Chocolat Des Princes

What Chocolat Des Princes does

Chocolat des Princes is a French family-owned artisan chocolate house founded in 1897 and headquartered in La Tour-en-Jarez, Loire (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), operating continuously for 127 years. The company manufactures chocolates, confectionery, and ice cream using traditional methods, including roasting, grinding, conching, molding, and coating with pure cocoa butter, and sources rigorously selected raw materials. Its product portfolio spans pralinés, ganaches, truffles, mendiants, tablets, regional liqueur chocolates, dragées, pâtes de fruits, marrons glacés, and house specialties protected by registered trademarks such as Gréalons du Pilat® and Anthracite®.

The business runs a vertically integrated direct-to-consumer model with two physical retail points (the factory boutique in La Tour-en-Jarez and a city-center boutique on Place du Peuple in Saint-Étienne), a proprietary e-commerce website offering home delivery and free in-store pickup across France, and a small B2B channel via an Espace Pro portal. Customers are predominantly individual chocolate enthusiasts and gift buyers, supplemented by tourists reached through a partnership with the Office de Tourisme de Saint-Étienne for guided factory tours. Pricing is unit-based, with products ranging from approximately €5.90 to €57.90 and free delivery thresholds of €60 (pickup point) and €80 (home).

There is no public financial disclosure, no external funding, no parent company, and no evidence of institutional ownership; the company is privately held by its founding family. Marketing relies on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and an email newsletter offering a 10% discount on the next order. The workforce is small (11-50 employees), consistent with a boutique artisanal operation.

Name

Chocolat Des Princes

Legal name

Chocolat des Princes

Website

https://chocolatdesprinces.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chocolat des Princes is a 127-year-old family-owned French artisan chocolate maker producing chocolates, confectionery, and ice cream with pure cocoa butter. It serves individual gift buyers, tourists, and a small B2B base through two boutiques in the Saint-Étienne area and a domestic e-commerce site.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Artisan Chocolate & Confectionery

NAICS

Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing (31135), Confectionery Manufacturing from Purchased Chocolate (311352), Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520)

SIC

Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060), Bakery Products (2050)

akta.pro primary industry

Chocolate & Chocolate Confectionery (CRADABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Chocolatiers & Confectionery (CRAHAGAH), Chocolate, Sweet Spreads & Syrups Manufacturing (AFAKADAK)

Keywords

• Artisan chocolate
• French confectionery
• Handcrafted chocolates
• Artisan ice cream
• Chocolate gift boxes

Headquarters

HQ city

La Tour-en-jarez

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Boutique Sales: Direct sales of artisan chocolates and confectionery through two company-owned retail boutiques located in La Tour-en-Jarez and Saint-Étienne.
2. E-commerce Sales: Online sales through company website with home delivery (Chronopost pickup points from €60, home delivery from €80) and free in-store pickup.
3. Professional/B2B Sales: Espace Pro section suggests business customers can create accounts for bulk or professional orders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Chocolat des Princes manufactures and sells handcrafted artisan chocolates, traditional confectionery, and artisanal ice creams made using pure cocoa butter and time-honored techniques. The company sells its products directly to consumers through two company-owned boutiques in La Tour-en-Jarez and Saint-Étienne, and through its own e-commerce website with delivery across France, supplemented by a professional-business ordering channel.

