La Cigale
La Cigale is a privately-held Uruguayan artisanal ice cream manufacturer and retailer that produces and sells frozen desserts through 17+ owned retail storefronts, an e-commerce shop, and a cash-only home delivery service across Montevideo and select coastal areas.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1959
- HeadquartersCord, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What La Cigale does
La Cigale is a privately-held Uruguayan artisanal ice cream manufacturer and retailer operating under the legal entity LA CIGALE S.A. The company produces and distributes a portfolio of frozen desserts across 17+ owned retail storefronts concentrated in Montevideo's primary commercial districts (Cordón, Pocitos, Malvín, Plaza Cagancha, Benito Blanco) and tier-1 shopping centers (Montevideo Shopping, Punta Carretas, Nuevocentro, Portones, Tres Cruces, Las Piedras Shopping), with additional locations in coastal/resort areas (Atlántida, Parque Rodó). Its product line spans take-home thermal containers (1/4 liter to 2 liter), ice cream cakes (Tortas), bar cakes (Barras, including Cassata, Almendrado Porteño, and Banquete varieties), individual treats (Pinitos, Bombones, Bocaditos), baked goods, sugar-free options, vegan SKUs, and a premium Crème Normande, with an extensive flavor catalog organized into Cremas, Chocolates, Dulceleches, Frutas al agua, Frutas a la crema, Sambayones, and Sin azúcar categories.
The business operates a three-channel go-to-market: owned physical retail, an e-commerce online shop (lacigale.com.uy/shop), and a cash-only home delivery service covering Malvín, Pocitos, Centro, Cordón, and shopping mall locations with extended hours (11:00 to 00:30 in core neighborhoods). Pricing is denominated in Uruguayan Pesos (UYU) and structured as unit-pricing per SKU, with no subscription or tiered model; product prices range from UYU 38 (empty serving basket) to UYU 1,830 (Torta Mayor). The core technology is described as artisanal ice cream manufacturing, with no proprietary software, API, or mobile app surface, and no patents, certifications, or third-party partnerships disclosed.
La Cigale serves individual consumers and families as its primary customer segments, with no B2B or enterprise accounts. Marketing is conducted through its website, an Instagram presence (@lacigaleuy), email contact, and the footfall of its physical storefronts. No funding history, institutional investors, M&A activity, leadership team disclosures, or regulatory actions are recorded in the available source data, and ownership structure beyond the S.A. corporate form is not disclosed.
La Cigale firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- La Cigale
- Legal name
- LA CIGALE S.A.
- Website
- https://lacigale.com.uy
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1959
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- La Cigale is a privately-held Uruguayan artisanal ice cream manufacturer and retailer that produces and sells frozen desserts through 17+ owned retail storefronts, an e-commerce shop, and a cash-only home delivery service across Montevideo and select coastal areas.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
La Cigale industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Artisanal Ice Cream
- NAICS
- Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (31152)
- SIC
- Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ice Cream & Gelato Shops (THAFAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Ice Cream, Frozen Desserts & Novelties Manufacturing (AFAKAKAE), Chocolate & Confectionery Shops (THAFAGAD), Online Bakery & Desserts Delivery (CRAHAIAK)
Keywords
Where La Cigale is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cord
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
La Cigale business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Retail Ice Cream Sales: La Cigale generates revenue through the sale of artisanal ice cream products including cups, cones, bars, cakes, and individual desserts directly to consumers at their retail locations and via delivery service.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Térmico (Thermal containers) - Ice cream in reusable thermal containers |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Tortas (Ice cream cakes) - Multi-serving ice cream cakes |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Barras (Ice cream bars) - Ice cream bars in various sizes |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individuales (Individual items) - Single-serving ice cream products |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Complementos (Accessories) - Wafers, cones, and baskets |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Créme Normande - Premium ice cream pint |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
La Cigale product offering
Product offeringCore offering
La Cigale manufactures and sells artisanal ice cream and related frozen desserts through a network of company-owned retail stores across Uruguay and through an e-commerce channel offering home delivery. The product range covers ice cream containers in multiple pack sizes, ice cream cakes and tortas, ice cream bars and novelties, baked goods, specialty dietary lines, ready-to-eat sundaes, and complementary serving accessories.
