Moulin de Sauret

What Moulin de Sauret does

Moulin de Sauret is a family-owned flour mill headquartered in Montpellier, France, at a 12th-century site on the banks of the Lez river. The current company was rehabilitated in 1967 by Henri Passaga and is now led by his son Jean-Pierre Passaga (director) with grandson Hugo Passaga joining in 2021, marking seven generations of family millers. The mill is the only active flour mill in the Gard and Hérault departments of the Occitanie region. It crushes approximately 8 million kg of wheat annually, sourcing 70% from regional wheat producers and producing a portfolio of 80 flour varieties — including Tradition Française, Label Rouge, organic (Bio), multicereal, seeded, and specialty lines such as Le Sauret Lin, Le Compagnon, and Le Scandi. The mill operates with 18–20 employees and serves approximately 200 artisan bakeries across Occitanie, with an estimated 33 million baguettes produced annually from its flours.

The company's business model is built on direct field sales with an embedded advisory layer. Moulin de Sauret delivers flour directly to artisan bakery clients and supplements each delivery with consulting from 'boulanger-conseils' who advise on business creation, technical choices, training, and product development. The mill generates additional revenue from professional services including training sessions, market studies, new bakery installation packages, sales training, snacking offer development, and a bakery purchase/sale facilitation service operated in partnership with the MIDIPRO'S Commerce agency. Distribution is direct (no sub-contracting), with separate pickup points for individual customers at Castelnau-le-Lez. The mill is a founding member of the Festival des Pains groupement of 25 French mills (since 1989) and a core member of the Raspaillou regional bio brand association (since 2014).

The mill's competitive positioning rests on heritage (a 1146 site), product breadth (80 flour references, the widest range in the region), geographic exclusivity (the only active mill in Gard and Hérault), and a relational sales model that creates switching costs through multi-touch professional services. The company has invested in sustainability infrastructure including a solar photovoltaic installation covering 30% of its electricity consumption and 100% SIS (no storage insecticide) wheat sourcing. Moulin de Sauret is a privately held SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) with no external investors and no public funding rounds.

Name

Moulin de Sauret

Legal name

MOULIN DE SAURET

Website

https://moulindesauret.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Moulin de Sauret is a family-owned flour mill in Montpellier, France, producing 80 flour varieties for approximately 200 artisan bakeries across the Occitanie region. The mill combines direct field delivery with embedded baking consulting, training, and bakery transaction services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flour Milling and Bakery Ingredient Manufacturing

NAICS

Grain and Oilseed Milling (3112), Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Grain Mill Products (2040), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Flour & Milling Products Manufacturing (wheat, corn, rice, specialty flours) (AFAKABAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bread & Artisan Baking (EDAOAKAC)

Keywords

• Artisan flour milling
• Specialty bakery flours
• Traditional French bread flours
• Bakery consulting services
• Regional wheat sourcing

Headquarters

HQ city

Montpellier

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Flour Sales to Artisan Bakers: The primary revenue stream is the manufacture and direct sale of flour to artisan baker clients. The mill supplies 200 artisan bakeries across the Occitanie region. Sales are driven by field consulting and long-term relationships. Volume and mix of flour types (Tradition Française, Label Rouge, organic, specialty) determine revenue.
2. Training and Professional Services: Moulin de Sauret generates revenue from training sessions and professional services including market studies, new bakery installation packages, sales training, new product development workshops, and 'snacking' offer development. Services are provided by mill staff (boulanger-conseils, sales advisors).
3. Bakery Purchase/Sale Facilitation: The mill acts as an intermediary connecting buyers and sellers of bakeries through a partnership with MIDIPRO'S Commerce agency, generating referral or transaction fees for facilitating acquisitions and sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Moulin de Sauret operates a historic flour mill in Montpellier, manufacturing 80 flour varieties from selected French wheat for sale to artisan bakers. The range covers Tradition Française (65%), Label Rouge (30%), organic (14%), multicereal, seeded, and specialty flours, sold primarily in 25 kg bags and delivered directly to 200 artisan bakeries across the Occitanie region. Beyond flour, the mill provides bundled consulting, training, market studies, new bakery installation packages, and bakery purchase/sale facilitation services through a team of boulanger-conseils.