Product overview

Chocolat Des Princes is a traditional French chocolate house established in 1897, operating as a family-owned artisanal confectionery. The company offers three main product categories: (1) Chocolats artisanaux - handcrafted chocolates including assortments, malakoffs, truffes, mendiants, napolitains, tablets, and specialty items like Anthracite® and Grêlons du Pilat®; (2) Confiseries - confectionery products including fruit pastes, glazed chestnuts, dragées, chocolate-coated almonds, shortbread cookies, and house-made hazelnut spread; (3) Glaces artisanales - artisanal ice creams made with whole milk and fresh cream. The product portfolio emphasizes traditional craftsmanship with pure cocoa butter, featuring regional specialties like Chocolats à la Verveine du Velay and Griottes au kirsch. Products are sold through physical boutiques in La Tour-en-Jarez and Saint-Étienne, as well as online with delivery throughout France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chocolats Assortis (Assorted Chocolates) Artisanal assorted chocolates including pralinés, ganaches, truffes, and house specialties made with pure cocoa butter, sold in assorted boxes and gift sets for consumers and gift purchasers.
• Malakoffs Praliné à l'ancienne House specialty chocolate featuring hazelnut and almond praliné rolled in hazelnuts and coated in dark or milk chocolate; available in dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and pistachio variants.
• Truffes à la crème (Cream Truffles) Traditional hand-rolled truffles made with fresh cream and coated in cocoa powder, available to retail and gift customers; best consumed within 4 weeks of purchase.
• Mendiants chocolat (Mendiant Chocolate Discs) Chocolate discs topped with almonds, hazelnuts, candied oranges, and cherries; available in dark chocolate and 3-chocolate assortments.
• Gréalons du Pilat® Registered trademark chocolate specialty from the Pilat region featuring a unique chocolate-covered hazelnut confectionery creation.
• Anthracite® Registered trademark distinctive dark chocolate confection, also available as an ice cream flavor.
• Orangettes Candied orange peel strips coated in dark chocolate, combining bittersweet candied fruit with rich chocolate.
• Griottes au kirsch Traditional pitted cherries macerated in kirsch and coated in dark chocolate made with pure cocoa butter.
• Chocolats à la liqueur Traditional liqueur-filled chocolates including Cognac, raspberry brandy, pear brandy, orange brandy, and Marc de Bourgogne varieties.
• Napolitains Small chocolate squares in dark chocolate 56% and extra bitter 70%, plus pure origin varieties from Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil, Dominican Republic, and Madagascar.
• Tablettes de chocolat (Chocolate Bars) Chocolate bars in dark chocolate (56% and 70%), milk chocolate, and assorted varieties including with hazelnuts, rice, and orange; sold in 100g bars (4-pack).
• Bâtons caramel chocolat Chocolate-covered caramel sticks, a traditional confection combining smooth caramel with rich chocolate coating.
• Bâtons crème Traditional vanilla cream bars coated in dark chocolate, available in vanilla and mint flavors.
• Boules crème Traditional vanilla cream balls coated in dark chocolate, combining vanilla sweetness with deep chocolate flavor; sold in 600g boxes.
• Boules praliné Dark chocolate shells filled with artisanal praliné made from Italian hazelnuts and Spanish almonds.
• Palets d'or Delicate chocolates with ganache infused with cream, coffee, and a touch of Cognac, topped with a golden decoration.
• Elégantes au chocolat Fine chocolate shapes made with pure cocoa butter, available in dark, milk, white, and blond chocolate varieties; sold in 200g gift boxes.
• Variétés moulages Traditional chocolate moldings made using the same molds for decades, available in dark and milk chocolate in 400g or 800g boxes.
• Croquantes au chocolat Chocolate snack discs ideal with coffee or for a sweet break, available in dark chocolate, dark bitter orange, and milk chocolate varieties.
• Chardons liqueurs Traditional recipe thistle-shaped liqueur chocolates in 4 flavors: kirsch (white), raspberry (pink), William pear (orange), and quetsche (blue).
• Fondants caramel Chocolate bonbons with salted butter caramel ganache inside, available in dark and milk chocolate varieties.
• Délices chocolat caramel Hand-molded bonbons filled with creamy salted butter caramel, coated in dark chocolate 52%; sold in 160g boxes.
• Pavés d'amandes pistache Superior almond paste (>50% almonds) with pistachios coated in fine dark chocolate, topped with a pure pistachio; sold in 200g boxes.
• Citronnettes lait Candied lemon peel strips softened by the flavor of milk chocolate, offering a taste of the south.
• Antillais citron White chocolate ganache with raisins macerated in white rum and lemon, coated in dark chocolate, evoking Caribbean flavors.
• Princesses nougatine Praliné cream on an almond nougatine disc, coated in dark chocolate, combining melting chocolate with creamy praliné and crispy nougatine.
• Délices de fruits Traditional fruit bars with blueberry, raspberry, pineapple, and pear pulp, coated in a thin layer of dark chocolate.
• Pralinés aux noix Artisanal praliné with Spanish almonds and Piedmont hazelnuts, coated in dark chocolate and topped with a Périgord walnut half.
• Assortiment de pralinés fins Fine praliné assortment coated in 70% dark chocolate and/or 32% milk chocolate, featuring caramel praliné with salted butter, hazelnut, hazelnut with biscuit, almond hazelnut with nougatine, Piedmont hazelnut, and walnut varieties.
• Chocolats à la Verveine du Velay Fine chocolates filled with Maison Pagès Verveine du Velay liqueur, aged in oak barrels and made with 32 plants from the Velay region in Haute-Loire; sold in 210g decorated boxes.
• Trio des malakoffs Gift set containing 3 boxes of 200g each of different malakoff varieties: praliné with hazelnut/almond coated in dark or milk chocolate, and pistachio paste version coated in dark chocolate.
• Nougats chocolat Traditional Montélimar nougat with almonds and pistachios, coated in a thin layer of dark chocolate.
• Coffret découverte (Discovery Gift Sets) Discovery gift sets available in three variants: Coffret des Délices (Napolitains, Sablés, Bâtons crème, Papillotes), Coffret des Spécialités (hazelnut spread, Malakoffs, Gréalons, assorted chocolates), and Coffret des Gourmets (Champagne, Griottines, Malakoffs, Gréalons).
• Coffret prestige Premium assorted chocolate gift box featuring a selection of fine dark and milk chocolates crafted with pure cocoa butter; available in 200g, 300g, and 400g sizes.
• Boîtes plateaux Chocolats assortis Gift boxes featuring an assortment of fine chocolates with pure cocoa butter, including crunchy pralinés, delicate almond pastes, creamy ganaches, and melting caramels; available in 220g, 440g, and 660g trays.
• Pâte à tartiner (Hazelnut Spread) House-made hazelnut spread crafted using Piedmont hazelnuts as an artisanal chocolate confectionery product.
• Cacao sucré (Sweetened Cocoa Powder) Sweetened cocoa powder, a confectionery product for drinking or baking applications.
• Amandes grillées enrobées au chocolat Roasted almonds coated in chocolate, a classic confectionery treat available in assorted varieties.
• Sablés des Princes House-baked shortbread cookies crafted as part of the confectionery range.
• Dragées chocolat Chocolate-coated sugar almonds and candy-coated chocolates in various colors including white brilliant finish.
• Dragées blanches amandes White sugar-coated almonds, traditional confectionery available in 250g packages.
• Dragées coeur chocolat Heart or lentil-shaped chocolate candy coated with sugar, a traditional confectionery item.
• Marrons glacés Traditional glazed chestnuts, a classic French confectionery specialty; sold in 120g boxes.
• Pâtes de fruits Traditional French fruit paste candies, authentic Auvergne pavés made using traditional confectionery methods; available in 6 flavors (apricot, blackcurrant, strawberry, morello cherry, orange, plum) and sold in 800g boxes.
• Crème glacée Bâton Crème Vanille de Madagascar Artisanal ice cream made with whole milk and fresh cream, without any coloring, artificial flavors, or taste enhancers; vanilla cream bar coated in dark chocolate, sold in 750ml (450g) containers.
• Crème glacée Malakoff pistache Artisanal ice cream featuring pistachio almond paste rolled in hazelnuts and dark chocolate, without artificial additives; only available for in-store pickup.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products guaranteed fresh when stored properly (14-18°C, away from light, 45-55% humidity)

