Revillon Chocolatier

What Revillon Chocolatier does

Révillon Chocolatier is a French seasonal chocolate manufacturer founded in Lyon in 1898 by the Thomas and Pelen families (with one source listing Louis Révillon, Claudius Pelen, Jean-François Thomas, and Antoine Larrive as founders), currently a privately held subsidiary of Savencia Fromage & Dairy. The company relocated manufacturing to Roanne (Loire) in 1971, where it remains at 180 rue Clément Ader, 42153 Riorges, and consolidated production under the legal entity registered at 42 rue Rieussec, 78220 Viroflay (SIREN 407 280 445, capital social €933,000). Its core product is the papillote — a wrapped chocolate containing a hidden message or quote — produced at a rate of approximately 360 million units per year (~3,000 tonnes), across a portfolio of 110+ original recipes organized into four collections (Authentiques, Féeriques, Iconiques, d'Exception). A second seasonal pillar is Easter chocolate, in production since 1994, encompassing molded eggs (Moulages Classiques and Œufs Gourmands), egg-hunt collections (Chasse aux Œufs), and tasting specialties (Friture, Orangettes, Coquillages & Crustacés); 27 professional chocolatiers and 1 Master Chocolatier underpin this craft base, supported by over 3,000 R&D hours per year.

Commercially, Révillon operates a multi-channel go-to-market with sharp seasonality: revenue is concentrated in two windows — papillotes from October to January and Easter products from March to mid-April. The primary channel is French grande distribution (Carrefour, Leclerc, Auchan, Intermarché) and proximity grocery; a direct e-commerce storefront (revillonchocolatier.fr) supports DTC with Facebook Pixel and Pinterest Pixel retargeting; B2B/CSE sales of corporate ballotins (80g, 160g, 310g, 475g) and papillote pouches serve enterprise and employee-committee gifting. There is no direct export — foreign availability is via independent distributors only. Production is governed by FSSC 22000 food-safety certification (since 2008, re-confirmed 2013), the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (EPV) state label, and an Ecovadis Gold Medal (2021) for CSR, with 400+ permanent staff supplemented by 300 seasonal workers each year.

Strategic positioning rests on heritage, craft, and seasonal tradition rather than technology differentiation. The 1984 pivot to premium-only chocolates, the 1994 Easter expansion, the 2010 Moulage launch, and 2025 television brand campaigns demonstrate ongoing investment in the franchise. Integration with Savencia provides centralized data governance (DPO at [email protected]), group-level recruiting, and counter-leverage with large retailers, while limiting entrepreneurial risk and external capital exposure.

Name

Revillon Chocolatier

Legal name

Revillon Chocolatier

Website

https://revillonchocolatier.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Révillon Chocolatier is a 125-year-old French seasonal chocolate manufacturer (founded Lyon 1898) producing 360 million papillotes annually plus Easter molded chocolates, selling through French GMS retailers, B2B corporate gifting, and DTC e-commerce as a Savencia Fromage & Dairy subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Confectionery

NAICS

Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing (31135), Confectionery Manufacturing from Purchased Chocolate (311352), Confectionery and Nut Retailers (445292)

SIC

Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060)

akta.pro primary industry

Seasonal & Gift Confectionery Wholesale (AFAIAFAH)

Keywords

• Premium chocolate manufacturing
• Festive chocolate confections
• Papillote chocolate production
• Easter chocolate products
• Artisan chocolate gifts

Headquarters

HQ city

Riorges

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consumer chocolate product sales: One-time sale of chocolate products (papillotes, Easter chocolates, ballotins, and specialty items) to end consumers via retail distribution. Revenue is generated per unit through retail checkout at grande distribution partners and the company's own e-commerce storefront. Peak seasons drive majority of annual revenue.
2. B2B corporate gifts and CSE (Comité Social et Économique): B2B sales of corporate gift packs, ballotins, and sachets to businesses and employee committees (CSE) for end-of-year holiday gifting. Products include corporate-formatted ballotins (80g, 160g, 310g, 475g) and decorative papillote pouches for professional occasions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Révillon Chocolatier manufactures and markets premium French festive chocolates, principally papillotes (wrapped chocolates with hidden messages) for the Christmas season across four collections (Authentiques, Fériques, Iconiques, d'Exception) and a full Easter range of molded eggs, hunting eggs, frittles, orangettes, and seashell shapes. All products are produced at the Roanne facility in Loire using traditional artisanal praliné and ganache methods, with corporate ballotins and gift pouches sold to B2B customers for year-end gifting.

Product overview

Révillon Chocolatier is a French chocolate manufacturer founded in 1898 in Lyon, specializing in festive seasonal chocolates. The company operates two major product lines: Christmas papillotes (wrapped chocolates with hidden messages) offered across four collections (Authentiques, Féériques, Iconiques, d'Exception with approximately 110 recipes), and Easter chocolates including molded eggs (Moulages Classiques, Moulages Œufs Gourmands), egg hunt collections (Chasse aux Œufs with various sizes), and tasting specialties (Friture, Orangettes, Coquillages & Crustacés). Additional offerings include ballotins (boxed chocolates in 80g-475g formats) and corporate gift sets (Pochettes et Coffrets). All products are manufactured in France using traditional artisanal methods, with 360 million papillotes and approximately 3,000 tons produced annually. The company employs 400 permanent staff plus 300 seasonal workers at its Roanne facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Authentiques: Traditional papillote range featuring classic recipes such as dark chocolate, pralinés, white or milk chocolate, representing the hallmark products that built the brand's reputation.
• Féériques
• Iconiques
• Exception

