The Unicorn

What The Unicorn does

Bolle & Cie SA, operating under the La Licorne brand, is a Swiss wine producer and encaver founded in 1865 by Alphonse Bolle in Morges, Canton Vaud, on the shores of Lake Geneva. The company controls 44 hectares of vineyard land across four estate properties — Château de Vufflens (8 ha), Domaine de Sarraux-Dessous (18 ha), Domaine du Plessis (6 ha), and Domaine de la Ville de Morges (15 ha, BIO SUISSE certified since 2020) — and functions both as an estate producer and a négociant. Its wine portfolio is organized under the La Licorne premium sub-brand launched in 1971, estate-specific Domaine collections, and a Selection Nature organic range, yielding more than 500 wines available through its channels. Notable technical practices include méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine production (e.g., Brut de Licorne, Cuvée Alphonse), aging in oak foudres, organic and biodynamic viticulture on part of the estate, and a personalized barrel selection program for the La Licorne Pinot Noir.

The company reaches customers through a multi-channel distribution model anchored on direct-to-consumer e-commerce (bolle.ch, with fulfillment routed through thewinefamily.ch) and a flagship retail showroom, the Oenothèque La Licorne in Morges, which offers paid tastings (CHF 15 for 6 wines, free with purchase of 6 bottles) and on-site sales of more than 500 SKUs. B2B distribution supplies a small set of named partner restaurants, hotels, and wine bars across the Lake Geneva region (including Savoie & L'Union, Le Débarcadère, and TOM Café du Musée Olympique), while on-domain cellar-door sales operate at the four estates during open events. Pricing is unit-based in Swiss Francs, with bottles spanning approximately CHF 12–150, free shipping above CHF 300, and custom formats (magnum, Jéroboam, Mathusalem) supplied through a gift and accessories range; additional revenue derives from private and corporate tasting events.

Bolle operates as a privately held, family-founded Swiss enterprise affiliated with the SCHENK Group, which provides shared back-office services such as a Group Data Protection Officer. The customer base spans individual wine enthusiasts, regional hospitality accounts, corporate group-event buyers, and organic/natural wine consumers. With 11–50 employees, the firm pursues selective expansion through new product launches (Monoceros 2023, Cuvée Alphonse for the 160th anniversary), bio-certified viticulture, founding membership in the Clos Domaines & Châteaux association, and participation in regional events including Divinum Morges and the Fête de la Tulipe.

Name

The Unicorn

Legal name

Bolle & Cie SA

Website

https://bolle.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1865

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bolle & Cie SA is a 160-year-old Swiss wine producer and negotiator based in Morges, operating 44 hectares across four estates, selling through DTC e-commerce, an Oenotheque retail showroom, regional hospitality accounts, and limited corporate events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wine Production and Retail

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (424820), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320)

SIC

Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE), Wine Retail (Bottle Shops & Wine Merchants) (CRANABAB), Wine Bars (CRANACAE)

Keywords

• Swiss wine production
• Estate winery
• Wine retail shop
• Organic wine viticulture
• AOC Vaud wines

Headquarters

HQ city

Morges

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct Wine Sales (E-commerce): Online sales through bolle.ch and redirect to thewinefamily.ch platform for order fulfillment. Customers can purchase wines across various appellations (Vaud, La Côte) and collections (La Licorne, Domaine wines, Château wines, Bio, Nature).
2. Retail Sales at Oenothèque: Physical retail location offering wine tastings (CHF 15 for 6 wines, free with 6 bottle purchase) and direct bottle sales. The Oenothèque stocks over 500 wines including Swiss wines from other regions and international selections.
3. Negociant/Import Operations: As both a producer and negociant, Bolle imports and sells wines from other Swiss regions (Valais, Tessin, Chablais, Geneva, Graubünden) and international wines (Italy, Spain, Georgia, California, Argentina, France), offering over 500 wines at the Oenothèque.
4. Wine Tourism and Events: Custom tasting events, corporate events, wine tasting experiences, and gift packages including large format bottles (magnum, Jéroboam, Mathusalem) and custom gift boxes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bolle & Cie SA produces, ages, and sells Swiss wines from four owned estate vineyards (Château de Vufflens, Domaine de Sarraux-Dessous, Domaine du Plessis, and Domaine de la Ville de Morges) covering 44 hectares in the Vaud wine region. Its portfolio includes the La Licorne premium sub-brand, estate-specific domaine wines, organic (BIO SUISSE) and natural wines, sparkling wines made using the méthode traditionnelle, and gift boxes with large formats. The Oenothèque La Licorne retail store in Morges offers wine tastings and over 500 wines from Swiss and international regions.

