Color Foods

What Color Foods does

Color Foods is a privately held French small-to-medium enterprise (PME) founded in 1947 and headquartered in Marseille, France, specializing in the sourcing, transformation, packaging, and wholesale distribution of dried fruits, nuts, and seeds. The company imports bulk dried fruits and nuts from international producers, applies in-house processing capabilities (grilling, salting, coating, rehydrating, cooking), and distributes both packaged and bulk products under four distinct brands (Sun, La Favorite, Les Fadas de Fruits Secs, and Sun Chefs) targeting different customer segments.

The company serves three primary customer segments: large-scale French retail chains (Grande distribution, including Leclerc, Carrefour, Intermarché, and U/SupéU) for placement in Fruits & Légumes aisles; professional culinary buyers (bakeries, pastry shops, chocolatiers, glacieries) for ingredient transformation; and food-service operators (restaurants, takeaway, airline catering) under the Sun Chefs professional brand. Distribution is operated across five French intervention cities (Aubervilliers, Nice, Avignon, Bordeaux, Le Havre) via direct field sales, complemented by an online ordering platform and downloadable professional pricing catalogue.

Color Foods employs 80+ staff described internally as "fadas" (enthusiasts), operates as an independent family-owned business with no parent company or external institutional investment, and markets itself as a dynamic SME pursuing ambitious projects. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the company's growth model relies on multi-city wholesale reach, a multi-brand portfolio spanning consumer and professional segments, and embedded supplier relationships with the major players in French grocery and foodservice distribution.

Name

Color Foods

Legal name

Color Foods

Website

https://color-foods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Color Foods is a privately held French SME, founded in 1947, that sources, processes, and wholesale-distributes dried fruits, nuts, and seeds to French retailers, bakeries, chocolatiers, and food-service operators under four brands across five French cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dried Fruits and Nuts Wholesale

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

International & Ethnic Packaged Foods (CRADAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ethnic Groceries & Shelf-Stable Foods Wholesale (AFAIAIAA)

Keywords

• Dried fruits wholesale
• Nuts and seeds processing
• Bulk dried fruits supplier
• Professional food ingredients
• Fruit sec transformation

Headquarters

HQ city

Marseille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale dried fruits and nuts: Color Foods sources dried fruits, nuts, and semi-dry fruits from around the world, receives them in bulk, and then processes them (grilling, salting, coating, rehydrating, cooking) before packaging and distributing them under its own brands (SUN, La Favorite, Les Fadas de Fruits Secs, Sun Chefs). The company sells in bulk to large retailers, bakeries/pastry shops/chocolatiers, and restaurants/takeaway.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Color Foods is a French family-owned SME that sources dried fruits, nuts, and seeds globally, then processes (roasting, salting, coating, rehydrating, cooking), packages, and distributes them in bulk to professional customers including large retailers, bakeries, pastry shops, chocolatiers, and restaurants across France. The company operates four distinct brands (Sun, La Favorite, Les Fadas de Fruits Secs, Sun Chefs) targeting retail consumer and professional foodservice segments.

Product overview

Color Foods is a French, family-owned SME established in 1947 specializing in the transformation, packaging, and trading of dried, chewy, and shelled fruits. The company operates a dual business model offering both wholesale bulk quantities (en gros) and bulk loose sales (en vrac) of nuts (fruits à coque), dried fruits, seeds, and custom dried fruit mixes. Their portfolio includes four distinct brands targeting different market segments: Sun (premium consumer brand), La Favorite (creative consumer brand), Les Fadas de Fruits Secs (fun/enthusiast brand), and Sun Chefs (professional foodservice brand). Color Foods serves retail/grocery, bakery/pastisserie/chocolate, and restaurant/catering sectors with products that may undergo processing such as roasting, salting, coating, rehydrating, or cooking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sun: Sun du soleil à croquer - dried fruits brand for mass retail
• La Favorite
• Les Fadas de Fruits Secs
• Sun Chefs