Products and services

• Papillotes Authentiques Traditional Christmas papillotes collection featuring classic recipes transmitted across generations, including chocolate noir, pralinés, chocolate blanc, and chocolate au lait varieties, targeted at consumers seeking the brand's hallmark festive chocolate experience.
• Papillotes Féeriques Festive Christmas papillotes collection offering varied textures and flavors including onctuous ganache, crunchy heart, and melting praliné, available in chocolate noir 70%, au lait, or blanc options, targeted at consumers seeking gourmet festive variety.
• Papillotes Iconiques Iconic Christmas papillotes featuring reimagined mythical recipes including guimauves, pâte de fruits, truffes, escargots, rochers, Malakoffs, and nougats de Montélimar enrobed in 70% dark or milk chocolate, targeted at consumers seeking signature French chocolate specialties.
• Papillotes d'Exception Premium Christmas papillotes collection crafted with rare aromatic flavors and premium global ingredients for a unique gustatory experience, targeted at premium gifting consumers seeking the highest-tier offering in the brand portfolio.
• Moulages Classiques (Pâques) Classic molded Easter chocolates including eggs and various festive shapes produced in the traditional manner, targeted at French families celebrating Easter.
• Moulages Œufs Gourmands (Pâques) Gourmet egg-shaped molded chocolates for Easter, featuring premium fillings and rich chocolate flavors, targeted at consumers seeking premium-tier Easter eggs.
• Friture de Chocolat (Pâques) Easter chocolate frittles/shell chocolates available in dark, milk, and white chocolate varieties, targeted at consumers seeking traditional French Easter treats.
• Chasse aux Œufs (Pâques) Easter egg hunt collection featuring hunting mixes, small eggs, large hollow eggs, and mini formats for family Easter celebrations, targeted at families with children.
• Orangettes Candied orange peels delicately coated in dark chocolate, featured as part of the Easter tasting collection, targeted at consumers seeking traditional French chocolate-dipped confits.
• Coquillages & Crustacés (Pâques) Seashell and crustacean shaped chocolates for Easter, representing traditional French Easter treats, targeted at consumers seeking novelty-shaped festive chocolates.
• Ballotins de Chocolats Chocolate gift boxes available in multiple formats (80g, 160g, 310g, 475g) in dark 70%, milk, or white chocolate varieties, offered for retail consumer gifting and corporate B2B gifting.
• Pochettes et Coffrets Gift bags and premium boxes for corporate and holiday gifting occasions, containing varied papillote recipes and chocolate specialties, targeted at B2B customers and consumers seeking premium gifting formats.

Quantifiable outcome

• 360 million papillotes produced annually, totaling approximately 3,000 tonnes
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Savencia Fromage & Dairy (Groupe Savencia)coreOthersRévillon Chocolatier is a subsidiary of Savencia Fromage & Dairy (Groupe Savencia). The Data Protection Officer for Révillon is reachable at [email protected], indicating the parent group's oversight of data governance. The company recruits through savencia-careers.com, further confirming the corporate structure.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cémoi: French chocolate manufacturer with comparable scale and multi-channel distribution across French and European retailers. Competes directly with Révillon in premium seasonal gift chocolate, boxed assortments (ballotins), and Easter molded products.
• Chocolat Weiss: French premium chocolate maker with a heritage positioning in gift boxes, pralinés, and artisanal seasonal assortments. Overlaps with Révillon on traditional craft chocolate sold through French retail and B2B gifting channels.
• Chocolat Bonnat: French artisan chocolate producer with a long heritage (1884) using single-origin cacao. Comparable on craft positioning, generational recipe transmission, and traditional praliné/ganache production methods similar to Révillon's Roanne facility.
• Valrhona: French premium chocolate company (Lovingly B Corp-certified), positioned at the premium artisan end of the French chocolate market. While more B2B/professional-focused, it shares the high-end positioning, French manufacturing base, and culinary craftsmanship narrative with Révillon.
• Chocolat Menier: Historic French chocolate brand (founded 1816) with a heritage positioning in pralinés and tablet chocolate. Comparable to Révillon on century-old brand heritage, French manufacturing footprint, and presence across French grocery channels.
• La Maison du Chocolat: Paris-based premium chocolate house founded 1977, specializing in ganaches and pralinés. Comparable to Révillon on French artisan chocolate, premium gift positioning, and chocolate-as-luxury-experience branding, though more retail/DTC than mass retail.

Broad incumbents

• Lindt & Sprüngli: Global premium chocolate incumbent with a portfolio of seasonal gift products and Easter assortments. Competes with Révillon on French retail shelves during Christmas and Easter peaks, though Lindt operates at vastly larger scale across many categories.
• Ferrero: Italian-founded global confectionery giant with seasonal Easter products (Kinder Surprise eggs) and gift pralines (Ferrero Rocher). Overlaps with Révillon on seasonal French retail shelf and B2B gifting procurement contracts.
• Nestlé France (Chocolats Poulain, Crunch): Mass-market confectionery player in France via heritage brands including Poulain (founded 1848), a French chocolate competitor on traditional recipes and widespread GMS distribution. Represents the mass-market overlap with Révillon's accessible premium positioning.

Regional players

• Villars (Chocolat Villars): Swiss chocolate manufacturer founded 1901 with comparable heritage positioning in pralinés and seasonal gift assortments. Overlaps with Révillon in product format and craft positioning, though primarily distributed in Switzerland rather than France.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PapillotesRevillon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/revillon-chocolatier
• Instagraminstagram.com/revillonchocolatier
• Xx.com/_revillon

Compliance4 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 Revillon Chocolatier