Fromagerie Renard Gillard

What Fromagerie Renard Gillard does

Fromagerie Renard Gillard is a French artisanal cheese producer founded in 1886 by Alfred Renard and Virginie Gillard in Biencourt-sur-Orge, Meuse region, and currently operating as a SASU (Société par actions simplifiée à associé unique) under the Sodiaal dairy cooperative group. The company produces three core product lines: Brie de Meaux AOP (raw cow's milk soft cheese with bloomy rind, approximately 3 kg per wheel, available in three aging levels), Coulommiers au lait cru (raw milk soft cheese in 350 g and 500 g formats plus a truffle variant), and Duo Royal (a Brie-based specialty hand-stuffed with flavored double cream, offered in four flavor variants including truffle, wild garlic, three peppers and pink berries, and tomatoes-peppers-rosemary). Production follows strictly traditional methods including hand-molding with the 'pelle à Brie', manual cheese turning during aging, minimum 28-day maturation, and proprietary affineur culture strains cultivated in-house. The company operates two integrated production sites (Biencourt-sur-Orge and Courtenay), sourcing raw milk from 63 cooperative dairy farmers via Sodiaal.

The business model is B2B and B2C cheese distribution through three principal channels: specialty cheese shops, supermarkets and grocery retail, and food service/catering (restaurants, hotels, professional caterers). Revenue is generated through one-time product sales with no subscription, licensing, or pricing publicly disclosed. The customer base is fragmented across gourmet individual consumers (primary segment), food service operators, and retail/grocery buyers, with no named enterprise anchor accounts. Marketing is conducted through the company website (content-driven, featuring recipes and pairing advice), Facebook, and LinkedIn, with no e-commerce functionality and no mobile app.

The company's value proposition rests on AOP certification for Brie de Meaux (obtained 1980), 135+ years of heritage, in-house affineur expertise, and a track record of awards at major French and international cheese competitions dating back to 1891. It holds no patents and operates with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or technology integrations — its competitive position is grounded entirely in traditional craftsmanship, regulatory protection, and brand reputation rather than technology differentiation.

Name

Fromagerie Renard Gillard

Legal name

Fromagerie Renard Gillard

Website

https://fromagerie-renard-gillard.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1886

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Fromagerie Renard Gillard is a French artisanal cheese producer founded in 1886, specializing in Brie de Meaux AOP, Coulommiers au lait cru, and Duo Royal specialty cheeses, serving gourmet consumers, food service operators, and retailers via two production sites within the Sodiaal cooperative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisanal Cheese Manufacturing

NAICS

Cheese Manufacturing (311513)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Ripened Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Semi-Soft, Hard & Blue) (AFAHABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fresh/Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Unripened & Soft) (AFAHABAA), Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAB), Cheese (Natural & Processed) (CRADACAC)

Keywords

• Artisan cheese production
• Raw milk cheese
• Brie de meaux
• French cheese making
• AOP certified cheese

Headquarters

HQ city

Biencourt-sur-orge

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cheese product sales: Sale of artisanal French cheeses including Brie de Meaux AOP, Coulommiers au lait cru, and Duo Royal through retail and specialty distribution channels. Products are sold in various formats (350g, 500g, 3kg, 4kg) targeting both individual consumers and professional buyers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Fromagerie Renard Gillard is an artisanal French cheesemaker that produces traditional raw cow's milk soft cheeses, including Brie de Meaux AOP, Coulommiers au lait cru, and the Duo Royal specialty range (a Brie hand-stuffed with flavored double cream in four variants). Production uses hand-molding with the 'pelle à Brie' technique, manual turning during aging, and proprietary affineur cultures cultivated in-house across two sites in Biencourt-sur-Orge and Courtenay.

Product overview

Fromagerie Renard Gillard is an artisanal cheese company founded in 1886, now part of the SODIAAL cooperative group. The company produces three main cheese product lines: (1) Brie de Meaux AOP, a prestigious raw milk cheese crowned 'king of cheeses' by Charlemagne; (2) Coulommiers au lait cru, a raw milk soft cheese available in multiple formats including a truffle variant; and (3) Duo Royal, a Brie-based specialty cheese offered in four distinct flavors (truffle, wild garlic, three peppers and pink berries, tomatoes-peppers-romarin) that are hand-stuffed with double cream aromatized fillings. The company operates two production sites in Biencourt-sur-Orge and Courtenay, sourcing milk from 63 cooperative dairy farmers (Sodiaal).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Duo Royal: A specialty cheese based on Brie, declined in four flavors: truffle, wild garlic, three peppers and pink berries, and tomatoes, peppers and rosemary.

