Demarne

What Demarne does

Demarne (legal entity Demarne Frères) is a French family-owned B2B seafood wholesaler and processor, founded in 1929 and now operated by the 3rd and 4th generations of the Demarne family. The company operates two physical sites: a 5,000m² warehouse and 1,000m² seafood sales pavilion (Pavillon de la Marée) at Rungis International Market, and a 3,000m² production facility at Boulogne-sur-Mer, France's largest fishing port. It commercializes approximately 24,000 tons of seafood annually — including 7,500 tons of mussels (making it France's leading mussel distributor) plus fish, oysters, shrimp and crustaceans, shellfish, frozen products, and processed seafood — sourced from five continents and certified under MSC, ASC, Organic, and HACCP frameworks.

The company's core technology and operational capability centers on an integrated cold-chain (3,000m³ of negative cold storage), a filleting and portioning workshop (atelier de mareyage, created 2009), and nightly traditional market sales operations running Monday night to Saturday morning at the Rungis pavilion. Its go-to-market is a multi-channel B2B wholesale motion: nightly physical pavilion sales at Rungis, warehouse distribution to clients not visiting the market, on-site sales at Boulogne-sur-Mer organized around five business units (traditional wholesale/retail, manufacturers, GMS, cash & carry, and fish trade/sourcing), and export to Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Customer segments are organized horizontally across commercial and institutional catering, large and medium distribution, traditional retail, industrial manufacturers, wholesalers/cash & carry, and export. Revenue is generated on a transaction-based wholesale model with quote-based negotiated pricing; the company reports €150M in annual turnover and operates with 170 employees. Proprietary brands include LA BARRE (processed seafood private label) and the wholly-owned Idées Halles subsidiary (institutional catering, acquired 2014).

Name

Demarne

Legal name

Demarne Frères

Website

https://demarnefreres.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Demarne is a family-owned French B2B seafood wholesaler and processor founded in 1929, distributing 24,000 tons annually of mussels, fish, oysters, and crustaceans to restaurants, retailers, GMS chains, caterers, and exporters from facilities at Rungis and Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rungis

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Seafood Wholesale Distribution: Traditional wholesale and retail seafood distribution through physical market pavilions and warehouses. Products sold to professional buyers including retailers, restaurateurs, caterers, wholesalers, and distributors. Revenue generated from product sales with volumes of 24,000 tons annually.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Demarne is a French seafood distribution and processing company founded in 1929 by Yvonne Demarne. The company sources, processes, and distributes fresh, frozen, and prepared seafood products from five continents to B2B clients. It operates from the Rungis international market and a secondary facility in Boulogne-sur-Mer, handling 24,000 tons of seafood annually including 7,500 tons of mussels, making it France's leading mussel supplier.

Product overview

Demarne is a seafood distribution company operating as a bridge between seafood production and final distribution, offering a diversified portfolio of fresh, frozen, and processed seafood products. The core product portfolio includes mussels (their flagship product at 7,500 tons/year), fish and seafood (sourced from Northern Europe with filleting capabilities in Boulogne-sur-Mer), oysters, shrimp and crustaceans, frozen products, shellfish, and processed seafood delicatessen items. Two proprietary brands extend the portfolio: LA BARRE (their private-label processed seafood brand including terrines, smoked salmon, and spreads) and Idées Halles (acquired subsidiary specializing in institutional catering). Featured seasonal products include the premium Crevette Impériale de David Hervé and Moule de Bouchot Morisseau. Operations span a seafood sales pavilion at Rungis International Market and a processing facility with viviers (live tanks) in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France's largest fishing port.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LA BARRE: Wide range of processed seafood products including terrines, seafood salads, smoked salmon, shrimps in brine, marinated anchovies, surimi, and spreadable products under the LA BARRE brand.