Product overview
La Cigale is an artisanal ice cream shop (heladería artesanal) based in Uruguay offering a diverse portfolio of frozen desserts and ice cream products. The product line centers around take-home containers (Térmicos in 1/2 liter, 1 liter, and 2 liter sizes), waffle cones (Cucuruchos), ice cream cakes (Tortas including Torta Mayor, Torta Manjar, and Torta Copelia), bar cakes (Barras including Cassata Mayor, Barra Biscuit, Barra Banquete, and Almendrado Porteño in 7 and 11 portion sizes), individual ice cream treats (Pinitos, Pinitos KIDS, Pinitos veganos, Pinitos frutales veganos, Bombón Biscuit, Bombón Suizo, Bocaditos), baked goods (Muffin, Cookie, Alfajor), a premium Créme Normande ice cream cake, Sambayones, sugar-free options (Sin azúcar), and gourmet cups (Copas). The company operates an e-commerce platform for online ordering with delivery to multiple locations across Montevideo and shopping centers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Térmico 1/2 litro Insulated 1/2 liter container of La Cigale artisanal ice cream sold for retail takeaway.
- Térmico 1 litro Insulated 1 liter container of La Cigale artisanal ice cream sold for retail takeaway.
- Térmico 2 litros Insulated 2 liter container of La Cigale artisanal ice cream sold for retail takeaway.
- Helado 1/4 litro 1/4 liter container of La Cigale artisanal ice cream sold for retail takeaway.
- Torta Mayor Ice cream cake (Torta Mayor) sold in different portion sizes for celebration occasions.
- Torta Copelia Ice cream cake (Torta Copelia) sold in different portion sizes for celebration occasions.
- Torta Manjar Ice cream cake (Torta Manjar) featuring manjar (dulce de leche) sold in different portion sizes for celebration occasions.
- Cassata Mayor Large ice cream bar (Cassata Mayor) sold in different portion sizes.
- Barra Biscuit Ice cream bar with biscuit coating sold in different portion sizes.
- Barra Banquete Ice cream bar (Barra Banquete) sold in different portion sizes.
- Almendrado Porteño Almond-coated ice cream dessert (Almendrado Porteño) sold in different portion sizes.
- Bombón Biscuit Biscuit-coated ice cream bonbon sold as an individual novelty.
- Bombón Suizo Swiss-style ice cream bonbon sold as an individual novelty.
- Bocaditos Bite-sized ice cream novelties (Bocaditos) sold as individual treats.
- Pinitos Classic pint-sized ice cream novelty from La Cigale's standard range.
- Pinitos KIDS Kids-oriented pint-sized ice cream line in the Pinitos range.
- Pinitos Veganos Vegan pint-sized ice cream line with no animal-derived ingredients.
- Pinitos Frutales Fruit-based pint-sized ice cream line in the Pinitos range.
- Muffin de Vainilla Vanilla muffin sold alongside La Cigale's ice cream assortment.
- Cookie de Vainilla Vanilla cookie sold alongside La Cigale's ice cream assortment.
- Alfajor de Chocolate Chocolate alfajor (dulce de leche filled sandwich cookie) sold alongside La Cigale's ice cream assortment.
- Crème Normande Crème Normande dessert in La Cigale's specialty range.
- Sambayones Sambayón-flavored (zabaglione) dessert in La Cigale's specialty range.
- Helados Sin Azúcar Sugar-free ice cream line for consumers avoiding added sugar.
- Copas Ice cream sundaes/cups (Copas) sold as ready-to-eat individual servings.
- Cucuruchos Ice cream cones (Cucuruchos) sold in 6-unit packs as a serving accessory.
- Cubanitos Cuban-style wafer cones (Cubanitos) sold as a complementary accessory.
- Canasta Vacía Empty ice cream basket (Canasta vacía) sold as a serving accessory for ice cream presentations.
- Servicio de Delivery a Domicilio Home delivery service that brings La Cigale ice cream products directly to consumers' addresses through the e-commerce channel.
