What Daregal does

Daregal (legal entity DAREGAL SAS) is a privately held French family business founded in 1887, headquartered in Milly-la-Forêt, Essonne. It specializes in the selection, cultivation, processing, and commercialization of aromatic herbs and culinary solutions for three customer segments: industrial food manufacturers, foodservice professionals (restaurants and caterers), and individual consumers. The company employs between 251 and 500 people and is part of the DAROME Group family of companies, with wholly-owned subsidiaries in Spain (Darégal Ibérica), Germany (Darégal Gourmet Deutschland), the UK (Darégal Gourmet Limited), and the US (Darégal Inc.).

Daregal's technical foundation is its Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) process, which freezes each piece of herb ultra-rapidly at very low temperatures, preventing the formation of a compact block and preserving color, texture, flavor, and nutrients. It complements this with a proprietary basil breeding program — having studied 147 varieties, it develops exclusive natural cross-breeds over an average 7-year cycle — and an end-to-end integrated supply chain spanning seed, cultivation (notably in Andalusia, Spain), harvesting, washing, chopping, freezing, and packaging. The product portfolio spans IQF herbs, frozen aromatic pellets, dehydrated herbs, sauces and marinades (including frozen Squeeze format), infused oils, culinary aids, aromatic coulis, and a certified-organic consumer selection. Quality is anchored by IFS, BRC, FSP, M&S, Biologique (EU Regulation 2018/848), and Casher certifications.

The business model is asset-and-channel-based rather than software-based: it generates one-time sale revenue across three distinct GTM motions — a sales-led direct B2B channel serving industrial clients with tailor-made solutions, a channel-partner network distributing foodservice products, and a retail-supermarket channel for consumers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; sample requests and custom solutions are handled through sales representative outreach. In 2024, the company appointed Céline Endler Darbonne as President and adopted the Société à Mission statutory structure, embedding its long-standing purpose of 'keeping taste full of life' into its articles. As of 2025, Daregal held Great Place to Work certification, achieved a 93/100 Gender Equality Index, and its Spanish subsidiary secured EU NextGenerationEU funding for an on-site solar photovoltaic installation.

Name

Daregal

Legal name

DAREGAL SAS

Website

https://daregal.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1887

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Daregal is a French family-owned company founded in 1887 that specializes in the cultivation, processing, and commercialization of frozen (IQF) and dehydrated aromatic herbs, sauces, oils, and culinary aids for food manufacturers, foodservice professionals, and retail consumers across Europe and the US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aromatic Herbs and Culinary Ingredients

NAICS

Frozen Food Manufacturing (31141), Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing (311423), Flavoring Syrup and Concentrate Manufacturing (31193)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Frozen Fruit & Vegetable Processing (IQF, Frozen Blends) (AFAKAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Flavor Houses & Compound Flavor Manufacturing (AFAJADAA), Pesto, Cooking Pastes & Concentrated Flavor Bases Manufacturing (AFAKADAN), Clean-Label/Natural Flavor Solutions (Natural WONF, Natural Identical where applicable) (AFAJADAL)

Keywords

• Frozen aromatic herbs
• IQF technology
• Culinary sauces
• Food ingredients
• Infused oils

Headquarters

HQ city

Milly-la-forêt

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. B2B Food Industry Sales: Sale of aromatic herbs in various forms (IQF, sauces, oils, dehydrated) to food manufacturers and industrial clients. Products include frozen aromatic pellets, dehydrated herbs, sauces, marinades, and infused oils.
2. Foodservice Distribution: Distribution of frozen aromatic herbs, culinary aids, sauces, and coulis to foodservice professionals (restaurants, caterers) through partner distributors.
3. Consumer Retail: Sale of frozen aromatic herbs and organic selections to individual consumers through retail supermarket chains.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Daregal selects, cultivates, and commercializes aromatic herbs for three customer segments: industrial food manufacturers (IQF frozen herbs, frozen aromatic pellets, dehydrated herbs, sauces/marinades, infused oils), foodservice professionals (frozen herbs, culinary aids such as Savour'Eaze, culinary sauces, aromatic coulis such as Cool'Eaze, squeeze sauces), and individual consumers (frozen aromatic herbs and an organic selection sold in retail supermarkets). Products are preserved using Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) technology and contain no additives or preservatives.

