Le Palais des Saveurs

What Le Palais des Saveurs does

Le Palais des Saveurs is a privately held French family business founded in 1993 by Michel Gigonnet, specializing exclusively in cheese cutting, packaging, and commercialization for B2B professional customers. The company offers approximately 50 cheese varieties — 90% French-sourced, including 18 PDO and 2 PGI protected designations representing 70% of total tonnage — across custom formats such as slices, portions, cubes, grated, julienned, nuggets, and trays. Products are available both fresh and Individually Quick Frozen (IQF), with the company's proprietary IQF deep-freezing process rapidly cooling products to core temperature in seconds to preserve cellular structure, texture, and nutrients at storage temperatures below -18°C. The company operates two specialized production facilities in Aurillac, France: the 3,000m² Pack Service site (fresh products, expanded progressively from 300m² in 1995) and the 4,000m² Le Gel des Saveurs site (frozen IQF products, rebuilt at expanded scale in 2022), together producing 2,733 tons of packaged cheese per year. Certifications include ISO FSSC 22000, BIO (organic), and Bleu Blanc Coeur (sustainability).

The revenue model is transaction-based B2B sales of processed cheese to four primary customer segments: commercial and institutional catering (restaurants, hotels, catering), food industry manufacturers, retail distribution chains, and street food/snacking operators. Go-to-market relies on a regional direct sales structure with national and sector-specific sales managers covering France Nord, France Sud, Bretagne Normandie Pays de la Loire, and Sud-Est, supplemented by export operations to more than 20 countries via road, air, and sea logistics. Export currently represents approximately 5% of revenue, with a stated target to reach 10% by 2024. Pricing is quote-based, tailored to customer specifications including grammage (10g to 5kg+), format, packaging type, and delivery requirements. A recently launched consumer product line (plates, trays, jars) distributed through recognized retail chains extends the model into B2C/retail. Revenue was reported at €31-35M for 2022 (sources conflict on the precise figure) with management guiding €34-35M for 2023.

The company holds no external investors, has no subsidiaries, and shows no mergers, acquisitions, or funding rounds — it remains entirely founder-led under CEO Michel Gigonnet with a sales and operations team organized regionally. Notable leadership includes Vincent Roux (Business Manager France/Export), Patricia Goupil (Sales Director / Key Accounts), and regional directors Juliette Papin (France Nord), Antonin Soulié (France Ouest), and Emilie Gadiou (France Est), with new sector managers added in 2025 for Sud-Est and Bretagne Normandie. The company received BFMTV "Entreprises d'Avenir" recognition in 2023 as a French expert in fresh and frozen cheese sales to professionals.

Name

Le Palais des Saveurs

Legal name

Le Palais des Saveurs

Website

https://lepalaisdessaveurs.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Le Palais des Saveurs is a French family-owned cheese processor (founded 1993) that cuts, packages, and distributes approximately 50 cheese varieties — fresh and IQF-frozen — to B2B foodservice, industrial, retail, and street food customers across France and 20+ export countries, reporting €34-35M revenue in 2023.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cheese Processing & Manufacturing

NAICS

Cheese Manufacturing (311513), Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing (311412)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Grated, Shredded & Sliced Cheese Manufacturing (Value-Added Cuts) (AFAHABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cheese Packaging & Portioning (Retail Packs, Snack Packs, Singles) (AFAHABAI), Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAB)

Keywords

• Cheese processing services
• IQF frozen cheese
• Fresh cheese cuts
• PDO cheese varieties
• Cheese commercialization

Headquarters

HQ city

Aurillac

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cheese Processing and Distribution: B2B cheese processing and commercialization. The company cuts, packages, and sells cheese products to professional customers in foodservice, industry, and retail. Revenue streams from fresh cheese products and IQF frozen cheese products. AOP/PGI cheeses represent 70% of company revenue. Export represents approximately 5% of business with target to reach 10% by 2024.
2. Custom Cutting Services: Tailor-made cheese solutions with precise cutting to customer specifications. Services include custom grammage, packaging formats (bags, trays, pots), and format customization (grated, sliced, cubed, portioned).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Le Palais des Saveurs is a French family-owned cheese processor that cuts, packages, and commercializes approximately 50 varieties of cheeses (90% French-sourced, with 70% of tonnage from 18 PDO and 2 PGI protected designations) for B2B professional customers in foodservice, industrial food production, and retail distribution. The company offers custom grammage, multiple cut formats, and flexible packaging in both fresh and IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) formats, operating from two production sites (Pack Service for fresh, Gel des Saveurs for frozen). Annual production reaches 2,733 tons of packaged cheeses.