Products and services

• Brie de Meaux AOP AOP-certified soft cheese with bloomy rind made from raw cow's milk, featuring a yellow straw paste with hazelnut notes. Available in three aging levels (1/2, 3/4, 4/4) and weighing approximately 3 kg, intended for cheese boards, gourmet consumers, restaurants, and specialty retailers.
• Coulommiers au lait cru Raw cow's milk soft cheese with fine rind and creamy ivory paste, known as 'petit Brie de Coulommiers'. Available in 350g and 500g formats, with 35-45 days aging, also offered in a truffle flavor variant, targeting gourmet consumers and food service professionals.
• Duo Royal Brie-based specialty cheese manually hand-cut and stuffed with double cream cheese flavored with aromatic ingredients, in four variants: Saint-Jean truffle, wild garlic (ail des ours), three peppers and pink berries, and tomatoes-peppers-romarin. Approximately 4 kg, 36 cm diameter, minimum 28 days aging. Targets gourmet consumers, festive occasions, and professional catering.

Quantifiable outcome

• Award-winning cheeses recognized at prestigious competitions since 1891

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SodiaalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Sodiaal is the parent dairy cooperative group that Fromagerie Renard Gillard belongs to. The company merged with Sodiaal in 2013 as part of the Blâmont fromageries integration. Sodiaal provides dairy farmer network and supports the cooperative structure of milk supply.
• Fromagerie de CourtenaycoreOthers · 1 January 2007The Courtenay facility was taken over under the administrative and technical supervision of Renard Gillard in 2007, expanding production capacity.
• Coopérative Agricole Lorraine (CAL) de BlâmontcoreOthers · 1 January 2000CAL de Blâmont took over Fromagerie Renard Gillard de Biencourt-sur-Orge in 2000, and in 2007 took over the Courtenay facility. This parent cooperative later merged into Sodiaal.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bel Group: Global French cheese and fruit snack manufacturer (La Vache qui rit, Boursin, Babybel, The Laughing Cow). Competes directly with Renard Gillard in the Bloomy-rind Brie/AOP category, particularly through Boursin and traditional Brie cheese ranges.
• Fromagerie d'Isigny: Normandy-based artisan cheese maker with multiple AOP/PGC-protected cheeses (Camembert de Normandie, Pont-l'Évêque, Mimolette). Directly comparable through artisanal French AOP production using similar raw milk and traditional craft techniques.
• Savencia Fromage & Dairy: Major French dairy group specializing in specialty cheeses (Caprice des Dieux, Saint Agur, Chaumes, Brie) - direct competitor in the French specialty cheese category with overlapping Brie and bloomy-rind portfolios sold through similar retail and foodservice channels.
• Fromagerie Hervouet Riblier: French family-owned fromagerie specializing in refined bloomy-rind cheeses (Coulommiers and Brie-style), competing in overlapping retail and foodservice channels with cheese varieties analogous to Renard Gillard's Coulommiers au lait cru line.
• Compagnie des Fromages et RichesMonts: French cheese house under Savencia with broad Brie and blue cheese production, including contracted Brie de Meaux supply; directly comparable as a French bloomy-rind and AOP cheese manufacturer with retail and foodservice distribution.
• Fromagerie Guilloteau: French Brie-style cheese producer (Pavé d'Affinois, Pavé Mauler) competing in the same premium bloomy-rind category, also serving retail and foodservice channels with specialty French cheeses.
• Fromagerie de l'Abbaye: French artisan cheese producer specializing in refined bloomy-rind cheeses from selected milk supplies; comparable to Renard Gillard through similar craft-scale production and competitive presence in French specialty and gourmet retail channels.

Broad incumbents

• Danone: Global dairy and food producer with specialty cheese (Boursin) along with broader plant-based and dairy portfolios. Competes broadly in the premium French cheese category and adjacent dairy categories through retail channels, though its primary scale sits in yogurt and waters rather than bloomy-rind AOP.
• Lactalis: World's largest dairy company and France's largest cheese producer (Président, Galbani, Leerdammer). Competes in the French and international specialty cheese category with broader portfolio scale, though without Renard Gillard's heritage positioning in Brie de Meaux AOP.

Others

• Sodiaal: Parent French dairy cooperative (and parent group of Fromagerie Renard Gillard); provides raw milk supply and shared services to Renard Gillard and to sibling cheese brands within the cooperative network. They are not a direct competitor but an ecosystem/parent entity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fromagerie-renard-gillard

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Fromagerie Renard Gillard