What Aptunion does

Aptunion Industrie, headquartered in Apt, Vaucluse, France, is a specialty B2B manufacturer of gourmet fruit inclusions for industrial food producers. Founded in 1962 and operating from a 22-hectare site in the Luberon Regional Natural Park, the company employs 214 people and serves customers in 50 countries across the biscuit, bakery, pastry, confectionery, chocolate, ice cream, and cereal bar/snacking segments. Its portfolio spans candied fruits (produced via a 10-12 day sugar osmosis process), fruit nuggets (alginate/pectin-textured purees), fruit hearts (high-Brix dextrose-coated inclusions), candied fruit pastes, and chocolate-coated fruits, with newer lines covering organic BIO, Clean Label, and a gummies category. Geography is supported by three production locations: the main Apt facility (including the GR7 candying site), a former Gargas site (activities consolidated into Apt), and a chocolate-coating workshop in Toulouse.

The company's underlying technology blends traditional French candying expertise — recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2018 and holder of the EPV (Entreprise Patrimoine du Vivant) label since 2017 — with modern food safety infrastructure. Certifications include BRC Grade AA+ across all factories, Halal, SMETA, and Ecovadis top 7%. A methanization unit (commissioned 2020) converts sugar-laden wastewater into biogas for the city gas grid, processing roughly 10,000 tonnes of fruit annually. A newly commissioned factory (2022, BRC Grade AA) doubled production capacity, with investment supported by the PACA region, Vaucluse department, and the EU Plan de Relance. Aptunion is a subsidiary of the Mireolian Group, which also owns sister company HLR Praline.

The business model is B2B direct sales — quotation-based, with no public pricing — to industrial food manufacturers, accessed primarily through trade show participation (GULFOOD, FIE Europe) and direct relationship management. Distribution is global (50 countries) for the core B2B business, complemented by a small retail boutique (La Maison du Fruit Confit) at the Apt headquarters serving consumer and tourism traffic. There are no venture capital or private equity ownership stakes detected; growth is financed through the parent conglomerate. Customized R&D, multiple product formats and sizes, and bake/freeze-stable inclusions are the primary customer-facing differentiators.

Name

Aptunion

Legal name

Aptunion Industrie

Website

https://aptunion.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Aptunion Industrie is a French B2B manufacturer of gourmet fruit inclusions — candied fruits, fruit nuggets, fruit hearts, fruit pastes, and chocolate-coated fruits — serving industrial food producers in biscuit, bakery, pastry, confectionery, chocolate, ice cream, and cereal/snacking segments across 50 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Ingredients (Fruit Inclusions)

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114), Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing (3113)

SIC

Canned, Fruits, Veg, Preserves, Jams & Jellies (2033), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)

akta.pro primary industry

Dried Fruit & Fruit Snacks Manufacturing (AFAKAIAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fruit Snacks & Dried Fruit (CRADABAJ), Purees & Fruit/Vegetable Bases (Aseptic, Frozen, Drum) (AFAKAFAD)

Keywords

• Candied fruit inclusions
• Fruit nuggets
• Gourmet bakery ingredients
• Chocolate-coated fruit
• Clean label fruit pieces

Headquarters

HQ city

Apt

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. B2B Food Ingredient Sales: Direct sales of gourmet fruit inclusions (candied fruits, fruit nuggets, fruit hearts, chocolate-coated fruits, fruit pastes) to food manufacturers in biscuit, bakery, pastry, confectionery, chocolate, and ice cream industries. Also serves cereal bar, porridge, and snacking markets. Company sells to customers in 50 countries.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aptunion manufactures gourmet fruit inclusions for industrial food manufacturers, including candied fruits, fruit nuggets, fruit hearts (dextrose-coated), candied fruit pastes, and chocolate-coated fruits. The product range serves biscuit, bakery, pastry, confectionery, chocolate, cereal bar, and ice cream producers across 50 countries, with traditional sugar osmosis candying, alginate/pectin texturing, and a dedicated R&D center supporting hundreds of product references.

