CARTRON

What CARTRON does

CARTRON (legal entity: SARL PATISSERIE CARTRON) is a family-owned French artisan chocolatier, patissier, and glacier founded in 1967 by Dominique Cartron in Vannes, Brittany, and now in its fifth generation of family ownership, with Dominique Cartron continuing as gérant. The company produces chocolates, traditional Breton pastries, regional specialties, and house-made ice cream entirely in-house from recipes passed down over 55 years; all chocolates are made with 100% pure cocoa butter. Its product portfolio is organized into four retail categories — ballotins and chocolate assortments, regional Breton specialties (notably the pralined Menhirs de Bretagne, Rocailles, Dolmen, and Vannes & Sa Femme), salted butter caramel products under the registered BREIZH MAD sub-brand made with Guérande salt, and traditional Breton cakes including Kouign-Amann and Gâteau Breton — supported by a pastry and glacier offer (Tonkinois, Alcazar, Vacherins).

CARTRON operates as a direct-to-consumer business across two channels: five (with a sixth in Pontivy) physical pastry shops and salons de thé in the Morbihan department — Vannes Rue St Vincent (near the port), Vannes Le Poulfanc (east entrance), Saint-Avé (Place François Mitterrand), Sarzeau, and Auray — and an owned e-commerce storefront at boutique.cartron-gourmandises.com that ships worldwide via Colissimo with free mainland France delivery above €50. Pricing is unit-based pay-as-you-go, ranging from roughly €2.60 (small Menhirs) to €87.20 (the largest 800g ballotin), with mid-range ballotins at €43.60–€69.70.

The business serves individual consumers, gift buyers for special occasions, and tourists in Brittany, plus online shoppers across France and internationally. The marketing mix is narrow and traditional — heritage-led brand storytelling, organic social on Facebook and Instagram, the e-commerce storefront, and an email newsletter — with no external investment, partnerships, or institutional ownership indicated; the entity remains a private, family-controlled SARL. Public positioning has been reinforced by industry recognition (Best Regional Specialty of France at INTERSUC, Meilleur Dessert de France, Mercure d'Or for performing pastry chefs, regional Breton gastronomy awards) and two world records for the largest chocolate menhir (3m in 2011, 4m in 2013 for Parc Astérix).

Name

CARTRON

Legal name

SARL PATISSERIE CARTRON

Website

https://cartron-gourmandises.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CARTRON is a family-owned French artisan chocolatier, patissier, and glacier founded in 1967 in Vannes, Brittany, now in its fifth generation. It serves retail consumers and tourists in the Morbihan region through five (plus Pontivy) physical pastry shops and worldwide e-commerce shipping from its own online boutique.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Chocolate and Pâtisserie

NAICS

Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050), Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024)

akta.pro primary industry

Patisseries & Dessert Boutiques (CRAHAGAB)

Keywords

• Artisan chocolate
• French pastries
• Breton regional specialties
• Salted butter caramel
• Handmade confectionery

Headquarters

HQ city

Vannes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Physical Retail Sales: Revenue from sales through 5 company-owned pastry shops and tea rooms across the Morbihan region in Brittany, France. Shops are located in Vannes (2 locations: Rue St Vincent and Le Poulfanc), Saint-Avé, Sarzeau, and Auray.
2. E-commerce Online Sales: Direct-to-consumer online sales through the boutique.cartron-gourmandises.com e-commerce platform, shipping products worldwide with free delivery in mainland France for orders over €50.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CARTRON is a family-owned artisan chocolatier, pâtissier and glacier that produces and sells handmade chocolates (assorted ballotins, tablettes, regional praline specialties), traditional Breton cakes (Kouign-Amann, Gâteau Breton), individual pastries, house-made ice creams and frozen desserts, and salted butter caramel products under the BREIZH MAD brand. All products are manufactured in-house and sold through 5 company-owned pastry shops/salons de thé in Morbihan, Brittany and through a direct e-commerce boutique shipping worldwide.

Product overview

CARTRON is a family-owned artisan chocolatier, patissier, and glacier based in Vannes, Brittany, operating since 1967 across 5 generations. The company offers a unified product portfolio centered on handcrafted chocolates (sold as assortments in ballotins and regional specialties), artisanal pastries, house-made ice creams, traditional Breton cakes (including Kouign-Amann and Gâteau Breton), and salted butter caramel products under the BREIZH MAD brand. All products are made in-house and available through 5 physical boutiques in Vannes, Saint-Avé, Sarzeau, and Auray, plus an e-commerce platform for online ordering and nationwide delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BREIZH MAD: Registered trademark brand for caramels and salted butter caramel cream products made with Guérande salt
• Cartron L'Emotion Gourmande

