Sofraca

What Sofraca does

Sofraca (Société SOFRACA) is a French family-owned manufacturer of professional small-format kitchen equipment, founded in 1964 by Pierre Orset and headquartered in Athis-Mons, France. The company designs, assembles, and distributes a broad portfolio of hardware organized into 13 product universes — modular cooking (SOFRACHEF), refrigeration (SOFRACOLD), dishwashing (SOFRAWASH), ultra-rapid cooking ovens (SOFRASPEED), bar equipment, pizza preparation, snacking, salamanders/toasters, hot holding (VISIO BUFFET), water cooking, burners, professional ovens, and fairground equipment — with proprietary technical platforms such as the SOFRASPEED multi-technology oven combining convection, infrared, and Turbo Quartz, and the SPEEDVITRO vitrocéramique salamander. Products are built or assembled in France at the company's Atelier SOFRACA, with the SOFRACHEF line carrying a 3-year parts warranty versus a standard 1-year coverage on most other SKUs.

The business serves B2B customers across the French hospitality industry — restaurants, bars, pizzerias, fast-food outlets, hotels, caterers, fairground operators, and ice cream shops — through a dual-channel model combining a nationwide network of authorized resellers with a direct B2B e-commerce platform that requires professional account validation before pricing is disclosed. The company employs 51–100 people, operates on a hardware-sales revenue model with pay-as-you-go B2B billing, and ships orders placed before 12:00 within 24 hours. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; sample ex-VAT unit prices range from approximately €1,400 (pizza former) to €3,500 (ice crusher). Strategic posture is family-business continuity, French manufacturing heritage, in-house assembly, and channel-led domestic distribution, with no external funding, no disclosed revenue, and no operational presence outside France.

Name

Sofraca

Legal name

Société SOFRACA

Website

https://sofraca.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sofraca is a family-owned French manufacturer of professional kitchen equipment founded in 1964, serving restaurants, bars, pizzerias, caterers, and fairground operators in France through a reseller network and direct B2B e-commerce platform across 13 product categories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Kitchen Equipment

NAICS

Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341)

akta.pro primary industry

Restaurant & Commercial Kitchen Equipment Wholesale (AFAIALAB)

Keywords

• Professional kitchen equipment
• Commercial cooking equipment
• Refrigeration equipment
• Dishwashing equipment
• Bar equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Athis-mons

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Kitchen Equipment Sales: Sofraca generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of professional kitchen equipment for the hospitality and restaurant industry. Products are sold through direct sales and authorized reseller network. The company operates an e-commerce platform where customers can create pre-orders, with pricing available to registered/professional accounts only.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sofraca designs and manufactures professional small equipment for the hospitality and restaurant industry, organized into 13 product universes spanning modular cooking (SOFRACHEF), refrigeration (SOFRACOLD), dishwashing (SOFRAWASH), ultra-rapid cooking ovens (SOFRASPEED), bar equipment, pizza preparation, snacking, salamanders, hot holding, water cooking, burners, and fairground equipment. Products are manufactured in France and sold via an authorized reseller network and a B2B e-commerce platform requiring professional account validation.

Product overview

Sofraca is a French manufacturer of professional small equipment for the hospitality and restaurant industry, founded in 1964. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio organized into distinct product universes/sub-brands: SOFRACHEF (modular cooking equipment with 3-year warranty), SOFRACOLD (refrigeration equipment including cabinets, tables, and blast chillers), SOFRAWASH (professional dishwashing), and the SOFRASPEED (ultra-rapid cooking ovens). The main product categories span across 13 distinct universes including bar equipment (mixers, shakers, centrifuges, citrus presses, ice crushers), pizza equipment (ovens, dough shapers), snacking equipment, salamanders and toasters, hot holding equipment, water cooking, fairground equipment, burners/rechauds, and professional ovens. The company manufactures products primarily in France with a focus on durability and quality, with most products carrying a 1-3 year parts warranty. Notable flagship products include the SOFRASPEED 2 ultra-rapid oven, MULTIB 3-in-1 combined grinder, various pizza shapers and rollers, and the iconique SENIOR toaster.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SOFRACOLD: Refrigeration equipment product line including refrigerated cabinets, tables, display cases, and ice machines.
• SOFRACHEF
• SOFRAWASH
• SOFRASPEED