Product overview

Aptunion is a specialist producer of gourmet fruit inclusions for the food industry, operating from Provence, France. The company offers a diversified portfolio of candied fruits, fruit nuggets, fruit hearts, candied fruit pastes, and chocolate-coated fruits. These products serve multiple market segments including biscuit, bakery, pastry, confectionery, chocolate, and ice cream manufacturers. The product range spans traditional candied fruits with ancestral know-how to modern clean-label and organic offerings. Aptunion's inclusions are designed as ingredients for industrial food manufacturing, providing texture, flavor, and natural ingredients to client products across 50 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Candied Fruits (Fruits Confits) Wide range of candied fruits including cherries, citrus (lemon, orange, clementine), melons, watermelons, and exotic fruits, made using the traditional sugar osmosis candying process (10-12 day sugar bath technique) to replace water in fruit with sugar while preserving organoleptic properties. Available in different shapes: whole, cubes, slices, strips, and pastes. Designed for industrial food manufacturers in biscuit, bakery, pastry, confectionery, chocolate, and ice cream markets.
• Fruit Nuggets (Pépites aux Fruits) Fruit nuggets created using a unique procedure from a selection of fruit purees, textured with alginate or pectin then dried. High fruit content with intense colors and non-sticky free-flow texture. Available in sizes S (1-3mm), M (3-6mm), L (6-8mm), XL (8-10mm). Clean label, preservative-free formulations targeting biscuit, bakery, cereal bar, and snacking manufacturers.
• Fruit Hearts (Just Fruit / Cœurs de Fruits) Extra-soft fruit centers made from high Brix candied fruit, dried and/or coated with dextrose using a unique procedure that preserves a soft, non-sticky texture with intense fruit flavor and color. Low water activity ensures bake and freeze stability. Available in various flavors (blueberry, cranberry, orange, lemon, strawberry, raspberry, apple) and sizes from 0.5mm to 12mm. Targeted at chocolate, confectionery, bakery, and ice cream manufacturers.
• Candied Fruit Pastes (Pâtes de Fruit Confit) Candied fruit pastes with high fruit content for intense flavor and color. Formulated for specific technical characteristics including organoleptic properties and low water activity. Targeted at confectionery, bakery, and pastry manufacturers.
• Chocolate-Coated Fruit (Fruits Enrobés de Chocolat) Fruit pieces and centers coated with superior quality dark, milk, or white chocolate. Dark chocolate is lecithin-free at 68% cocoa butter. Available with varnish option for smooth shiny finish. Produced at the dedicated Toulouse chocolate-coating workshop. Used in pastries, snacks, ice cream, cookies, and dairy products.
• Organic Range (Gamme Bio) Organic certified fruit products responding to consumer demand for organic ingredients. Includes candied orange and lemon strips, cubes, hearts, and yellow melon. Targeted at health-focused food manufacturers seeking organic certified inclusions.
• Clean Label Range (Fruit Pieces Clean Label) Products with reduced or totally absent additives, made with natural ingredients, natural colorings and natural flavors. Focus on removing preservatives and synthetic colorants. Targeted at food manufacturers reformulating toward cleaner ingredient declarations.
• Mix Panettone Mix of citron peels, orange peels and sultanas raisins, product code 6700. Designed for pastry and bakery applications, specifically traditional panettone-style baked goods.
• Premium Orange Cube Premium candied orange cube produced from fresh oranges without the brining process, providing fresh natural orange flavor and brighter color. Targeted at bakery, pastry, and confectionery manufacturers seeking premium natural orange inclusions.
• La Maison du Fruit Confit (Retail Boutique) Direct retail sales at the company headquarters in Apt, offering candied fruits and Provençal specialties to consumers and tourists. Includes a muséographic space and tea salon, providing an additional consumer-facing revenue channel.

Quantifiable outcome

• Doubling of production capacity with new factory investment
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• HLR PralineminorOthers · 9 December 2019Sister company within the Mireolian group, HLR Praline is a natural sweet ingredient manufacturer that accompanied Aptunion at the FIE 2019 trade show. The partnership involves joint exhibition presence at industry events.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Cargill: Global agricultural-commodity and food-ingredient giant offering sweeteners, fruit ingredients, and cocoa/chocolate products to industrial CPGs. Broad incumbent competing for the same multinational biscuit, confectionery, and bakery accounts.
• Südzucker: Europe's largest sugar producer with diversified food-ingredient activities through BENEO and fruit-preparation subsidiaries. Adjacent to Aptunion's sugar-driven candying process and broader fruit/sweet ingredient market.
• Hero Group: Swiss-based global fruit-preserves, baby-food, and natural-snacks company with fruit-preserves and dried-fruit product lines sold to retailers and industrial customers. Comparable in fruit-preservation know-how and clean-label positioning, though Hero is more retail-branded and Aptunion is more B2B ingredient.
• Barry Callebaut: World's largest chocolate and cocoa manufacturer with a dedicated gourmet inclusions portfolio (including chocolate-coated fruit pieces). Overlaps with Aptunion's Toulouse chocolate-coating workshop and chocolate-customer end-market, but operates at vastly larger scale.
• Tate & Lyle: Global sweetener and food-ingredient supplier with a portfolio spanning specialty sweeteners, texturants, and clean-label sugar-reduction solutions. Adjacent peer as Aptunion's industrial customers reformulate using Tate & Lyle ingredients.

Direct peers

• Puratos: Belgian global supplier of bakery, patisserie, and chocolate ingredients including fruit fillings and inclusions. Comparable as a B2B ingredient specialist serving the same bakery, pastry, and chocolate customers Aptunion targets.
• Les vergers Boiron: French producer of fruit purees, coulis, and fruit preparations for foodservice and industrial customers including pastry, bakery, and ice cream. Directly comparable to Aptunion's puree-based fruit nuggets and candied fruit pastes, with overlapping French manufacturing heritage.
• AGRANA: Austrian fruit-preparations and starch/sugar group supplying fruit inclusions for dairy, ice cream, bakery, and confectionery industrial customers across global markets. Direct overlap with Aptunion's fruit-prep / fruit-piece product lines serving the same B2B CPG customers.
• Döhler: German-based global supplier of natural fruit-based ingredients, flavors, and beverage bases for the food and beverage industry. Direct peer in fruit inclusions for bakery, confectionery, dairy, and ice cream, with overlapping R&D-driven clean-label capabilities.
• Bösch Boden Spies: German specialty distributor and processor of dried and candied fruits, nuts, and seeds serving the European bakery, confectionery, and cereal-bar industries. Closely comparable to Aptunion's candied-fruit and fruit-nugget product lines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/aptunion.industry
• Instagraminstagram.com/aptunion.industry

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 Aptunion