Manufacture France Produits d'Entretien

What Manufacture France Produits d'Entretien does

MFPE (Manufacture France Produits d'Entretien) is a French B2B contract manufacturer of leather and wood care products, based in La Tourette in the Auvergne Rhône Alpes region. Founded in the 19th century as a taper and candle workshop and owned by the Chabanol family since 1934, the company pivoted in 2017 to operate exclusively as a contract manufacturer, rebranding from La Chatelaine to MFPE. The core technology is the industrial formulation and manufacturing of wax-based products — both aqueous and solvent-based — produced via hot and cold processes in paste, cream, and liquid formats, with packaging capability spanning 30ml to 1,000L containers across 8 packaging lines.

The business operates from a 2,500 m² facility equipped with 12 steam reactors (700-1,000L), supported by in-house R&D and quality control laboratories and a proprietary portfolio of over 500 formulation recipes. MFPE serves distributors and brand manufacturers who require private-label or subcontracted production of polishes, balms, creams, oils, dyes, waterproofing treatments, and specialty cleaners — including customers such as Baranne (shoe polish), Bondex (wood care), Decathlon (sporting goods), and the parent company Groupe JLF (footwear and maintenance products), which acquired MFPE in 2024.

Revenue is generated through contract manufacturing fees, with pricing negotiated per project based on formulation complexity, volume, and packaging. The go-to-market is sales-led, relying on direct B2B relationships, technical consultation, and the company's bilingual website. ISO 9001 certification is in progress, and the company also offers co-design, regulatory compliance support, packaging storage, and logistics services to deliver finished products to customer warehouses.

Name

Manufacture France Produits d'Entretien

Legal name

MFPE (Manufacture France Produits d'Entretien)

Website

https://mfpe.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MFPE is a French B2B contract manufacturer that co-designs, formulates, manufactures, and packages leather and wood care products — including polishes, waxes, balms, oils, and cleaners — for distributors and brand owners such as Baranne, Bondex, and Decathlon.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

La Tourette

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Contract manufacturing fees: MFPE generates revenue by manufacturing leather and wood care products on behalf of distributors (private label) and brand manufacturers (subcontracting). Revenue is earned through production fees based on volume and complexity of formulations. The company switched entirely to contract manufacturing in 2017.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

MFPE co-designs, formulates, manufactures, and packages wax-based leather and wood care products on a contract basis for distributors (private label) and brand manufacturers (subcontracting). Manufacturing is conducted using hot and cold processes in 12 steam reactors (700–1,000 L) and 8 packaging lines, with packaging formats ranging from 30 ml to 1,000 L containers. The company also provides technical consulting, R&D and formulation, packaging, quality control/testing, and logistics services from its 2,500 m² facility in La Tourette, France.

Product overview

MFPE (Manufacture France Produits d'Entretien) is a contract manufacturer offering private label and subcontract manufacturing services primarily for leather and wood care products. The core product portfolio consists of Leather Care Products (including shoe polishes, balms, creams, milks, dyes, greases, and waterproofing for shoes, garments, furniture, vehicle interiors, and riding gear) and Wood Care Products (including waxes, polishes, oils, soaps, restorers, and varnishes for furniture, floors, and outdoor surfaces). Additionally, the company produces Specific/Custom Products including cleaners, textile products, equestrian care, and sporting goods. The service offering complements the manufacturing capability with Technical Consulting, R&D/Formulation, Manufacturing, Packaging, Testing/Quality Control, and Logistics services. Packaging ranges from 30 ml to 1,000 L containers. The company operates as a pure-play contract manufacturer for distributors and brand owners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leather Care Products Contract Manufacturing Contract manufacturing of leather care products including shoe polishes, balms, creams, milks, dyes, greases, and waterproofing products for distributors and brand manufacturers. Applications cover leather shoes, garments, furniture, vehicle interiors, and equestrian equipment.
• Wood Care Products Contract Manufacturing Contract manufacturing of wood care products including waxes, polishes, oils, soaps, restorers, and varnishes for furniture, floors, and outdoor wood surfaces, offered to distributors and brand manufacturers.
• Specific/Custom Products Contract Manufacturing Custom formulation and contract manufacturing of specialized products including cleaners, textile products, stove/chimney products, horse care products, sports waxes (surf, ski), and industrial mold release agents.
• Technical Consulting Services Technical consulting services covering formulation expertise, innovation support, and regulatory guidance for product development, provided to distributors and brand manufacturers.
• Research and Development and Formulation Services Research and development laboratory for product formulation and testing, including formulation elaboration and ingredient sourcing, delivered from MFPE's in-house labs.
• Industrial Manufacturing Services Industrial production services including raw material and ingredient mixing, hot or cold manufacturing processes for paste, cream, liquid, or other products, executed on 12 steam reactors (700–1,000 L) and 8 packaging lines.
• Packaging Services Filling, labelling, and outer packaging services for containers ranging from 30 ml to 1,000 L, including management and storage of customer-branded packaging.
• Testing and Quality Control Services Industrial testing and quality control services including prototype development, in-house quality control laboratory, and external QSE auditing.
• Logistics Services Storage and shipping services delivering finished products to customer warehouses.
• Technical and Safety Data Sheet Preparation Preparation of technical and safety data sheets personalized with the customer's logo, using the Quickfds platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• MFPE manufactures 700 tonnes of products annually from its 2,500 m² facility with 25 employees

