezes fruit at -25°C in under 10 minutes, plus a purée production workshop (2014) supplying drum-format purées to food industry professionals for nectars, ice creams, compotes, and candied fruits. The proprietary Minute Fruitée brand extends the cooperative into consumer products: Gourdes Minute Fruitée (100% fruit purée pouches in five flavors, launched 2017) and Paniers Minute Fruitée (subscription workplace fruit baskets, launched 2012, delivered in 5/7.5/10 kg formats to companies in Lorraine, Alsace, and Champagne-Ardenne via a logistics partnership with APF Entreprise). Cosmetic-grade mirabelle and cherry kernel oils (since 2008) and Cracky Fruits snacks (2010) complete the portfolio.

Vegafruits is governed as a cooperative with ~20 permanent staff expanding to ~350 seasonal workers during the June–September peak. Revenue is generated through one-time wholesale/retail sales, B2B ingredient supply, consumer product sales, and recurring enterprise subscriptions. Pricing for B2B is quote-based; consumer products are sold at listed prices through retail and e-commerce (gourdes.minute-fruitee.fr, paniers.minute-fruitee.fr). Capital structure reflects a €10 million 2021 industrial relocalization grant under France's Plan de Relance and a 2017 producer/employee equity crowdfunding round for the purée pouch machine. In March 2023, founding director Bruno Colin and president Philippe Daniel retired after 30+ years, succeeded by Arnaud Colin (Director) and Luc Barbier (President).

Name

Vegafruits

Legal name

VEGAFRUITS

Website

https://vegafruits.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vegafruits is a French fruit cooperative in Saint-Nicolas-de-Port, aggregating 200 producers across 600 hectares to produce 8,000 tonnes per year of Mirabelle de Lorraine (40% of the global mirabelle market). It sells fresh fruit, IQF frozen fruit, purées, and consumer brands (Gourdes and Paniers Minute Fruitée) to B2B food industry, retail, enterprises, and cosmetics customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Fruit Production and Processing

NAICS

Noncitrus Fruit and Tree Nut Farming (11133), Specialty Canning (311422), Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Food And Kindred Products (2000), Canned, Fruits, Veg, Preserves, Jams & Jellies (2033)

akta.pro primary industry

Farm-to-Consumer Cooperative Markets (Local Producer Co-ops) (CRAHALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fruit Snacks & Dried Fruit (CRADABAJ), Juice & Nectar Production (Including Juice Drinks) (AFAFABAC)

Keywords

• Fruit cooperative
• IQF frozen fruits
• Fruit purée production
• Workplace fruit delivery
• Specialty fruit processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-nicolas-de-port

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fresh Fruit Sales (Fruit de Bouche): Commercialization of fresh fruits — Mirabelle de Lorraine IGP, Quetsche de Lorraine, Cerise Montmorency, Myrtilles des Vosges — sold through wholesale, retail, and directly to consumers. This is the core founding business activity of the cooperative.
2. IQF Frozen Fruits: IQF frozen fruits sold to food industry professionals (agrofood) for use in nectars, ice creams, compotes, and candied fruits. Available year-round. Includes organic IQF mirabelles.
3. Fruit Purées: Fruit purées sold in drums to food industry professionals for nectars, ice creams, compotes, and candied fruits. Also used as base for the Minute Fruitée purée pouch brand.
4. Gourdes Minute Fruitée (Purée Pouches): 100% fruit compotes in pouch format sold to end consumers through retail (hypermarkets, supermarkets, specialty regional shops), producer shops, and a dedicated e-commerce site. Five flavors: Mirabelle de Lorraine, Quetsche-Pomme, Cerise-Mirabelle-Pomme, Pêche de Vigne-Mirabelle, and Pomme.
5. Paniers Minute Fruitée (Workplace Fruit Baskets): Fresh fruit basket delivery service to businesses in Lorraine, Alsace, and Champagne-Ardenne. Companies receive regular deliveries of 5kg, 7.5kg, or 10kg fruit baskets for employee consumption. Launched in 2012.
6. Mirabelle and Cherry Kernel Oils: Premium cold-pressed kernel oils from mirabelle and Montmorency cherry stones, positioned as cosmetic and skincare ingredients for skin and hair care applications (massage oils, face serums, shampoos, repair masks).
7. Cracky Fruits: A snack product launched in 2010, sold in retail channels.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Vegafruits is a French agricultural cooperative (Société Coopérative Agricole) founded in 2002, headquartered in Laneuveville-devant-Nancy, that consolidates the production of 200 fruit growers — primarily specialized in Mirabelle de Lorraine IGP, plus Quetsche de Lorraine, Cerise Montmorency, and Myrtilles des Vosges. The cooperative processes and commercializes fresh fruits, IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) fruits, fruit purées, branded consumer pouches (Gourdes Minute Fruitée), workplace fruit baskets (Paniers Minute Fruitée), dehydrated Cracky Fruits, and cold-pressed kernel oils (mirabelle and cherry). The company represents roughly 40% of world mirabelle production and serves B2B agri-food clients, B2C retail, corporate workplaces, and cosmetics manufacturers.

