L'Epicerie

What L'Epicerie does

L'Epicerie is a specialty gourmet food retailer operating from a single physical storefront at Hauptstraße 35 in Heidelberg's pedestrian zone, Germany. Founded circa 2012 and structured as a sole proprietorship under Magali Soulié, the store curates and sells premium spices, delicatessen, fine chocolates from more than 30 international chocolatiers (including bean-to-bar specialists such as Domori, Valrhona, Original Beans, François Pralus, and Zotter), and kitchen accessories. Merchandise is organized into four categories: Gewürze (spices, including herbs, blends, pepper, salt, chili, vanilla, and curry), Feinkost (delicatessen including oils, vinegars, mustards, sauces, truffles, and honeys), Schokolade (chocolate), and Accessoires (mortars, mills, books, and soaps). The assortment also includes more than 40 culinary cookbooks covering global cuisines.

The company operates a dual-channel distribution model. The primary channel is walk-in retail at the Heidelberg storefront, open Monday 1-7 PM, Tuesday to Friday 11 AM-7 PM, and Saturday 10 AM-6 PM. A secondary mail-order channel accepts orders via a downloadable PDF form submitted by email or post, requiring a 20 EUR minimum order, a 5 EUR flat shipping fee, and advance payment. The website is informational only with no transactional e-commerce functionality. Pricing follows a unit-pricing model with widely varying price points — from roughly 1.75 EUR for individual chocolate pieces to 720 EUR for 1 kg of premium crystal vanilla — and there is no subscription or contract-based pricing.

L'Epicerie targets three consumer segments — gourmet food enthusiasts (primary), home cooks, and gift shoppers — with no disclosed enterprise or B2B customers. The firm operates with 11-50 employees, no external funding rounds, no parent company, and no disclosed revenue figures. There is no proprietary technology platform, no mobile app, no APIs or integrations, and no AI components. The website is built on Jimdo, a small-business website builder. No digital marketing channels (advertising, social media, email) are identified in the source material; the business appears to rely on foot traffic in its pedestrian-zone location and word-of-mouth.

Name

L'Epicerie

Legal name

L'EPICERIE

Website

https://lepicerie.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

L'Epicerie is a Heidelberg-based sole proprietorship operating a single specialty gourmet food store selling curated spices, delicatessen, chocolates from 30+ international chocolatiers, and kitchen accessories to local gourmet enthusiasts, home cooks, and gift shoppers via walk-in retail and a basic mail-order channel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Gourmet Food Retail

NAICS

All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298)

SIC

Retail-Food Stores (5400)

akta.pro primary industry

Gourmet & Fine Food Stores (CRAHAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Olive Oil, Vinegar & Condiment Specialty Stores (CRAHAGAJ)

Keywords

• Specialty food retail
• Artisan gourmet spices
• International chocolate selection
• Delicatessen fine foods
• Culinary books and accessories

Headquarters

HQ city

Heidelberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales: Direct retail sales of specialty foods, spices, chocolates, and gourmet products to consumers visiting the physical store in Heidelberg. Also accepts mail orders via email or post with advance payment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Core offering

L'Epicerie is a specialty gourmet food retailer that sells premium spices, herbs, and spice blends, delicatessen items (oils, vinegars, mustards, sauces, truffles, pasta, pesto, risotto, jams, honey, aperitifs), premium chocolates from over 30 international artisan chocolatiers, plus kitchen accessories (mortars, mills, Marseille soaps) and culinary books. Sales are made primarily through a single physical storefront in Heidelberg's pedestrian zone, with a supplemental mail-order channel for remote customers.

Product overview

L'Epicerie is a specialty gourmet food store located in Heidelberg, Germany, offering a curated selection of premium food products. The store operates as a unified retail offering organized into four main categories: Gewürze (spices) featuring single-origin spices and blends from around the world; Feinkost (delicatessen) including oils, vinegars, mustards, sauces, truffles, and specialty foods; Schokolade (chocolate) with products from over 30 international chocolatiers including bean-to-bar specialists; and Accessoires (accessories) with kitchen tools, books, and Marseille soaps. The store also maintains a comprehensive collection of culinary books covering international cuisines. Customers can order by fax, email, or mail with a minimum order value of €20 plus €5 shipping.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Spices (Gewürze) Wide variety of spices sourced from around the world, including single-origin spices (Kampot pepper, Tellicherry, Penja, Ceylon cinnamon, saffron), herbs, spice blends, curry mixes, and specialized seasonings for cooking enthusiasts. Available for purchase in the Heidelberg storefront and via mail order.
• Delicatessen (Feinkost) Fine food products including oils, vinegars, mustards, sauces, BBQ condiments, chutneys, pasta, pesto, risotto, truffles (summer truffle, truffle butter, truffle oil), aperitifs (foie gras, sardines, terrines), jams, spreads, sweets, and honey. Sold to consumers shopping in the Heidelberg storefront or via mail order.
• Chocolate (Schokolade) Premium chocolates from over 30 international artisan chocolatiers including single-origin bars, drinking chocolate, chocolate spreads, couverture (e.g., M. Cluizel 72% dark, milk 39%, white chocolate drops), and confectionery from bean-to-bar makers worldwide (Valrhona, Domori, Original Beans, François Pralus, Claudio Corallo, Zotter, Dick Taylor, Xocolat, Venchi, and others).
• Accessories (Accessoires) Kitchen accessories including mortars (made from olive wood, porcelain, ceramic, cast iron, marble, stainless steel, and granite), mills (from Skeppshult, Peugeot, Menu, Adhoc, and Odin), books, and Marseille soaps and creams from Marius Fabre (liquid hand soaps, solid soaps, dishwashing liquid, Savon Noir, washing soap, and hand creams based on olive oil).
• Culinary Books (Bücher) Extensive collection of more than 40 culinary books covering international cuisines, cooking techniques, spices, chocolate, and regional cooking traditions from around the world (e.g., French country cuisine, Moroccan cooking, Persian kitchen, Lebanese, Thai, Mexican, Indian curries, chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, chili, and others). Sold as standalone titles alongside spices and other accessories.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Feinkost Käfer: Munich-headquartered premium delicatessen and gourmet retailer offering specialty foods, wines, and gifts via flagship store plus B2B/event catering. Directly comparable to L'Epicerie in assortment philosophy and specialty-store positioning, with a stronger catering/B2B extension.
• Fauchon: French luxury gourmet house founded in 1886, famous for teas, pastries, chocolates, and specialty foods sold via boutiques and online. Comparable to L'Epicerie's specialty-food-and-confectionery mix at a much larger and more international scale.
• Dallmayr Feinkost: Munich-based gourmet delicatessen and food hall operating a single flagship store with curated premium food, chocolate, and gift assortment. Closely comparable business model and product mix to L'Epicerie's Heidelberg store, just at larger scale and in a different German city.
• Manufactum: German premium-goods retailer specializing in curated, traditionally-made products including specialty foods, kitchen accessories, and books. Highly comparable as a German specialist curator of high-quality goods with both physical and (more developed) online channels.
• La Grande Épicerie de Paris: Paris-based upscale gourmet food store (part of Le Bon Marché) offering curated fine foods, chocolates, spices, and delicatessen to a demanding French and tourist clientele. Comparable in assortment, customer profile, and premium positioning to L'Epicerie, though much larger.

Peers

• Hédiard:

Market position

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

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 L'Epicerie