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered notable and minor.

• BarannenotableChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMFPE won the contract to manufacture Baranne shoe polish in 2018, taking over production from South America. Baranne, a historic French shoe polish brand, values 'Made in France' production to promote French tradition. MFPE's high level of expertise and rigorous formulations met Baranne's expectations for high-end quality.
• BondexminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWood care brand using MFPE's contract manufacturing services.
• DecathlonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor sporting goods retailer using MFPE's contract manufacturing services, likely for leather and wood care products related to sporting equipment.
• SapominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMaintenance product brand using MFPE's contract manufacturing services.
• SolagminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMaintenance product brand using MFPE's contract manufacturing services.
• VeralineminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMaintenance product brand using MFPE's contract manufacturing services.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Avel (Saphir): Avel is a French manufacturer of premium shoe polishes and leather care products under the Saphir and Medaille d'Or brands. Directly comparable to MFPE as a French specialty manufacturer serving the same leather care end-market with overlapping formulations (waxes, creams, dyes).
• Angelus Shoe Polish: Angelus is a US manufacturer of shoe polishes, dyes, and leather care products, well-known in sneaker restoration. Comparable to MFPE as a specialist formulator of niche, premium-positioned shoe and leather care products.
• Howard Products: Howard Products is a US manufacturer of wood and leather care products including Restor-A-Finish and Feed-N-Wax. Comparable to MFPE as a specialty formulator of wax-based care products for wood and leather surfaces, with similar heritage positioning.
• Bickmore: Bickmore is a long-established US manufacturer of leather care products including Bick 4 leather conditioner. Comparable to MFPE as a heritage specialty formulator focused on the leather care category with similar wax and oil-based formulations.
• Briwax: Briwax is a UK-based manufacturer of wax-based wood finishes, polishes, and cleaners. Directly comparable to MFPE on the wood care side with the same wax-chemistry specialization, niche distribution model, and contract/private-label orientation.

Emerging players

• Furniture Clinic: Furniture Clinic is a UK-based specialist in leather and wood care products with strong direct-to-consumer distribution. Comparable to MFPE on formulation and category overlap, but differentiated by its direct e-commerce model rather than contract manufacturing.

Broad incumbents

• Cherry Blossom (Henkel): Cherry Blossom is a heritage British shoe polish brand currently owned by Henkel. Comparable to MFPE on the shoe polish category overlap, but operates as a global mass-market brand rather than a contract manufacturer — placing it as a broad incumbent.
• Minwax (Sherwin-Williams): Minwax, owned by Sherwin-Williams, is the dominant US brand in wood finishing and care. It competes with MFPE's wood care products at the consumer end and serves as the broad-incumbent reference point in wood polishes and restorers.
• Kiwi (SC Johnson): Kiwi is the global mass-market shoe care brand owned by SC Johnson. While Kiwi outsources much of its production and operates at vastly larger scale, it competes head-to-head with MFPE-manufactured shoe polishes in the same end-category and represents the broad-incumbent benchmark.

Others

• Groupe JLF: Groupe JLF is the family-owned parent company that acquired MFPE in 2024, specializing in footwear, hand care, and maintenance products. Included as an ecosystem participant rather than a true peer — JLF is both owner and customer, shaping MFPE's commercial direction.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

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 Manufacture France Produits d'Entretien