Products and services

• Chocolats (Ballotins de chocolat) Assorted handmade chocolate bonbons sold in ballotins (assorted boxes) in four sizes (260g at €28.30, 400g at €43.60, 640g at €69.70, 800g at €87.20), composed of praliné and ganache fillings including varieties such as Amanda, Oursin, Palais d'or, Pistache and Thé Darjeeling. Intended for individual consumers and gift buyers seeking premium French artisan chocolates.
• Tablettes de chocolat (Chocolate bars) Chocolate tablets in 100g bars, offered in plain varieties (milk and dark chocolate at €4.50), with additions (almonds, hazelnuts), and Florentine style with caramelized almonds at €5.50. Intended for individual consumers and gift buyers.
• Spécialités régionales au chocolat (Breton regional chocolate specialties) Regional Breton chocolate specialties including Menhirs de Bretagne (pralined chocolate with almond and hazelnut pieces, named Best Regional Specialty of France), Rocailles de Bretagne (roasted almond sticks coated in chocolate), Dolmen (pralined milk chocolate with crepe dentelle pieces), and Vannes & Sa Femme (pralined hazelnut chocolate with crepe dentelles). Sold in sizes ranging from €2.60 for small 'convives' packs up to €20.20 for larger sizes.
• Caramels au beurre salé (BREIZH MAD salted butter caramel) Salt butter caramel candies, spreads and creams made with Guérande salt under the BREIZH MAD registered trademark, available as creams (45g €2.70, 220g €5.70, 400g €8.30) and caramels in 100g to 1kg formats (€4.40 to €33.00). Intended for individual consumers and gifting.
• Gâteaux bretons (Traditional Breton cakes) Traditional Breton cakes including Kouign-Amann (small/4-6 persons at €10.20, large/6-8 persons at €16.80), Gâteau Breton à la crème de caramel (€10.60 for 350g), and assortment boxes of petits gâteaux moelleux (soft cakes). Intended for individual consumers, gift buyers and celebrations.
• Glaces et desserts glacés (House-made ice cream and frozen desserts) House-made ice cream in classic flavors (vanilla, chocolate, coffee, praline), fruity flavors (raspberry, cassis, passion fruit, lemon, melon, orange) and specialty flavors (almond milk, pistachio), plus frozen cakes and vacherins. Available across the boutiques and online.
• Pâtisseries (Artisanal individual pastries) Artisanal individual pastries including Tonkinois, L'Alcazar, Macaron Framboise, Le Russe, Le Brasilia, Le Caramélo Poire and Vacherins, awarded the Mercure d'Or des pâtissiers performants. Sold individually in the boutiques.
• D-Day Original Chocolate Bar A historical commemorative chocolate bar for the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings, made with ingredients introduced by American soldiers. Available in 60g bar format at €4.10 and 150g sachet at €14.70. Intended for individual consumers and gift/commemorative buyers.
• BREIZH MAD Coffee Roasted and ground coffee under the BREIZH MAD brand, 100% Arabica, sourced from Brittany, sold in 250g format via the online boutique.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lenôtre: Historic French patisserie and caterer with multiple boutiques and a strong wholesale/gift business. Comparable to Cartron in patisserie-chocolatier positioning and Breton/French heritage branding.
• Patrick Roger: French artisan chocolatier and sculptor with boutiques across France. Comparable to Cartron in artisan chocolate craftsmanship, retail showroom model, and premium positioning.
• Jeff de Bruges: French chocolate retail chain with boutiques throughout France. Comparable to Cartron in chocolate ballotins, tabletes, and confectionery assortment, though at a broader mass-premium positioning.
• La Maison du Chocolat: Premium French chocolatier founded by Robert Linxe, known for handcrafted ganaches and ballotins. Operates boutiques internationally and ships worldwide — directly comparable to Cartron in product format, artisanal positioning, and DTC model.
• Christian Constant: French artisan pâtissier-chocolatier with multiple Paris boutiques and online sales. Comparable to Cartron in artisan chocolate and patisserie production with boutique retail and award recognition.
• Pierre Hermé: Renowned French luxury patissier and chocolatier offering chocolates, macarons, and pastries. Comparable to Cartron in combining patisserie and chocolate craftsmanship with retail boutiques and worldwide online ordering.
• Hugo & Victor: French luxury chocolatier and pâtissier with Paris boutique and online sales. Comparable to Cartron in handcrafted chocolates, pastries, and premium positioning within the French artisan category.
• Yves Thuriès: French artisan chocolatier and pâtissier with boutiques and online sales. Comparable to Cartron in family heritage (multi-generational), artisan chocolate craftsmanship, and regional French identity.
• Angelina: Iconic Parisian tea room and patisserie with boutiques in France and internationally. Comparable to Cartron in operating salon de thé retail format, premium pastry/chocolate offerings, and brand-led marketing.

Broad incumbents

• Alain Ducasse: Renowned French chef with a broader portfolio including chocolate, pastry, and boulangerie concepts. Comparable to Cartron in high-end chocolate and patisserie craft but operates at a much larger scale with multiple brands.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CartronGourmandises
• Instagraminstagram.com/cartrongourmandises

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 CARTRON