Product overview

Le Palais des Saveurs is a French family business specializing in cheese cutting and commercialization, offering around fifty varieties of cheeses for foodservice and industrial clients. The company operates as a single unified product portfolio organized around two main axes: (1) cheese cuts including Slices, Portions, Grated/Shaved/Julienned, Cubes/Minidés/Nuggets, Trays/Plates, and Hot Cheeses; and (2) dishes by use case including Snacking, Aperitif, Dishes (raclette/pizza/quiche), Street Food, and Trays. Products are available both fresh and in IQF frozen format, with approximately 90% of cheeses of French origin and 70% of tonnage from 20 PDO/PGI protected varieties. The company operates production sites in Aurillac (headquarters) and Burgundy, with over 30 years of experience in the cheese industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pack Service: Fresh cheese production and packaging site located in Burgundy, 3000m² facility.
• Le Gel des Saveurs

Products and services

• Slices (Les Tranches) Pre-cut cheese slices available in various formats (square, rectangular, round) with weights from 10gr to 20gr and beyond. Available fresh and/or frozen IQF. Packaging in bags from 1kg to 5kg or trays from 200gr to 4kg.
• Portions (Les Portions) Individual cheese portions in various shapes (square, rectangular, round, triangular tip) with weights of 10gr, 15gr, 20gr and more. Packaging as single portions, trays from 200gr to 4kg, and bags from 1kg to 5kg.
• Grated, Shavings, Julienned (Râpés, Copeaux, Julienne) Cheese prepared in grated, shaved, and julienned formats for culinary preparations. Packaging in bags or trays. Weights from 100gr to 5kg and beyond. Includes varieties such as Comté, Emmental, Grana Padano, Parmigiano Reggiano, Gruyère, Pecorino, and Mimolette.
• Cubes, Minidés, 3D Nuggets² Cheese cubes, minidices, and 3D nuggets available fresh or as IQF frozen. Sizes include 5, 10, 12, 16, 20mm. Formats: Crumble, Nuggets, Minidiced, Cubes. Packaging in bags 1kg to 5kg, trays, or pots. Includes Fourme d'Ambert, Cheddar, Edam, Gouda, Bleu, Reblochon, Morbier.
• Trays and Plates (Plateaux Assiettes) Cheese trays and plates for various occasions. Trays from 250gr to 500gr; plates from 80gr to 250gr. Portions of 20 to 40gr for plates and blocks of 50gr to 100gr for trays. Available in square or rectangular formats.
• Hot Cheeses (Fromages Chauds) Ready-to-heat cheese products including Camembert (120gr), Cheese Box (240gr), and Oven Goat Cheese (120gr). Heat-ready in 3 minutes in round boxes.
• IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) Cheese Processing Deep-frozen cheese products using state-of-the-art quick cold setting technology that preserves freshness, texture, and flavor while locking in nutrients and vitamins. Storage at temperatures below -18°C. Operated through the dedicated Gel des Saveurs site.
• Custom Cheese Cutting and Packaging Service Tailor-made cheese solutions with precise cutting to customer specifications. Services include custom grammage (10gr to 5kg+), packaging formats (bags, trays, pots), and format customization (grated, sliced, cubed, portioned, julienned). Both fresh and frozen IQF options.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,733 tons of packaged cheese processed annually
• +3 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cheese Producers and SupplierscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of cheese producers supplying raw materials for cutting and processing. Company works with partner producers to offer quality cheeses, including 18 PDO and 2 PGI protected varieties representing 70% of production volume. Vincent Roux, Business Manager France/Export, emphasizes highlighting partner producers' expertise and offering customers unique products from unique terroirs.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lactalis:
• Savencia Fromage & Dairy: Major French cheese and dairy group operating across branded cheese, industrial cheese ingredients, and value-added cuts. Broad incumbent with overlapping capability in processed and portioned cheese for foodservice and industry, though serving a far larger and more diversified portfolio than Le Palais.
• Bel Group: French-headquartered global cheese group (Laughing Cow, Babybel, Kiri) with significant processed and portioned cheese operations. Comparable on cheese cutting, portioning, and packaging expertise for foodservice and retail, though Bel operates at much greater scale and brand breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lepalaisdessaveurs

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Le Palais des Saveurs