Maison François Cholat

What Maison François Cholat does

Maison François Cholat is a privately held, six-generation family-owned integrated agricultural enterprise headquartered in Morestel, France, operating across five vertically linked business lines: crop production inputs (Solutions Agro, serving approximately 2,500 farmer clients), cereal collection (26 sites, 150,000+ tonnes annually, 156,670 tonnes of storage capacity), animal nutrition manufacturing under the Le Père François brand (with 90% of output for ruminants and additional equine, poultry, and pet lines), flour milling at the Grands Moulins de Thuile (140 tonnes/day producing 100+ flour varieties), and organic agriculture through Aliment Marion and Moulin Marion acquired brands. The company holds CSA-GTP, Label Rouge, Oqualim, Agriculture Biologique, and HVE certifications, supplies artisan bakers and craft breweries across Rhône-Alpes, and distributes through five Libre-Service Agricole retail stores and 80+ independent resellers. Recent strategic activity includes the 2021 acquisition of five sites from Oxyane, the 2022 launch of the PEPITES hemp processing joint venture with Oxyane, Groupe Bernard, and VICAT, and the rollout of the Cholat Malt craft brewing supply chain in partnership with Les Maltiers. Revenue is disclosed at €350M with a workforce of 500+ employees.

Name

Maison François Cholat

Legal name

Maison François Cholat (GAIC)

Website

https://francois-cholat.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1877

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Maison François Cholat is a sixth-generation family-owned integrated agribusiness in Rhône-Alpes, France, operating cereal collection, animal nutrition manufacturing (Le Père François), flour milling (Grands Moulins de Thuile), agricultural inputs, and organic production, serving approximately 2,500 farmers, livestock breeders, artisan bakers, and craft breweries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Products & Cereal Milling

NAICS

Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42491), Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers (4245), Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (424910)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Livestock & Poultry Nutrition (Feed & Premixes) (HLAMAHAD)

Keywords

• Cereal collection trading
• Animal feed manufacturing
• Flour milling
• Agricultural inputs supply
• Organic agriculture products

Headquarters

HQ city

Morestel

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Animal Nutrition Products: Manufacture and sale of animal feed under the Le Père François brand (est. 1950), serving ruminants (90% of output), poultry, horses, exotic animals, and domestic pets. Includes the Lohla equine nutrition brand and Aliment Marion organic animal feed.
2. Flour and Milling Products: Milling of locally sourced wheat into more than 100 different flours at the Grands Moulins de Thuile (140 tonnes/day capacity). Sale to artisan bakers under Garantie Blé Rhône-Alpes, regional specialty breads (Pavé de Savoie, Tradition, Pain François), and organic lines (Moulin Marion).
3. Agricultural Inputs and Crop Solutions: Sale of seeds, fertilizers, biocontrol products, and plant protection products to approximately 2,500 farmer clients. Also provides agronomic advice and technical support through the Solutions Agro branch.
4. Cereal Collection and Trading: Collection of over 150,000 tonnes of cereals and oilseed proteins annually from partner farmers across 26 sites, with 156,670 tonnes of storage capacity. Cereals are directed to internal milling, animal nutrition, malting, and organic channels.
5. Agricultural Retail Stores: Five Libre-Service Agricoles (LSA) stores sell professional and consumer products including animal feed, garden supplies, fencing, tools, and mushroom kits, serving both farming professionals and local consumers.
6. Malt and Brewing: Production of Cholat Malt from regionally grown barley, transformed by Les Maltiers – La Fabrique Contemporaine. Sold to regional breweries including Les Ursulines, Brasserie du Dauphiné, and Brasserie du Val d'Ainan.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Maison François Cholat is an integrated family-owned agricultural enterprise that collects, stores, and trades over 150,000 tonnes of cereals annually through 26 collection sites; manufactures compound animal feeds (Le Père François brand) covering ruminants, poultry, horses, and pets; mills more than 100 varieties of flour at the Grands Moulins de Thuille (140 tonnes/day); and distributes agricultural inputs (seeds, fertilizers, biocontrols) to approximately 2,500 farmer clients across the Rhône-Alpes region.