Product overview

Vegafruits est une coopérative fruitière lorraine née en 1991 du regroupement de deux coopératives (Jardins de Lorraine et Vergers de Lorraine). Elle opère selon trois métiers complémentaires : le fruit de bouche (fruits frais), le fruit frais à destination de l'industrie, et les fruits transformés. Son portefeuille de produits comprend des fruits frais (Mirabelle de Lorraine IGP, Quetsche de Lorraine, Cerise Montmorency, Myrtilles des Vosges), des fruits transformés (fruits surgelés IQF, purées de fruits), des produits à marque propre (Gourdes Minute Fruitée, Paniers Minute Fruitée, Cracky Fruits), et des huiles cosmétiques (Huile de Mirabelle, Huile de Cerise). Avec 200 producteurs, 600 hectares de vergers et 8000 tonnes de fruits produits par an, elle représente 40% du marché mondial de la mirabelle.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gourdes Minute Fruitée: Compotes 100% fruits en gourdes, made in Grand Est, launched in 2017
• Paniers Minute Fruitée
• Clair de Lorraine

Products and services

• Fresh Regional Fruits (Mirabelle de Lorraine IGP, Quetsche de Lorraine, Cerise Montmorency, Myrtilles des Vosges) Seasonal fresh fruit varieties including Mirabelle de Lorraine with IGP protected designation, Quetsche plums, sour cherries, and wild blueberries from the Vosges, sold to wholesalers, retailers, and food service.
• IQF Frozen Fruits Individually Quick Frozen fruit IQF range supplied to B2B food industry clients (yogurts, dairy, bakery, confectionery, ready meals, beverage) enabling year-round availability of regional French fruits.
• Fruit Purées Pasteurized fruit purées made from Mirabelle and other regional fruits, supplied to the agri-food industry for incorporation into beverages, dairy products, and other food formulations.
• Gourdes Minute Fruitée Consumer-facing fruit purée pouches targeted at families and on-the-go consumption, developed via crowdfunding, distributed in supermarkets and grocery retail.
• Paniers Minute Fruitée B2B corporate workplace fruit basket delivery service for businesses, marketed as an HR/wellness employee benefit, with operations in New York City.
• Cracky Fruits Dehydrated fruit snacks derived from the cooperative's regional fruit range, positioned for the consumer snacking segment.
• Kernel Oils (Huile de Mirabelle, Huile de Cerise) Cold-pressed kernel oils extracted from mirabelle and cherry pits, supplied to the cosmetics industry and used as a co-product valorization of fruit processing waste.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% of global mirabelle market share
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• APF Entreprise (Association des Paralysés de France)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2012APF Entreprise, based in Nancy, handles logistics and delivery of the Paniers Minute Fruitée fresh fruit basket service to businesses in the region. The delivery partners are described as friendly and careful, capable of informing customers about basket contents and relaying preferences back to Vegafruits.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Vergers Boiron: French specialist in frozen fruit purées and fruit preparations for the agri-food industry (nectars, dairy, ice cream). Direct competitor in B2B IQF and purée ingredients sold to the same industrial customer base.
• Ponthier: French premium fruit purée and coulis producer sourcing from multiple French and international terroirs. Competes directly with Vegafruits in B2B fruit purées for pastry, beverage, and dairy customers.
• Materne (Pom'Potes): French compote-pouch category leader (Pom'Potes brand), the most direct competitor for Vegafruits' Gourdes Minute Fruitée consumer product line in retail channels across France.
• St Mamet: Historic French fruit canner and preserve producer with broad retail distribution. Overlaps with Vegafruits in preserved and canned fruit products sold to French grocery retailers.
• Charles & Alice: French fruit-based desserts and compotes producer (Charles & Alice, Andros Group brand). Competes in the same 100%-fruit compote-pouch category as Gourdes Minute Fruitée.
• Fruidor: French fruit cooperative group marketing fresh and processed fruits from member producers. Most structurally comparable peer as Vegafruits in cooperative model and fruit-producer aggregation.

Broad incumbents

• Andros Group: Major French fruit processing group (Andros jams, Mamie Nova dairy desserts, Charles & Alice). Much larger incumbent operating across multiple fruit categories including purées and compotes, with overlapping but broader product set.
• Hero Group: Swiss long-established preserved-fruit and baby-food group with European-scale distribution. Adjacent incumbent in preserves, compotes, and fruit-based snacks overlapping with Vegafruits' retail product portfolio.

Emerging players

• Darbo: Austrian premium preserves, fruit syrups, and honey producer with growing presence in French specialty retail. Comparable niche-premium positioning in regional-origin fruit preserves.

Regional players

• Coteaux Nantais: French organic fruit producer cooperative based in western France, serving the French organic retail market. Comparable cooperative structure with vertically integrated organic fruit production, but operates in a different French region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/vegafruits
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vegafruits

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Vegafruits