Products and services

• Sun (Consumer Brand - Dried Fruits)
• La Favorite (Consumer Brand - Dried Fruits)
• Les Fadas de Fruits Secs (Consumer Brand - Dried Fruits)
• Sun Chefs (Professional Brand - Dried Fruits & Nuts)
• Fruits à coque et graines en gros (Wholesale Nuts & Seeds)
• Fruits séchés en gros (Wholesale Dried Fruits)
• Mélanges de fruits secs en gros (Wholesale Dried Fruit Mixes) Wholesale dried fruit mixes and blends, including nut mixes, trail mixes, and custom blend formulations for retail packaging and foodservice applications.
• Fruits à coque et graines en vrac (Bulk Nuts & Seeds) Bulk nuts and seeds sold in loose quantities for professional customers who need smaller volumes or want to create their own custom mixes and blends.
• Fruits séchés en vrac (Bulk Dried Fruits) Bulk dried fruits sold in loose quantities for professional customers seeking smaller volumes or custom blending applications.

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LeclerccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor French retail chain purchasing Color Foods dried fruit products for distribution through their Fruits & Vegetables sections.
• CarrefourcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor French retail chain purchasing Color Foods dried fruit products for distribution through their Fruits & Vegetables sections.
• IntermarchécoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor French retail chain purchasing Color Foods dried fruit products for distribution through their Fruits & Vegetables sections.
• U (SupéU)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench retail cooperative purchasing Color Foods dried fruit products for distribution through their Fruits & Vegetables sections.
• MétrocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProfessional food service wholesaler distributing Color Foods products to restaurants, hotels, and caterers.
• SyscominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProfessional food service distributor purchasing Color Foods products.
• Maxi CoffeeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProfessional food service provider purchasing Color Foods products.
• Air FranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAir France as an airline company purchasing products from Color Foods (likely for in-flight catering).
• Green WeezminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOrganic and eco-friendly retailer purchasing Color Foods dried fruit products.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Markal: French organic and specialty grains, legumes, seeds, and dried fruits company serving retail and B2B. Comparable French SME with parallel organic certification, multi-channel wholesale model, and value-added processing focus.

Broad incumbents

• Diamond Foods: US-listed branded nuts and dried fruits company with strong retail and foodservice distribution. Comparable product portfolio (nuts, dried fruit) and multi-channel wholesale-to-retail model, though at significantly greater scale.
• Blue Diamond Growers: US almond cooperative and global branded nuts player with deep retail penetration and processing capabilities. Comparable as a much larger nut processor leveraging branded consumer products plus ingredient/B2B supply.
• Cémoi: France's largest chocolate manufacturer, a major buyer and user of dried fruits and nuts with overlapping retail and foodservice customers (Carrefour, Leclerc, Sysco, Servair). Comparable French CPG incumbent operating in adjacent categories that consume dried fruits.
• Olam Food Ingredients: Global nuts, dried fruits, and cocoa ingredients supplier operating at massive scale across B2B channels. Comparable as a much larger incumbent in the same product categories, with overlapping customers in industrial and foodservice.

Direct peers

• Borges International Group: Spanish family-owned specialist in dried fruits, nuts, olive oil, and natural foods sold under its own brands and as private label across Europe. Highly comparable to Color Foods in product mix, B2B/wholesale orientation, and family-owned Mediterranean heritage.
• Italcanditi: Italian processor and B2B supplier of candied fruits, dried fruits, and fruit preparations for bakeries, pastry shops, and ice cream makers. Directly comparable to Color Foods' Boulangerie/Pâtisserie/Chocolaterie customer segment and processed-fruit value-add model.
• Sabarot: French family-owned specialty food processor based in Haute-Loire producing dried legumes, mushrooms, grains, and chestnuts for retail and foodservice. Closely comparable as a French SME with parallel processing, multi-channel wholesale, and brand portfolio approach.
• Seeberger: German family-owned dried fruits, nuts, and snacks specialist with branded retail SKUs and B2B foodservice supply. Closely comparable to Color Foods' multi-brand consumer-plus-professional model and European family-business structure.

Regional players

• Agrolaf: Lebanese dried fruits and nuts producer focused on Mediterranean and Middle Eastern markets. Comparable product category and global sourcing model but serves a different geographic footprint than Color Foods' France-centric distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/color-foods

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Color Foods