Product overview

Maison François Cholat operates as an integrated agricultural cooperative and family business founded in 1877, structured around five core activities: crop production input supply (Solutions Agro), grain collection (26 sites), animal nutrition (Le Père François brand, with 90% for ruminants), flour milling (Grands Moulins de Thuile producing 100+ flour varieties), and organic agriculture (via acquired brands Aliment Marion and Moulin Marion). The company connects to local bakers and farmers through regional quality programs including Is(h)ere, Ma Région ses Terroirs, and Garantie Blé Rhône-Alpes. Recent diversification includes PEPITES (hemp processing) and Cholat Malt (beer malt), while Lohla serves equine nutrition needs. A network of 5 retail agricultural stores serves both professionals and individuals across Rhône-Alpes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Le Père François: Animal nutrition brand created in 1950, identified with production of animal feeds started in 1936.
• Lohla
• Is(h)ere
• Ma Région ses Terroirs
• Aliment Marion
• Moulin Marion
• Cholat Malt
• Les Recettes de Daniel

Products and services

• Le Père François animal feed Compound animal feeds for ruminants (90% of production), poultry, horses, exotic animals, and domestic pets (cats, dogs). Manufactured at the Morestel plant using local Rhône-Alpes cereals.
• Grands Moulins de Thuille flour milling Milling operation processing 140 tonnes of wheat daily, producing more than 100 different flours from Rhône-Alpes wheat. One of 57 mills in France habilitated for Label Rouge flour production.
• Cereal collection and storage Collection of more than 150,000 tonnes of cereals and oilseed proteins annually from partner farmers across 26 sites, with 156,670 tonnes of storage capacity across 328 cells.
• Solutions Agro agricultural inputs supply Sale of seeds, fertilizers, biocontrol products, and plant protection products to approximately 2,500 farmer clients, with agronomic advice and technical support.
• Aliment Marion organic animal feed Organic animal nutrition brand produced in a 100% organic-certified modern facility, with products in pellets, crumbs, or flour form.
• Moulin Marion organic flour Organic flours including classic wheat, stone-milled wheat, rye, spelt, corn, and chestnut flours from certified organic cereals.
• Cholat Malt Malt produced from Isère-grown barley in partnership with Les Maltiers – La Fabrique Contemporaine. Certified under Is(h)ere and Ma Région ses Terroirs regional brands.
• Magasins agricoles (agricultural retail stores) Network of five Libre-Service Agricoles stores serving both professionals and individuals with animal feed, garden supplies, fencing, fertilizers, seeds, and garden equipment.
• Lohla equine nutrition Equine nutrition brand created through partnership between Maison François Cholat and Ets Lotte, offering products and services adapted to equine-specific requirements.
• Pavé de Savoye regional bread flour Specialty flour for the Savoyard regional bread marked with the Cross of Savoy — the first traced regional bread made from Savoie wheat.
• La Tradition regional bread flours (Savoies / Loire / Isère) Regional tradition bread flours with golden crust and cream-colored crumb, differentiated by territory (Annecy/Chambéry, St Etienne, Grenoble/Bourgoin-Jallieu).
• Pain François bread flour Flour for rustique bread with dark blond crumb, garnished with sunflower seeds and toasted soy gritz. Created in 1997 for the company's 120th anniversary.

