What ALTHO does

ALTHO is a French family-owned potato chip manufacturer founded in 1995 by Alain Glon in Saint-Gérand-Croixanvec, Brittany. The company operates under AGH (Alain Glon Holding) with 100% family ownership and pursues a dual-market model: it is the principal private label (store brand) chip manufacturer for major French retailers — Intermarché, Lidl, Leclerc, Carrefour, and System U — while also selling branded products through its national brand Brets. ALTHO produces 1 in every 2 chips consumed in France, employing over 450 people year-round (up to 600 in high season) across four production sites (Saint-Gérand-Croixanvec, Le Pouzin, Hourtin, and Tentugal, Portugal). The company sources 100% French potatoes (Lady Claire and Lady Rosetta varieties) from approximately 350 partner farmers, mostly within 170 km of its Brittany production site.

The product portfolio centers on potato chips made from 100% French potatoes with oleic sunflower oil and Guérande salt, spanning natural plain chips, more than 30 flavored varieties, and innovative SKUs including Breton buckwheat chips, Nutri-Score A popped legume chips, and vegetable chips produced via specialized low-temperature vacuum cooking. Production technology combines conventional frying with proprietary methods: low-temperature vacuum cooking for vegetable chips, buckwheat-pancake chip processing in partnership with a Breton crêpier, and methanization-based green gas generation covering 34% of gas needs. The company holds IFS Level 6 certification (highest level) for both French production sites and operates a CO2-reducing, water-conserving manufacturing process (26% CO2 reduction since 2007; 30% water reduction over 3 years).

ALTHO's revenue model combines B2B contract manufacturing (primary) with branded consumer sales. Private label manufacturing for French supermarket chains is the core revenue stream; the Brets brand — the second-largest national chip brand in France — generates secondary revenue through retail distribution and direct-to-consumer sales via brets.fr. The company serves multiple customer segments including major French retail chains (enterprise, primary), retail consumers (primary), food service/specialty retail, and international markets across Europe, North America, Asia, Oceania, and Africa.

Name

ALTHO

Legal name

Altho SAS

Website

https://altho.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ALTHO is a family-owned French potato chip manufacturer founded in 1995, producing private label chips for major French retailers and its Brets national brand from 4 production sites in France and Portugal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Snack Foods

NAICS

Snack Food Manufacturing (31191), Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Cookies & Crackers (2052), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Potato & Vegetable Chips Manufacturing (AFAKAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chips & Savory Snacks (Potato, Tortilla, Extruded) (CRADABAE), Crackers, Biscuits & Grain Snacks Manufacturing (savory biscuits, crispbreads) (AFAKABAH)

Keywords

• Potato chips
• Private label manufacturing
• Snack food production
• Branded chips
• Food manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-gérand

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Private Label Manufacturing: ALTHO manufactures potato chips for store brands (marques de distributeurs) for nearly all major French supermarket chains. This is their primary revenue stream as a contract manufacturer.
2. Brets Brand Sales: Sale of branded products under the Brets national brand, which has become the second largest potato chip brand in France with over 30 flavors. Available in retail stores and potentially direct-to-consumer.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ALTHO manufactures potato chips and savory snacks at four production sites in France and Portugal. It produces store-brand (private label) chips for nearly all major French supermarket chains and sells its own national brand Brets, which offers more than 30 flavored varieties along with buckwheat chips, vegetable chips, and popped legume snacks. The company controls the full production chain from potato variety selection and sourcing to packaging, working with around 350 French farmers.

Product overview

ALTHO is a food manufacturing company specializing in potato chips, operating as both a private-label manufacturer for major French retailers and through its own national brand Brets. The product portfolio centers on potato chips made from 100% French potatoes (Lady Claire and Lady Rosetta varieties), with sunflower oil and Guérande salt. The range spans natural plain chips, over 30 flavored varieties, innovative buckwheat chips using Breton galettes, healthy popped legume snacks (Nutri-Score A), and vegetable chips produced via specialized low-temperature vacuum cooking. The Brets sub-brand represents the company's consumer-facing offering and is the second largest player in the French chip market.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Brets: French potato chip brand renowned for expertise and commitment to quality products. Offering a varied range of more than 30 flavors, it favors natural aromas for authentic taste experiences. Also features buckwheat chips as a regional specialty. Now the 2nd national brand in the French chip market.