Products and services

• SOFRACHEF Modular Cooking Line Modular 700-series cooking equipment for professional kitchens with a 3-year parts warranty, including gas fires, vitrocéramic plates, electric round plates, planchas, pasta cookers, fryers, bain-maries, multifunction sauté pans, lava stone grills, electric grills, fry warmers, neutral elements, and oven bases.
• SOFRACOLD Professional Refrigeration Line Professional refrigeration equipment for commercial kitchen environments including ice machines, blast chillers, positive and negative refrigerated cabinets, positive and negative refrigerated tables, saladettes, refrigerated display cases, and wall-mounted display cases.
• SOFRAWASH Professional Dishwashing Line Professional dishwashing equipment for high-volume kitchen environments including glass washers, front-loading dishwashers, hood-type dishwashers, and hood dishwasher environment tables.
• SOFRASPEED Ultra-Rapid Cooking Oven Ultra-rapid cooking oven combining convection, infrared, and Turbo Quartz technologies that cooks, reheats, and defrosts while maintaining food crispiness; the SOFRASPEED 2 (2024) is the second generation with a new design and larger internal dimensions.
• Univers Bar Equipment Professional bar equipment for bars, discotheques, and cocktail establishments including mixers (MX185, MX285), electric shakers (34012N, 34022N), centrifuges (6500X, 6700X), citrus presses (BJ240G, SL98), and ice crushers (BG90, BG30, BGIR, MULTIB combined unit).
• Univers Pizzas Equipment Professional pizza equipment including pizza ovens, pizza dough shapers (P30A, P40A, M35) and pizza dough rollers (18312) for pizza restaurants and artisanal pizzerias, with cold-working dough handling that preserves dough characteristics.
• Univers Forain Fairground Equipment Fairground and carnival food equipment for mobile vendors and event caterers including cotton candy machines, popcorn machines, crepe makers, waffle irons, donut fryers, and chocolate warmers.
• Univers Snacking Equipment Snacking and fast food preparation equipment including panini grills, kebab grills, snack plates, smokers, and professional fryers for snack bars, sandwich shops, and quick-service establishments.
• Salamanders & Toasters Professional salamanders, toasters, and toaster ovens for grilling, toasting, and warming food in commercial kitchens, including SPEEDVITRO salamander models with vitrocéramique technology for rapid and even cooking.
• Maintien au Chaud Hot Holding Equipment Hot holding equipment for buffet and catering service including the proprietary VISIO BUFFET system, heating plates, dish warmers, standing heat lamps, suspended heat lamps, heating rails, heated display cases, and plate warmers.
• Cuisson à l'Eau Water Cooking Equipment Water-based cooking equipment for professional kitchens including pasta cookers, sausage warmers, bain-maries, and egg cookers.
• Univers Fours Professional Ovens Professional ovens for commercial kitchens including convection ovens, SOFRASPEED ultra-rapid ovens, and multifunction ovens.
• Univers Réchauds Burners Professional burners and rechauds including electric burners, gas burners, vitrocéramic burners, and induction cookers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 24-hour shipping for orders placed before 12:00
• +1 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• EcologicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental partnership for responsible equipment end-of-life management. Sofraca participates in Ecologic's WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) recycling program as a responsible manufacturer.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Roller Grill: French family-owned manufacturer of professional cooking equipment (plancha, grills, salamanders, toasters, fryers, waffle irons, crepe makers). Closest direct peer to Sofraca — same geography, overlapping product universes in snacking/grilling/hot holding, similar B2B foodservice customer base.
• Bartscher: German-based manufacturer and distributor of professional kitchen equipment covering cooking, refrigeration, dishwashing, and buffet lines. Comparable to Sofraca's 13-universe full-line catalog approach, with broader European distribution.
• Diamond Europe: Belgian manufacturer of professional catering and kitchen equipment (cooking ranges, ovens, refrigeration, dishwashing, bar equipment). Direct competitor in continental European commercial kitchen space with overlapping modular cooking and refrigeration lines.
• Combisteel: Dutch manufacturer of commercial kitchen equipment including cooking, refrigeration, and stainless steel fabrication. Comparable mid-sized European competitor with similar B2B foodservice distribution model.
• Hendi: Dutch manufacturer and distributor of professional kitchen and foodservice equipment including cooking appliances, buffetware, and smallwares. Overlaps with Sofraca's small equipment and buffet/hot-holding categories across European hospitality customers.
• RM Gastro: Central European (Czech/Slovak) manufacturer of professional kitchen equipment covering cooking, refrigeration, dishwashing, and stainless steel fabrication. Comparable mid-sized competitor targeting European hospitality operators.
• Tecnoinox: Italian manufacturer of professional modular cooking equipment (ranges, ovens, pasta cookers, fryers, bain-maries). Direct overlap with Sofraca's SOFRACHEF modular 700 cooking line for restaurants and hotels.

Broad incumbents

• Hoshizaki: Global Japanese manufacturer specializing in commercial refrigeration, ice machines, and professional kitchen equipment. Directly comparable to Sofraca's SOFRACOLD line, but at much larger global scale with broader product breadth.
• Middleby Corporation: US-based global leader in commercial kitchen equipment with 100+ brands across cooking, refrigeration, food prep, and beverage. Broad incumbent competitor across all of Sofraca's product universes at much greater scale.
• Electrolux Professional: Swedish-Italian global manufacturer of professional cooking, refrigeration, dishwashing, and laundry solutions for hospitality. Large incumbent competitor to Sofraca in modular cooking, dishwashing, and refrigeration categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sofraca1964
• Facebookfacebook.com/sofraca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/societe-franco-helvetica-sofraca

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 Sofraca