What Charles Christ does

Charles Christ (legal entity SAS Charles Christ) is a fourth-generation, family-owned French specialty food manufacturer founded in 1929, headquartered at 38 rue de Berri, 75008 Paris with all production concentrated at a single site in Connerré, Sarthe. The company employs approximately 90 people and operates with registered capital of €2,001,000. It manufactures and packages sauerkraut and prepared French dishes using traditional lacto-fermentation, with cabbage sourced under long-term contracts from Sarthe farmers within a 30km radius and 100% French pork processed in an in-house charcuterie workshop.

Its product portfolio spans four consumer lines (Choucroutes et plats cuisinés, Bio organic range, organic lacto-fermented vegetables, and an 8-SKU terrine range launched in 2025) plus a professional catering sub-brand, Charles Christ Restauration, supplying bulk formats (4/4 and 5/1 cans, 2.3kg trays, 10kg buckets) to restaurants, caterers, and hors-Foyer (RHF) food-service operators. Go-to-market is dual-channel: a direct-to-consumer boutique called La Conserverie opened on June 1, 2023 next to the Connerré production site, plus an e-commerce partnership with Gillet Contres, alongside a dedicated B2B field-sales organization for catering accounts.

Revenue mechanics are straightforward one-time-product sales across both consumer and professional channels; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is entirely domestic (France), with no disclosed exports. The company has remained under family ownership across four generations, with no external funding, private equity involvement, or institutional investment in the source data.

Name

Charles Christ

Legal name

SAS Charles Christ

Website

https://charles-christ.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Charles Christ is a fourth-generation French family-owned manufacturer founded in 1929, producing traditional lacto-fermented sauerkraut and prepared French dishes (cassoulet, sausages with lentils, terrines, organic ranges) for both individual consumers via a direct boutique and e-commerce, and for professional caterers through its Charles Christ Restauration B2B division.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Prepared Foods

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Soups, Broths & Meal Starters (CRADAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fermented & Air-Dried Charcuterie (Salami, Pepperoni, Prosciutto-Style) (AFANAEAE)

Keywords

• Prepared French dishes
• Lacto-fermented sauerkraut
• Organic canned foods
• Professional catering supply
• Artisanal charcuterie

Headquarters

HQ city

Connerré

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consumer packaged goods (B2C): Sale of prepared foods including choucroutes, cassoulets, fermented vegetables, and terrines in glass jars through direct boutique and e-commerce channels. Products sold in various formats from individual portions to bulk containers.
2. Professional catering / Restaurant supply (B2B): Charles Christ Restauration division supplies bulk-format prepared foods to restaurants, caterers, and hors-Foyer (RHF) professionals through dedicated sales team and commercial relationships.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Charles Christ manufactures and distributes French prepared dishes built on traditional lacto-fermentation, including sauerkraut, cassoulet, sausages with lentils, organic ranges, fermented vegetables, and charcuterie terrines. The company sells its own products to individual consumers through a direct boutique and e-commerce partner, and to restaurants and caterers through a dedicated professional catering division (Charles Christ Restauration) in bulk formats.

Product overview

Charles Christ is a family-owned French preserving company founded in 1929, now in its fourth generation. The company operates two main divisions: retail products for individual consumers and professional catering products. The retail division offers four core product lines: Choucroutes et plats cuisinés (traditional prepared dishes including various sauerkraut preparations, cassoulet, sausages with lentils), La gamme Bio (certified organic products including sauerkraut, legumes, and prepared dishes), Les légumes fermentés Bio (organic lacto-fermented vegetables including carrots, red cabbage, white cabbage, beets, and coleslaw), and Les terrines (eight varieties of French-style charcuterie terrines launched in 2025). The professional catering division (Charles Christ Restauration) provides the same products in larger formats (appetizer trays, 4/4 cans, 5/1 cans, pouches, 10kg buckets) designed for restaurants and food service establishments. All products emphasize French origin ingredients, lacto-fermentation craftsmanship, and glass packaging.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• La Conserverie: Direct sales boutique opened on June 1, 2023, located in Connerré next to the production workshops, offering all Charles Christ products from small jars to bulk packaging for individuals.