Products and services

• LA BARRE Private-label seafood brand distributed by Demarne to B2B clients including restaurants, caterers, and retailers across France.
• Morisseau® Moules de Bouchot Premium bouchot mussel brand offering high-quality French specialty mussels, marketed under the registered Morisseau® trademark.
• Idées Halles Prepared and processed seafood subsidiary offering traiteur products (ready-to-use seafood preparations) to foodservice operators and retail clients. Acquired by Demarne in 2014.
• Fresh seafood distribution B2B supply of fresh fish, shellfish, mussels, oysters, crustaceans, and other seafood sourced from five continents and distributed to French foodservice and retail clients.
• Frozen seafood distribution B2B supply of frozen seafood products to restaurants, retailers, and food manufacturers across France.

Quantifiable outcome

• 24,000 tons of seafood volumes annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Idées HallescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Subsidiary acquired in 2014, specialized in institutional catering with specific target clientele of mass catering operations including self-managed or franchised businesses and school canteens. Offers wide range of portioned fresh or frozen fish products.
• Mussel Cultivators and Producers (France, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Greece, UK, Denmark)coreOthersLong-term supply partnerships with mussel cultivators and producers from multiple countries following strict specifications and specific chain certifications. These partnerships ensure year-round availability of quality mussels with seasonal optimization based on product characteristics.
• Fishing Fleets of Northern EuropecoreOthersSourcing partnerships with fishing boats and fisheries from Northern Europe for daily purchases at fish auctions, supplying the filleting workshop and enabling quality and regularity commitments.
• David Hervé (Imperial Shrimp Producer)minorOthersPremium supplier of Imperial Shrimp raised in refining ponds in Charente-Maritime from April 15 to November 1. All-natural production method with no food or preservatives added, offering exceptional quality and subtle flavors.
• French Fish Auctions (Criées Françaises)coreOthersDaily purchasing relationships with French fish auctions for fresh seafood sourcing, enabling direct market access and product quality verification.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Metro France: French cash-and-carry and foodservice wholesaler serving HoReCa professionals. Overlaps with Demarne in restaurant/caterer seafood supply but competes as a broad-line international player rather than a seafood specialist.
• Nomad Foods: European frozen food giant owning brands including Findus, Iglo, and Birds Eye. Overlaps with Demarne in frozen seafood categories and B2B foodservice channels but operates as a brand-led frozen food incumbent at much larger scale.
• Sysco France: French subsidiary of Sysco Corporation, one of the largest global foodservice distributors. Overlaps with Demarne in B2B foodservice seafood distribution but operates as a broad-line distributor with seafood as one category among many.
• Thai Union Group: Global seafood conglomerate and owner of OCEALLIANCE, MerAlliance, and Chicken of the Sea. Overlaps with Demarne through its French seafood subsidiaries in B2B distribution and processed seafood, but operates at vastly larger scale as a global incumbent.

Direct peers

• PassionFroid (Pomona Group): PassionFroid is the seafood-specialized arm of French foodservice distribution leader Pomona, serving restaurants and institutional caterers with fresh, frozen, and processed seafood. Direct competitor to Demarne in the French B2B foodservice seafood market with similar scale and customer base.
• Labeyrie Fine Foods: French premium seafood specialist best known for smoked salmon and frozen seafood prepared products. Direct competitor to Demarne in LA BARRE's processed seafood category and shares retail GMS and foodservice customers across France.
• Guyader Gastronomie: French prepared seafood company producing terrines, smoked fish, seafood salads, and ready-to-eat products. Direct competitor to LA BARRE brand and operates in similar B2B channels (retail, foodservice) in the French value-added seafood market.
• MerAlliance: French seafood company based in Brittany, specializing in salmon and trout processing and distribution. Owned by Thai Union, MerAlliance competes with Demarne in processed/fresh salmon products and shares the French B2B seafood channel with similar customer typology.
• OCEALLIANCE: French seafood processor and distributor specializing in smoked salmon, trout, and processed seafood products. Now part of Thai Union Group, OCEALLIANCE operates similar B2B seafood processing/distribution activities to Demarne and competes in the prepared seafood category.

Others

• Mowi ASA: World's largest Atlantic salmon producer, headquartered in Norway. Functions as an upstream supplier and emerging direct-to-market player; relevant as a comparator on seafood sourcing/processing capabilities but does not overlap in French B2B wholesale distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors3 records

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 Demarne