Products and services

• Brets branded potato chips French national potato chip brand with more than 30 flavored varieties, made from 100% French potatoes with natural aromas and Guérande salt. Second largest chip brand in France, distributed through retailers and brets.fr.
• Private label potato chip manufacturing Contract manufacturing of store-brand potato chips for nearly all major French retail chains including Intermarché, Lidl, Leclerc, Carrefour, and System U. This is ALTHO's primary revenue stream.
• Natural sunflower oil potato chips Plain potato chips made with 100% French potatoes (Lady Claire and Lady Rosetta varieties) and oleic sunflower oil, offered for clean-label positioning.
• Flavored potato chips Wide range of flavored chips with over 30 varieties developed with nearly 30 years of expertise, using natural aromas.
• Buckwheat chips Unique chips made from Breton buckwheat pancakes, offering a distinctive taste experience that honors Breton regional heritage.
• Vegetable chips

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ~350 French FarmerscoreOthers · 1 January 1995Long-standing partnership with approximately 350 French farmers, mostly located in Brittany within 170km of production sites. Farmers supply Lady Claire and Lady Rosetta potato varieties. ALTHO provides agricultural advice, turnkey tools (seedlings, sowing, treatments, irrigation, harvesting), and stable contractual prices per harvest.
• Paludiers de Guérande (Guérande Salt Workers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Guérande salt workers to use emblematic Breton salt in chip products, providing authentic regional character to products.
• Breton Crêpier (Buckwheat Pancake Maker)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Breton crêpier for buckwheat pancake supply used in unique buckwheat chip production, showcasing regional heritage and local product innovation.
• ~200 Breton CompaniesminorOthersLocal suppliers and service providers (approximately 200 Breton companies) who work with ALTHO annually, forming the broader local economic ecosystem around the company.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Pringles (Kellanova): Global branded savory snack business (currently being separated from Kellogg's/Kellanova). Competes with ALTHO in the broader salty snack category and shared retail shelf space, particularly through Pringles' crisps and flavored variants.
• Lay's (PepsiCo): Global branded potato chip leader and incumbent in nearly every major market. Comparable to ALTHO as a competing potato chip supplier on the same shelves in France and internationally, though much larger and more marketing-intensive.

Direct peers

• Lorenz Snack-World: European savory snack manufacturer (part of Intersnack group historically) producing chips, pretzels, and nuts. Comparable to ALTHO as a multi-country snack producer with both private label and branded offerings in Europe.
• Kettle Foods: US-based branded kettle-cooked potato chip maker owned by Campbell Soup. Comparable to ALTHO as a specialty branded chip producer focused on natural ingredients, premium positioning, and limited flavor innovation.
• Intersnack: European private label and branded savory snack manufacturer with broad chip and crisp production across multiple countries. Highly comparable to ALTHO as a private label chip specialist serving major retailers with multi-country manufacturing.
• Tyrrell's: Premium British hand-cooked potato chip brand with regional provenance positioning. Comparable to ALTHO/Brets as a branded flavored chip maker using regional heritage and quality ingredients in its marketing.

Emerging players

• Popchips: US popped snack brand offering a healthier, lower-fat alternative to traditional fried chips. Comparable to ALTHO's Nutri-Score A popped legume chips line, addressing the same consumer shift toward better-for-you salty snacks.
• Terra Chips: Branded vegetable chip maker (owned by Hain Celestial) using root vegetables and alternative ingredients. Comparable to ALTHO's vegetable chip line as a direct competitor in the premium vegetable-based chip category.
• Pipcorn: US small-batch heirloom snack brand using alternative grains and corn varieties. Comparable to ALTHO's buckwheat chip line as an example of heritage/regional grain-based snacking innovation.
• Boulder Canyon Authentic Foods: US natural and kettle-cooked potato chip brand using simple, clean ingredients. Comparable to ALTHO's natural oleic sunflower oil chip line in terms of clean-label positioning and flavor innovation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/altho-brets

Compliance3 records

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 ALTHO