Products and services

• Choucroutes et plats cuisinés Core retail product line of traditional French lacto-fermented sauerkraut and prepared dishes in glass jars (choucroute nature, à la bière, à la graisse de canard, garnie, cassoulet, saucisses lentilles, Marmite Sarthoise) for individual consumers.
• La gamme Bio Certified organic product line featuring sauerkraut with bacon, cassoulet, red beans with peppers, lentil dishes and other legume recipes made with French organic ingredients. Targets health- and environmentally-conscious consumers.
• Les légumes fermentés Bio Organic lacto-fermented vegetables (carrots, red cabbage, white cabbage, coleslaw, beets) preserved through ancestral fermentation that maintains crunchiness with a slightly acidic note.
• Les terrines Eight varieties of French-style charcuterie terrines made from 100% French pork in the company's own workshop. Sold in 180g glass jars for appetizer occasions.
• Charles Christ Restauration B2B professional catering division offering prepared dishes and sauerkraut in larger professional formats (appetizer trays/barquettes, 4/4 cans, 5/1 cans, pouches, 10 kg buckets) for restaurants, caterers, and food service establishments.
• La Conserverie (Direct Sales Boutique) Direct sales boutique opened June 1, 2023, in Connerré, adjacent to production workshops. Offers the full Charles Christ product range from small jars to large formats for individual consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% reduction in gas consumption achieved through boiler replacement investments

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Agricultural Partners (Sarthe Farmers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnerships with local farmers within 30km radius of Connerré production facilities. Farmers grow cabbage following company specifications from seed selection through harvest. Partnership enables complete control of supply chain 'from fork to fork' (fourche à fourchette).
• Gillet ContrescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGillet Contres operates as e-commerce sales channel for Charles Christ products. Website references include product purchase links and logo display as partner.
• HexanetminorOthersWebsite hosting provider for www.charles-christ.fr. Located at 7 rue des Frênes ZAC de la Pointe – 72190 SARGÉ-LÈS-LE MANS.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bonduelle: French market leader in canned and frozen vegetables with broad prepared-vegetable lines. Broad incumbent competing with Charles Christ in preserved/jarred vegetables and bio ranges, though at vastly larger scale.
• Hédiard: Maison française historique specializing in luxury preserved and prepared French specialties (foie gras, cassoulet, terrines). Comparable product format and premium/traditional positioning, though operating at a higher price tier and via retail boutiques.
• Fleury Michon: Listed French prepared-meals leader (charcuterie, plated dishes, sandwich ingredients) operating across retail and foodservice at national scale. Functions as a broad incumbent that competes with Charles Christ in both consumer and foodservice channels but with a much wider portfolio.

Direct peers

• Liebig: French manufacturer of jarred traditional prepared dishes including sauerkraut, cassoulet, and saucisse lentilles. Closest direct peer to Charles Christ - same product format (glass jars), overlapping SKU categories, similar French traditional positioning.
• Saupiquet: French canned and preserved-food brand (sardines, vegetables, prepared dishes) historically anchored in jarred seafood/vegetables. Directly comparable to Charles Christ's preserved-vegetable and prepared-meals product format with strong retail presence.
• La Belle Chaurienne: French family-owned producer of traditional cassoulet, confit, foie gras, and jarred charcuterie. Direct competitor to Charles Christ in the artisanal French prepared-meals-in-jar category, with similar channel mix of retail and foodservice.
• William Saurin: Major French brand of prepared dishes (cassoulet, choucroute, hachis parmentier) sold in cans and jars across retail and foodservice. Overlaps directly with Charles Christ in the B2B and traditional French prepared-meals space, though at significantly larger scale.

Regional players

• Hengstenberg: German family-owned sauerkraut and pickled-vegetable specialist with EU-wide distribution. Direct product-category peer (sauerkraut, fermented vegetables) but primarily serving German-speaking markets rather than France.
• Kühne: Germany's largest producer of sauerkraut, pickles, and fermented vegetables, exporting across Europe. Directly comparable in core fermenting technology and product categories, but operating primarily in DACH markets rather than France.

Others

• Picard Surgelés: French specialist retailer of premium frozen prepared meals and vegetables. Adjacent player serving French consumers seeking quality convenience, competing for the same prepared-meals occasion through a different preservation technology (freezing vs. glass-jar preserve).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/charles.christ72
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/charles-christ

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Charles Christ