Vives Eaux
Vives Eaux (Vivo Group) is a family-owned French seafood wholesaler and processor founded in 1989, operating 11 specialized subsidiaries along the French coastline with ~300 employees. The group sources daily from 20+ auction houses, processes ~13,000 tonnes annually via hand-filleting and modern portioning, and distributes to restaurants, fishmongers, manufacturers, and mass retail across France via a fleet of 50+ trucks.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersRezé, France
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Vives Eaux does
Vives Eaux (operating as Vivo Group) is a French family-owned seafood wholesaler, processor and distributor founded in 1989 by CEO Philippe Vignaud. The group is organized as a platform of 11 specialized entities operating along the French coastline — from Boulogne-sur-Mer on the Channel to the Mediterranean via the Atlantic ports — with approximately 300 employees. Its operating subsidiaries include Arpège Marée (hand filleting, Lorient/Quiberon/Roscoff/Bigouden), Les Produits Côtiers (Boulogne-sur-Mer coastal fish), Chauvin-Dutay (blue fish — anchovies, sardines — from Croisic/La Turballe), SOMACO (upscale catering and traditional fishmongers), Rabaud-Raffin (fine-dining and shellfish cooking), C2MC-Boulogne Ecorage (landing operations and flat fish), Beuron (Mediterranean distribution), Vives Eaux Nantes (central decision-making and night distribution hub), and Armements Pêche Côtière (partial ownership of the fishing vessel L'Argentario). Headquartered at 73 rue Jules Vallès, Bouguenais (Nantes region), the group consolidates into SAS Vives Eaux.
The group's core operations span fish trading, raw-product transformation and distribution. It maintains daily physical presence at more than 20 French auction houses (with Vives Eaux Nantes centralizing purchases from 10) and operates an owned fleet of over 50 refrigerated trucks for regional delivery plus specialized national carriers for worldwide shipping. Processing capabilities combine traditional hand-filleting with modern portioning technology (notably an ultra-modern fish-fillet portioning machine installed at Arpège Marée in 2015) and a shellfish cooking workshop for live crab, langoustines, prawns and spider crabs. The group processed and commercialized approximately 13,000 tonnes of seafood in 2013, with consolidated revenue of €75 million, and was named a laureate of the France Relance program in April 2021 for modernization and relocalization of seafood transformation.
Vives Eaux operates a B2B sales-led wholesale model targeting foodservice professionals (restaurants, caterers, hotels), traditional fishmongers, industrial food manufacturers, mass retail/grocery chains (including BIO certified products), institutional collective catering (schools, retirement homes), and individual consumers. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is direct via the owned truck fleet for regional delivery and via third-party carriers for national and international shipping; the company participates in industry trade shows (e.g., Serbotel) and maintains a LinkedIn/Facebook presence, while a recruitment portal indicates ongoing hiring. Philippe Vignaud retains founder/CEO control with no external PE/VC involvement disclosed in the data.
Vives Eaux firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Vives Eaux
- Legal name
- SAS Vives Eaux
- Website
- https://vives-eaux.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Vives Eaux (Vivo Group) is a family-owned French seafood wholesaler and processor founded in 1989, operating 11 specialized subsidiaries along the French coastline with ~300 employees. The group sources daily from 20+ auction houses, processes ~13,000 tonnes annually via hand-filleting and modern portioning, and distributes to restaurants, fishmongers, manufacturers, and mass retail across France via a fleet of 50+ trucks.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Vives Eaux industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Seafood Wholesale Distribution
- NAICS
- Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (42446), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (3117), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (31171)
- SIC
- Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Meat, Poultry & Seafood Distribution (CRAOABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Ready-to-Eat Seafood (Cooked Shrimp, Crab, Lobster, Surimi) (AFANALAC), Marinated & Seasoned Seafood (Value-Added Raw/Par-Cooked) (AFANALAE)
Keywords
Where Vives Eaux is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rezé
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Vives Eaux business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Fish Trading and Distribution: Core wholesale fish trading activity involving purchase of quality fish and seafood, processing of raw products, and distribution to professionals including restaurants, distributors, manufacturers, and fishmongers. Distribution to individuals as well.
- Fresh and Frozen Seafood Products: Sale of fresh and frozen seafood products sourced directly from French coastal fishing boats and auction houses
- Processing Services: Transformation services for raw products according to customer needs including filleting, gutting, heading, scaling, and portioning
- Shipping and Logistics: Shipping services to France and worldwide, with own fleet of 50+ trucks for regional deliveries
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Vives Eaux product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Vives Eaux (Vivo Group) is a French family-owned seafood wholesaler and distributor that sources fresh and frozen fish and seafood directly from over 20 French coastal auction houses and fishing boats, processes raw products through hand filleting, gutting, heading, scaling, fish portioning, and shellfish cooking, and distributes to foodservice professionals (restaurants, caterers), fishmongers, industrial food manufacturers, mass retail, and institutional caterers, while also shipping internationally.
Product overview
Vivo Group (Vives Eaux) is a family seafood company with 11 entities operating along the French coastline, established in 1989 by Philippe Vignaud. The company operates as a platform of specialized subsidiaries providing complementary services: fish trading (mareyage), raw product transformation (filleting, portioning, cooking of shellfish), distribution to professionals (restaurants, distributors, manufacturers, fishmongers, retailers), and international shipping. Key brands include Vives Eaux Nantes (central decision hub), Arpège Marée (hand filleting), SOMACO (upscale catering), Rabaud-Raffin (high-end restaurants), Les Produits Côtiers (local fishing), Chauvin-Dutay (blue fish specialist), C2MC-Boulogne Ecorage (landing services), Beuron (Mediterranean expansion), and Armements (fishing vessel ownership). The group processes and distributes nearly 13,000 tonnes of seafood annually, with a fleet of over 50 trucks for regional delivery.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Vivo Group: Parent group name for all subsidiaries including Arpège Marée, Chauvin-Dutay, Les Produits Côtiers, Rabaud-Raffin, Somaco, C2MC-Boulogne Ecorage, Armements Pêche Côtière, Beuron, and Vives Eaux.