Product overview

Daregal is a French family-owned company (founded 1887) specializing in aromatic herbs, offering a comprehensive product portfolio organized by customer segment: (1) For Industrial Clients—IQF Frozen Aromatic Herbs, Frozen Aromatic Pellets, Dehydrated Aromatic Herbs, Sauces & Marinades, and Infused Oils; (2) For Foodservice Professionals—Frozen Aromatic Herbs, Culinary Aids (including Savour'Eaze), Culinary Sauces, Aromatic Coulis (including Cool'Eaze), and Squeeze Sauces; (3) For Individual Consumers—Frozen Aromatic Herbs (including Organic Selection). The core technology is Individual Quick Freezing (IQF), which preserves herbs individually at ultra-rapid speeds without compacting, maintaining color, texture, flavor, and nutrients. Products are clean label—no additives or preservatives—using freezing as natural preservation. The company also offers custom/tailor-made solutions for specific client needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IQF Frozen Aromatic Herbs Individually Quick Frozen aromatic herbs that preserve color, texture, flavor, and nutrients without forming a compact block. Available for industrial clients, foodservice professionals, and individual consumers.
• Frozen Aromatic Pellets Frozen aromatic pellets for industrial clients, offering concentrated aromatic flavor in a convenient, portion-controlled form suitable for food manufacturing processes.
• Dehydrated Aromatic Herbs Dehydrated aromatic herbs for industrial clients, providing extended shelf life while maintaining flavor intensity for food manufacturing applications.
• Sauces and Marinades Ready-to-use sauces and marinades combining aromatic herbs with natural ingredients for industrial and foodservice applications, including squeeze-format sauces (La Béarnaise Végan, La Pesto, La Rustique, La Nordique, La Mexicaine, La Smoky Burger).
• Infused Oils 100% natural oils made from sunflower oil and field-grown herbs (Basil Infused Oil, Mint Infused Oil) harvested at maturity to preserve aromatic qualities, offering fresh and intense flavor with homogeneous distribution.
• Savour'Eaze Culinary Aids Clean label culinary aids for foodservice professionals, made from open-field herbs combined with natural ingredients, usable in sauces or marinades, cold or hot, with no unnecessary additives.
• Cool'Eaze Aromatic Herb Coulis Frozen aromatic herb coulis for foodservice professionals, providing concentrated herb flavors in a pourable format for culinary applications. Store 3 years at -18°C; once thawed, use within 14 days at 0°C to +4°C.
• Squeeze Sauces Frozen squeeze-format sauces that thaw in approximately 8 hours when refrigerated; once thawed, usable directly on snacks, diluted with oil, cream, mayonnaise, or tomato sauce for vinaigrettes or marinades. Store 3 years at -18°C.
• Organic Selection (Sélection Bio) Certified organic frozen aromatic herbs complying with European regulations (EU Regulation 2018/848), available for individual consumers seeking organic products in supermarket retail.
• Frozen Aromatic Herbs (Consumer) Frozen aromatic herbs for individual consumers, cultivated in season and open fields, simply frozen, available year-round in freezer, ready to use without thawing. No additives, preservatives, or major allergens. Store up to 36 months from date of manufacture at -18°C.

Quantifiable outcome

• Shelf life of 36 months for consumer products and 48 months for professional/industrial products when stored at -18°C
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 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

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Givaudan: Global leader in flavors and fragrances, supplying savory taste solutions and natural ingredient systems to food manufacturers. Comparable to Daregal in serving industrial food customers with natural herb- and spice-derived flavoring systems, while operating at much larger scale across flavors and fragrances.
• McCormick & Company: World's largest spice and herb company, serving industrial, foodservice and consumer customers with herbs, seasonings and flavor solutions. Overlaps with Daregal across the entire aromatic-herb value chain, though at vastly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• ofi (Olam Food Ingredients): Global food and agri ingredients business spanning spices, herbs and seasonings with operations in Europe, the Americas and Asia. Comparable to Daregal as a supplier of natural herb, spice and seasoning ingredients to food manufacturers, though at much larger and globally diversified scale.
• Kerry Group: Global taste and nutrition company supplying savory and culinary flavor solutions to food and beverage manufacturers. Comparable to Daregal as a B2B supplier of herb- and savory-based flavor ingredients into industrial food channels, though with a far broader product portfolio.
• Ardo: Belgian frozen fruit, vegetable and herb supplier serving European industrial, foodservice and retail customers. Comparable to Daregal in producing IQF-frozen vegetable, herb and ingredient products for food manufacturers and caterers across Europe.
• Bonduelle: French leader in frozen and processed vegetables, with deep industrial and foodservice channels across Europe. Comparable to Daregal as a French-based supplier of frozen plant-based ingredients to industrial and retail channels via IQF-style processing.
• Symrise: Global flavor and ingredients giant with deep exposure to savory and culinary flavors for food manufacturers. Overlaps with Daregal in supplying aromatic flavor solutions and culinary ingredients to industrial food customers, though Symrise's portfolio extends far beyond frozen herbs into fragrances and nutrition.

Direct peers

• Döhler: German-headquartered supplier of natural ingredients, flavor systems, and food & beverage applications to industrial customers. Comparable to Daregal in producing herb- and plant-based ingredients (including frozen and concentrated forms) for food manufacturers across Europe.
• Robertet: French-headquartered natural raw materials, flavors and fragrances group that works extensively with botanical and aromatic plant materials. Comparable to Daregal in its French heritage, deep agronomic expertise, and supply of natural aromatic ingredients to food manufacturers and foodservice.
• Mane: French family-owned flavor and fragrance house sourcing and processing natural botanical raw materials for food, beverage and perfumery. Comparable to Daregal through its French heritage, integrated natural-ingredient supply chain, and broad use of herbs and aromatic plants for B2B flavor customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/p/Dar%C3%A9gal-100063481602578/?locale=fr_FR
• LinkedInfr.linkedin.com/company/daregal
• Instagraminstagram.com/daregal_
• Xx.com/daregal_gourmet

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Daregal