JC David

What JC David does

JC David (Les Établissements J.C.David) is a French traditional maritime salting and smoking house headquartered in Boulogne-sur-Mer, founded in 1922 by Mme. Marcelle David. The company produces artisanal smoked fish products — including herring, haddock, salmon, mackerel, meagre, cod roe, prawns, and trout — using ancestral techniques in wood-fired smoking chambers with oak wood, alongside natural sea salt curing without artificial additives. The portfolio extends into a premium Série Or sub-brand (Cantabrian Anchovies aged 12+ months, Tuna Belly, Smoked Cod Liver, Millésimées Sardines), delicatessen products (sauces, spreads, prepared salads), and fine grocery/preserves. Certifications include Label Rouge, MSC (Marine Stewardship Council), and BIO (organic).

The business operates a hybrid B2B/B2C distribution model spanning direct e-commerce (commande-jcdavid.fr), the majority of French fishmongers, major retail chains (Monoprix, Grand Frais, La Grande Épicerie de Paris), and a dedicated B2B professional portal (Accès Pro) serving restaurateurs, caterers, wholesalers, and grocers with SIREN/SIRET-registered business accounts. Revenue derives from one-time product sales across these channels. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; B2B professional pricing is quote-based. Marketing emphasizes content marketing (recipe platform with chef collaborations), earned media coverage in French press, and strategic partnerships with JRE-member Michelin-starred chefs and the Collège Culinaire de France. Ownership is concentrated in the Fromantin family, with Philippe Fromantin serving as Director of Publication; Hervé Diers acquired the company in 2001 before selling to the Fromantin family. The company operates as an SAS with €200,000 share capital, is one of only four smokehouses remaining in Boulogne-sur-Mer (down from ~100 in the 1960s), and has no institutional investors or public shareholders.

Name

JC David

Legal name

Ets JC DAVID

Website

https://jcdavid.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

JC David is a century-old French artisanal fish smoking and salting house based in Boulogne-sur-Mer, producing premium oak-wood-smoked fish, delicatessen, and fine grocery products distributed via fishmongers, major retailers, e-commerce, and B2B channels across France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisanal Smoked Seafood

NAICS

Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (31171), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (311710)

SIC

Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092), Food And Kindred Products (2000), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFANADAF

Smoked, Cured & Salted Seafood (Lox, Kippers, Bacalao)

Agriculture & Food Production/Meat, Poultry & Seafood Processing/Seafood Processing (Finfish & Shellfish; Wild-Caught & Aquaculture)

SECONDARYAFANALAD

Smoked & Cured Seafood (Salmon, Herring, Lox)

Agriculture & Food Production/Meat, Poultry & Seafood Processing/Value-Added Seafood Products (Fillets, Ready-to-Eat)

SECONDARYCRADACAK

Refrigerated Meat & Seafood (Processed/Packaged)

Consumer Products & Retail/Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Manufacturing & Brands/Dairy & Refrigerated Foods

Keywords

• Smoked fish products
• Artisanal seafood
• Traditional fish smoking
• Premium delicatessen
• Maritime salting

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulogne-sur-mer

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Smoked Fish Products: Core revenue from smoked fish including herring, haddock, salmon, mackerel, meagre, cod eggs, and trout. Products sold through retail, e-commerce, and wholesale channels.
2. Artisanal Delicatessen & Preserves: Fine food products including tarama, rillettes, sauces, soups, fish spreads, and premium conserves (Série Or). Sold alongside smoked fish products through same channels.
3. B2B Professional Sales: Professional portal (Accès Pro) serving fishmongers, wholesalers, restaurateurs, and grocers with bulk and specialty orders. Business customers can register with business details (SIREN/SIRET).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

JC David produces traditional artisanal smoked fish products (herring, haddock, salmon, mackerel, meagre, cod roe, prawns, trout) and a range of artisanal delicatessen items (tarama, rillettes, sauces, fine grocery preserves, and the premium Série Or luxury collection). Products are made using ancestral maritime salting with natural sea salt and oak-wood smoking in heritage smoking chambers, without artificial additives, and are sold under Label Rouge, MSC, and BIO certifications.

Product overview

Établissements JC David is a traditional French maritime salting and smoking house based in Boulogne-sur-Mer, specializing in smoked fish products with a heritage dating to 1922. The product portfolio centers on smoked fish (herring, haddock, salmon, mackerel, meagre, cod eggs, prawns, trout) as the core offering, supplemented by artisanal delicatessen products (sauces, spreads, prepared salads), a fine grocery/preserves line, and the premium Série Or luxury collection. The company operates using ancestral smoking techniques in traditional wood-fired kilns, with strong emphasis on Label Rouge and MSC certifications. Products are distributed through fishmongers, Monoprix, Grand Frais, La Grande Épicerie de Paris, and direct e-commerce.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Série Or: Premium line of artisanal seafood products including foie de morue, sardines millésimées, ventrèche de thon, and anchois de Cantabrie.

Products and services

• Smoked Fish (Poissons fumés) Traditional smoked fish products prepared using ancestral wood-fired smoking techniques in heritage smoking chambers. Includes herring (multiple varieties), haddock (fillets, steaks, MSC-certified white haddock), salmon (Scottish, Faroese, Norwegian, Irish origins), mackerel (pepper, provençale, natural), smoked meagre (innovative variety), smoked cod roe, smoked prawns, and smoked trout. Available for individual consumers and professional buyers.
• Série Or Premium Collection Exclusive luxury collection of artisanal seafood products including Cantabrian anchovies aged 12+ months using traditional curing, tuna belly (ventrèche de thon), millésimées sardines, and smoked cod liver (foie de morue fumé). Represent exceptional seafood treated with artisanal methods for fine dining establishments and premium gastronomy.
• Tarama & Tarako Premium cod roe spreads made from 70% smoked cod roe (Tarama) or pure cod roe (Tarako), representing significant quality differentiation from industrial alternatives containing only 20-40% roe. Available to consumers and professional buyers.
• Artisanal Delicatessen & Fine Grocery Artisanal delicatessen and fine grocery products including fresh prepared items (sauces: mayonnaise, aioli, hollandaise, béarnaise; salads; marinades), artisanal preserves (fish soups, rillettes, smoked fish spreads), poutargues (dried/cured fish roe), and specialty seafood items (lobsters, langoustines). Sold to individual consumers and food service professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Award winner - Salon Seafood Best Product 2018 for haddock blanc, one of the most prestigious seafood industry recognitions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

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 minor and core.

• Maxi Banque Populaire XI (Sailing Team)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024The maxi trimaran Maxi Banque Populaire XI carries JC David smoked fish products during races. The company supplies smoked fish provisions for the sailing crew, representing a regional partnership with a high-profile French sailing team.
• ATALKAminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWebsite design and development agency that designed and maintains the JC David corporate website.
• JRE (Jeunes Restaurateurs d'Europe)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJC David collaborates with JRE member chefs for recipe development. Multiple JRE chefs have created recipes using JC David products including Allan Castellote (Restaurant Le Senso), Thibaut Spiwack (Restaurant Anona), and Benjamin Delpierre (La Liégeoise). These partnerships strengthen brand credibility in professional culinary circles.
• TransGourmet OrigineminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProfessional food service distributor. Listed as photo credit contributor, indicating a distribution relationship for professional products.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/jcdavidetablissements
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ets-jcdavid

Compliance3 records

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 JC David