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Office de Tourisme de Saint-ÉtiennecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with the Saint-Étienne Tourist Office for organizing and promoting guided factory tours of the chocolate factory. Reservations for visits are handled through the tourism office booking platform.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Debauve & Gallais: Historic Parisian chocolatier founded in 1800, producing traditional French chocolates with own boutiques and e-commerce — similar heritage-led, premium positioning and product range.
• La Maison du Chocolat: Premium French chocolatier with own boutiques and online store selling ganaches, pralinés and gift sets — directly overlaps on premium chocolate assortment, gift packaging, and DTC channels.
• Chocolat Bonnat: Family-owned French artisan chocolate maker founded in 1884 in Voiron, producing traditional chocolates and single-origin bars in a similar heritage-driven, single-production-site model.
• François Pralus: French artisan chocolate maker (founded 1948) famous for single-origin chocolate bars and traditional pralinés, with own boutique and e-commerce — directly comparable to Chocolat des Princes in craft positioning and product mix.
• Weiss: French chocolate house founded in 1882 (now owned by Nestlé), producing traditional artisan chocolates — comparable heritage and product range, though operating at significantly larger scale with national distribution.
• Chocolaterie de Puyricard: Provençal family artisan chocolatier founded in 1947, selling traditional hand-made chocolates via boutique and online — comparable scale, assortment-led gift catalog, and DTC model.

Broad incumbents

• Valrhona: Larger French premium chocolate maker (now owned by Savencia) focused on professional pastry/chocolate artisans and consumer retail — competes for the same premium 'pure cocoa butter' positioning but at much greater scale and B2B reach.
• Cémoi: Major French chocolate manufacturer with broad mass-market and premium product lines — competes in the French chocolate category overall but at much larger industrial scale and broader distribution than Chocolat des Princes.
• Menier Chocolate: Historic French chocolate brand founded in 1816, now part of Nestlé — shares the long French chocolate heritage narrative with Chocolat des Princes but operates as an industrial-scale mass-market confectionery brand.
• Révillon: Historic French chocolate brand (founded 1898) with mass-market premium positioning in gift assortments and seasonal chocolates — competes for the same French gifting occasions but with substantially larger scale and retail footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/chocolatdesprinces0621
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chocolatdesprinces
• Instagraminstagram.com/chocolatdesprinces/?hl=fr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Chocolat Des Princes