Products and services
- Fresh Seafood Wholesale Supply Daily supply of fresh fish and seafood sourced directly from French coastal fishing boats and from over 20 French auction houses (criées), distributed to foodservice professionals, fishmongers, manufacturers, mass retail and institutional catering.
- Frozen Seafood Products Sale of frozen seafood products sourced from French coastal fishing and auction houses, offered alongside fresh lines to professional buyers.
- Hand Filleting Services Specialized manual fish filleting provided across multiple subsidiaries (notably Arpège Marée in Lorient/Quiberon/Roscoff/Bigouden ports, and Les Produits Côtiers in Boulogne-sur-Mer), supplying hand-cut fillets from local coastal fisheries.
- Fish Portioning Services (Arpège Marée Lorient) Ultra-modern and precise fish-fillet portioning service using a dedicated portioning machine at the Lorient production workshop, providing exact portions for institutional catering clients such as schools and retirement homes.
- Shellfish Cooking Workshop Services (Rabaud-Raffin) Performant cooking workshop for live shellfish including crabs, langoustines, prawns, and spider crabs at the Rabaud-Raffin subsidiary, supplying high-end and fine-dining customers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Processes ~13,000 tonnes of seafood products annually (excluding ecorage)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Vives Eaux
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Vives Eaux technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Vives Eaux partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Vives Eaux competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Thai Union Group: Global seafood conglomerate that owns Euronor, Petit Navire, and Saupiquet in France. Broad incumbent operating across seafood processing, branding, and distribution with French operations that overlap with Vives Eaux's territory.
- Saupiquet: Major French canned seafood brand (Thai Union subsidiary) with processing operations. Adjacent competitor in French seafood preparation and packaging for retail channels.
- Petit Navire: Iconic French canned and prepared seafood brand owned by Thai Union. While primarily a consumer brand, its production and sourcing operations overlap with Vives Eaux's seafood processing activity.
- Nomad Foods: European frozen food giant owning Findus, Iglo, and Birds Eye brands. Overlaps with Vives Eaux in frozen seafood categories across European retail and foodservice channels, though at much greater scale and brand-led.
Emerging players
- Poiscaille: French digital-native seafood retailer sourcing directly from French small-scale fishermen and selling direct-to-consumer. Emerging player that bypasses traditional wholesale distribution models like Vives Eaux's.
Direct peers
- Sysco France (formerly Glon SAS): Largest French foodservice distributor, including seafood, serving restaurants and caterers nationwide. Competes with Vives Eaux in B2B seafood distribution to professional kitchens across France.
- Brake France: Foodservice distribution specialist serving restaurants, hotels, and caterers in France with broad fresh and frozen product ranges including seafood. Direct competitor in B2B distribution to professional kitchens.
- Transgourmet France: French foodservice cash & carry and delivery operator (subsidiary of Transgourmet Holding/Coop Group). Overlaps with Vives Eaux in serving restaurants and caterers with seafood and fresh products nationally.
- Les Mouettes d'Arvor: Independent French seafood processor specializing in canned fish and seafood products sourced from French fisheries. Comparable as a France-based seafood processor targeting retail channels.
- Euronor: French seafood processor specializing in prepared and frozen seafood products, owned by Thai Union Group. Direct competitor in French seafood processing for retail and foodservice channels.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Vives Eaux social profiles
Digital presenceVives Eaux compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Vives Eaux financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vives Eaux leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Vives Eaux subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries9 records
Vives Eaux funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vives Eaux M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Vives Eaux
What does Vives Eaux do?
Vives Eaux (Vivo Group) is a French family-owned seafood wholesaler and distributor that sources fresh and frozen fish and seafood directly from over 20 French coastal auction houses and fishing boats, processes raw products through hand filleting, gutting, heading, scaling, fish portioning, and shellfish cooking, and distributes to foodservice professionals (restaurants, caterers), fishmongers, industrial food manufacturers, mass retail, and institutional caterers, while also shipping internationally.
Is Vives Eaux a public or private company?
Vives Eaux is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Vives Eaux founded?
Vives Eaux was founded in 1989. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Vives Eaux based?
Vives Eaux is headquartered in Rezé, France, in the Europe region.
How does Vives Eaux make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Fish Trading and Distribution is the primary driver. The others are fresh and Frozen Seafood Products, processing Services and shipping and Logistics.
Who are Vives Eaux's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Thai Union Group, Saupiquet, Petit Navire and Nomad Foods. Poiscaille is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Sysco France (formerly Glon SAS), Brake France, Transgourmet France, Les Mouettes d'Arvor and Euronor.
Does Vives Eaux have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vives Eaux.
What industry is Vives Eaux in?
Vives Eaux's product category is Seafood Wholesale Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAOABAC, Meat, Poultry & Seafood Distribution, with a secondary code of AFANALAC, Ready-to-Eat Seafood (Cooked Shrimp, Crab, Lobster, Surimi). Its NAICS code is 42446 and its SIC code is 2092.