Product overview

Moulin de Sauret is a family-owned flour mill producing 80 flour varieties for artisan bakers. The product portfolio centers on a diverse range of specialty flours including traditional French breads (T65), Label Rouge, and organic options. Key products include La Festive (Label Rouge), La Festival Tradition, La Tradition, La Locale, La Locale Pizza, Le Sauret, La Moisson, La Festival, Le Cévenol, La Belle Ambrée, La Tentation, La Typique, Le Sauret Lin, Le Compagnon, Le Scandi, Le Maïs Épeautre, Le Multicéréales, La Gruau, La Royale, Le Raspaillou T65, and organic variants (La Locale Bio T65, T80, T150). The company also offers complementary services including bakery consulting, market studies, business creation packages, training programs, Festival des Pains branding, animations, and bakery purchase/sale facilitation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Festival des Pains: A group of 25 mills across France established in 1989, of which Moulin de Sauret is a founding member. The group produces high-end flours from carefully selected wheats.

Products and services

• La Festive (Label Rouge)
• La Festival Tradition
• La Tradition
• La Locale
• La Locale Pizza

Quantifiable outcome

• 33 million baguettes produced annually from Moulin de Sauret flours
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered secondary, core and minor.

• École de BoulangeriesecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1989Moulin de Sauret partners with the École de Boulangerie (Baking School) to deliver professional training programs to artisan bakers. The partnership supports the mill's training and upskilling services for its client base.
• Festival des PainscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 1989, Moulin de Sauret co-founded the 'Festival des Pains' groupement of 25 French mills. The groupement produces premium flours from carefully selected wheat and provides affiliated artisan bakers with shared branding (enseignes) and facade design programs. This partnership gives Moulin de Sauret access to national marketing resources and reinforces its premium positioning through a recognized quality label.
• Agence MIDIPRO'S CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMoulin de Sauret partners with the Agency MIDIPRO'S Commerce as a privileged partner to assist bakery buyers in finding commercial premises. The mill refers buyers to the agency and receives referrals for bakery purchase/sale facilitation services.
• Raspaillou AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Raspaillou Association was created in July 2014 and groups wheat producers, the mill (Moulin de Sauret), and artisan bakers. Moulin de Sauret is the mill supplying Raspaillou-branded bio flours. The association owns and manages the Raspaillou bio bread brand, organizes promotion, and supports operators in developing the organic bread supply chain in the Occitanie region.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Foricher: French family-owned mill producing a wide range of specialty flours (Tradition, organic, Label Rouge, seeded) for artisan bakers. Closely mirrors Moulin de Sauret's artisanal-to-bakery positioning and product breadth strategy across France.
• Boirs (Minoterie Boirs): Independent French flour mill focused on traditional and specialty flours for artisan bakers. Comparable niche positioning to Moulin de Sauret, with emphasis on heritage quality and regional sourcing.
• Minoterie de l'Orne (Nutrixo): French miller supplying traditional and organic flours to artisan and industrial bakeries. Comparable specialty/Tradition Française product lines serving similar bakery customers, but at larger scale and with national distribution.
• Minoterie Caron: Independent French family mill producing specialty flours (Tradition, organic, seeded) for artisan bakers. Highly comparable artisanal positioning and product breadth strategy to Moulin de Sauret.

Broad incumbents

• Moulins Soufflet (InVivo): One of France's largest flour mill groups, supplying mass-market and specialty flours to bakeries, retailers, and food service. Comparable product categories (T65, organic, specialty) but at industrial scale and with much broader geographic reach.
• Axéréal (Meunerie Axéréal): French agricultural cooperative with significant flour milling operations serving bakeries, food service, and industry. Comparable wheat sourcing and T65/Tradition product overlap, but distributed through a cooperative rather than direct artisanal channel.
• Grands Moulins de Strasbourg: Major French industrial miller supplying flour to artisan and industrial bakeries nationwide. Overlaps with Moulin de Sauret on bread flours (T55, T65, Tradition) but operates at far larger scale and across multiple regions.

Regional players

• Minoterie du Gévaudan: Regional French flour mill serving artisan bakeries in the Lozère / southern Massif Central area with traditional and specialty flours. Comparable artisanal-to-bakery model but operating in a different French region without direct geographic overlap with Occitanie.
• Bonneval Minoterie: Regional French flour mill supplying traditional and specialty flours to artisan bakeries in central France. Comparable artisanal product mix but operating outside the Occitanie catchment of Moulin de Sauret.

Others

• Festival des Pains (groupement member mills): National network of 25 French mills, of which Moulin de Sauret is a co-founder. Member mills share branding, quality standards, and co-marketing for artisan bakeries, making them closely adjacent comparables in business model and customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MoulinDeSauret
• Instagraminstagram.com/moulindesauret
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/moulin-de-sauret

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Moulin de Sauret