Quantifiable outcome

• 37 farmers and 9,000 tonnes of wheat collected under Culture Durable en Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes certification in 2019
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Les Recettes de DanielminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 March 2026Pet food partner featured during the March 2026 reseller partner day at the new logistics platform. New products from Les Recettes de Daniel were presented alongside Maison François Cholat brands Le Père François and Lohla.
• SchaumanncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Technical partnership for silage best practices training. Schaumann technical animators co-led a training day with Maison François Cholat teams for students at Lycée agricole privé Étienne Gautier de Ressins and local breeders, covering grass and maize silage trial results, best practices, silo audits, and physical ration analysis.
• Lycée agricole privé Étienne Gautier de RessinscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Educational partnership hosting silage training days. 180 students and multiple breeders participated in a day focused on silage best practices, trial results, and ration analysis, with technical animators from Schaumann and Maison François Cholat.
• Salon Alpin (Halle Olympique, Albertville)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Annual trade show presence at the Salon Alpin in Albertville (Hall 2, Stand 72) where the Grands Moulins de Thuille team presents local recipe ideas, new Savoie communication materials, and in-store point-of-sale Savoie materials.
• Groupe BernardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2022Strategic partner in the PEPITES hemp filament project. Groupe Bernard joined Oxyane and Maison François Cholat to enable 90% coverage of farmers in priority catchment areas across the target departments for hemp cultivation.
• VICATcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2022VICAT's Direction de l'Innovation Appliquée provides technical expertise to the PEPITES hemp project, contributing to biosourced construction material development and leveraging VICAT's experience with biosourced building systems such as Biosys.
• PEPITES (Chanvrière de Morestel)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2022A newly created independent company (société indépendante de l'entreprise familiale) to operate the hemp processing facility at Morestel. All upstream and downstream actors can participate. François Cholat serves as President of both PEPITES and the parent company.
• OxyanecoreOthers · 1 May 2021In May 2021, Maison François Cholat acquired 5 sites from Oxyane (the merged entity of La Dauphinoise and Terre d'Alliance): Veyrins (38) for collection, Jons (69) for collection, St Romain en Gal (69) for 20,000T multimodal storage, Yenne (73) for collection, and Chamoux sur Gelon (73) for collection.
• Les Maltiers – La Fabrique ContemporainecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Malt production partner transforming Isère-grown barley into Cholat Malt. They guarantee quality and traceability of production, and the resulting malt has received Is(h)ere and Ma Région ses Terroirs approvals.
• LPO Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2020Environmental partnership established in May 2020 to protect the hen harrier (busard cendré). Maison François Cholat created a contractual addendum for farmers committing to protect nesting sites, install buffer strips, and preserve cover crops. The company covers any harvest losses and raises farmer awareness.
• LPO Auvergne-Rhône-AlpescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership to protect the busard cendré (hen harrier), coordinated with EC'EAU RESPONSABLE water protection contracts, involving the Agence de l'Eau, the Chambre d'Agriculture de l'Isère, and local communities.
• Agence de l'EaucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partner in the EC'EAU RESPONSABLE programme for priority water catchment areas, co-financing the transition toward reduced pesticide and fertilizer use with Maison François Cholat, the Chambre d'Agriculture de l'Isère, and local communities.
• Chambre d'Agriculture de l'IsèrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Key partner in the EC'EAU RESPONSABLE programme, jointly developing stricter crop specifications, crop rotation requirements, and environmental monitoring with Maison François Cholat, the Agence de l'Eau, and local communities.
• MFR Moirans (Maison Familiale et Rurale)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2019Educational partnership for a Certification de Spécialisation 'Technico-commercial en agriculture'. An alternation programme of one year (15 weeks at school, rest in company) has resulted in 100% hiring rate of students who completed their alternance at Maison François Cholat's animal nutrition branch.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Advitam: French agricultural cooperative group in northern France covering cereal collection, agricultural supplies distribution, and animal nutrition. Comparable integrated farmer-supplier business model with similar retail and agri-input activities.
• Axéréal: Major French agricultural cooperative with cereal collection, storage, milling, and animal nutrition activities serving farmers in central France. Directly comparable to MFC's vertically integrated regional model, though at much larger scale.
• Agrial: French agricultural cooperative with diversified activities across cereal collection, animal feed, milling, and agricultural retail. Operates in adjacent French regions with a comparable multi-activity farmer-supplier business model.
• Vivescia: French cooperative group specializing in cereals, malting, and milling with farmer-supplier network. Highly comparable to MFC's cereal collection, flour milling (including Label Rouge), and emerging malt/bioeconomy initiatives.
• Terrena: French agricultural cooperative with animal nutrition, crop production, and food processing activities. Comparable multi-activity farmer-supplier model with similar downstream processing focus.
• NatUp: French agricultural cooperative spanning crop production, collection, animal nutrition, and food distribution. Directly comparable integrated value chain serving Normandy farmers, similar in philosophy and structure to MFC.
• Euralis: French agricultural cooperative with activities in cereals, animal nutrition, and downstream food production. Comparable multi-segment farmer-supplier structure serving southwestern France.
• Sanders (Avril Group): Leading French animal feed manufacturer under Avril Group, with strong presence in livestock nutrition (ruminants, poultry, pigs). Directly comparable to MFC's Le Père François brand in compound feed manufacturing and on-farm advisory.

Broad incumbents

• InVivo: France's leading agricultural cooperative federation encompassing trading, milling (Grands Moulins de Paris via Soufflet), retail, and digital agriculture. Overlaps with MFC on flour milling and cereal trading but operates at significantly larger national scale.

Regional players

• Minoterie Bach Mühle: Independent family-owned French flour miller focused on regional and specialty flours with comparable Label Rouge heritage and traceability emphasis. Provides a like-for-like mill-only peer, though geographically focused on Alsace rather than Rhône-Alpes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/maisonfrancoischolat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maison-francois-cholat

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries6 records

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 Maison François Cholat