Companies that use La Cigale
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
La Cigale technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
La Cigale partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
La Cigale competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Unilever (Helados Norte / Bresler): Multinational CPG that owns regional ice cream brands across South America, including Bresler and others in the Southern Cone. Comparable to La Cigale in product category (manufactured ice cream novelties, cups, cones) but at vastly greater scale and with mass-market positioning.
- Grido: Largest ice cream chain in Argentina with hundreds of franchised stores. Comparable to La Cigale as a scaled retail ice cream operator in the Río de la Plata region, but operates a franchise-led, mass-market model rather than La Cigale's owned-store artisanal approach.
- Häagen-Dazs: Global premium ice cream brand with retail shops, foodservice, and packaged grocery presence. Comparable to La Cigale as a premium-priced operator in the same product category, though globally scaled with broader distribution.
- Nestlé Ice Cream: Global ice cream manufacturer and brand owner operating across retail and foodservice in South America. Comparable to La Cigale as a producer of packaged frozen desserts, but at vastly larger scale with mass-market positioning and distribution through grocery channels.
Direct peers
- Freddo: Argentine artisanal ice cream chain with its own production facilities and a wide retail footprint across Buenos Aires and other Argentine cities. Directly comparable to La Cigale as a regional artisanal heladería with multi-format SKUs (cones, ice cream bars, take-home pints, cakes) and a similar premium positioning.
- Emporio La Rosa: Iconic Santiago-based artisanal ice cream parlor founded in 1968, family-run with traditional recipes and a multi-format product line (cones, cups, cakes, specialty desserts). Highly comparable to La Cigale as a heritage-driven, regionally beloved heladería.
- Cadore Heladería: Long-standing Buenos Aires artisanal ice cream parlor with multiple locations and a traditional-recipe focus. Comparable to La Cigale as a heritage heladería in the Río de la Plata region with similar product formats and premium positioning.
- Persicco: Buenos Aires-based artisanal ice cream brand with owned retail shops and an emphasis on premium, traditional-recipe positioning. Closely mirrors La Cigale's DTC model, artisanal branding, and broad-format product line (cones, cups, cakes, individual treats).
Emerging players
- Chungo: Chilean premium ice cream brand focused on gourmet formats and seasonal flavors. Comparable to La Cigale's higher-end product tier (Crème Normande, gourmet Copas) and artisanal positioning, though smaller in scale.
Regional players
- Vía Apia: Chilean artisanal ice cream chain with multiple retail locations. Comparable to La Cigale as a regional premium heladería with traditional recipes and multi-format products, though operating in a different Southern Cone geography.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
La Cigale social profiles
Digital presenceLa Cigale financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
La Cigale leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
La Cigale funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
La Cigale M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about La Cigale
What does La Cigale do?
La Cigale manufactures and sells artisanal ice cream and related frozen desserts through a network of company-owned retail stores across Uruguay and through an e-commerce channel offering home delivery. The product range covers ice cream containers in multiple pack sizes, ice cream cakes and tortas, ice cream bars and novelties, baked goods, specialty dietary lines, ready-to-eat sundaes, and complementary serving accessories.
Is La Cigale a public or private company?
La Cigale is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was La Cigale founded?
La Cigale was founded in 1959.
Where is La Cigale based?
La Cigale is headquartered in Cord, United States, in the North America region.
How does La Cigale make money?
One revenue line is on record: retail Ice Cream Sales.
Who are La Cigale's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Unilever (Helados Norte / Bresler), Grido, Häagen-Dazs and Nestlé Ice Cream. Direct peers are Freddo, Emporio La Rosa, Cadore Heladería and Persicco. Chungo is listed as an emerging player. Vía Apia is listed as a regional player.
Does La Cigale have an API?
No public API is recorded for La Cigale.
What industry is La Cigale in?
La Cigale's product category is Artisanal Ice Cream. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAGAA, Ice Cream & Gelato Shops, with a secondary code of AFAKAKAE, Ice Cream, Frozen Desserts & Novelties Manufacturing. Its NAICS code is 31152 and its SIC code is 2024.