Product overview

Bolle & Cie SA is a Swiss wine producer and encaver based in Morges, founded in 1865. The company operates a multi-domain portfolio including Château de Vufflens (8 ha), Domaine de Sarraux-Dessous (18 ha), Domaine du Plessis (6 ha), and Domaine de la Ville de Morges (15 ha, BIO certified), totaling 44 hectares of vineyards. Their wine portfolio is organized under sub-brands: La Licorne (premium line launched 1971), Domaine wines (estate-specific offerings), and Selection Nature (BIO SUISSE natural wines). The company also operates the Oenothèque La Licorne retail store offering over 500 wines plus wine tourism experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• La Licorne: Premium wine collection featuring Pinot Noir, Gamaret, Galotta, and other varietals from Bolle's estate vineyards. Includes the iconic La Licorne Pinot Noir launched in 1971.
• Monoceros
• Cuvée Alphonse

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 150 years of winemaking heritage in Vaud
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 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

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• The Wine FamilycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Wine Family is the primary fulfillment partner for Bolle's online orders. Customers are redirected to thewinefamily.ch for order processing and delivery services. This platform handles shipping throughout Switzerland and internationally for Bolle products.
• MaulerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Maison Mauler in Val-de-Travers for the production of Cuvée Alphonse, a special anniversary cuvée celebrating 160 years of Bolle. Mauler's expertise in traditional method sparkling wine production was utilized for this limited edition wine.
• Clos Domaines & ChâteauxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBolle is a founding member of the Clos Domaines & Châteaux association, which unites prestigious Swiss wine domains. Château de Vufflens is particularly associated with this collective that promotes Swiss wine excellence.
• Divinum MorgesmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual wine salon held in Morges where Bolle & Cie participates as a featured exhibitor. The 9th edition took place March 25-30, 2026. This is one of the region's most anticipated wine events.
• Fête de la Tulipe MorgesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBolle is a partner of the annual Fête de la Tulipe festival in Morges, which attracts up to 300,000 visitors. The event provides brand visibility during the spring tulip season.
• Ville de MorgescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2020, Bolle has operated the Domaine de la Ville de Morges, which is owned by the city. Bolle handles all operations from viticulture through vinification to commercialization, both in Switzerland and internationally. The 15-hectare estate achieved BIO SUISSE certification in 2020.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Maison Mauler: Historic Swiss sparkling wine producer in Val-de-Travers, partner with Bolle on the Cuvée Alphonse anniversary cuvée. Direct peer in méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine production and a comparable Swiss heritage négociant-producer with similar scale and on-premise tasting operations.
• Caves Orsat: Vaud-based wine négociant and producer with similar multi-region sourcing, on-premise and DTC distribution. Closely comparable business model combining estate wines, négociant breadth, and Swiss hospitality channel focus.
• Domaine de la Ville de Lausanne: City-owned vineyard estate operated under a management contract (analogous to Bolle's arrangement with Ville de Morges). Direct peer in the municipal-estate-with-private-operator model and Lake Geneva region.
• Château de Villa: Premium Valais wine estate focused on single-estate bottlings with château heritage, similar estate-ownership narrative to Château de Vufflens. Comparable in scale and DTC positioning toward premium Swiss consumers.
• Henri Badoux Wines: Vaud wine producer with similar estate ownership and Aigle-based heritage dating back over a century. Direct comparable in scale, Aigle/Chablais vineyard ownership, négociant operations, and Swiss domestic DTC focus.
• Les Frères Dutruy: Family-owned Vaud wine producer with multiple estates in La Côte, similar premium positioning, and DTC focus. Closest direct competitor in the same appellation with overlapping estate ownership model and similar annual production scale.

Broad incumbents

• Schenk Group (parent context): The parent group of Bolle & Cie, Schenk is one of Switzerland's largest wine producers and distributors with operations across multiple Swiss regions and European export markets. Highly relevant as both the parent and as a broad incumbent against which Bolle's narrower Vaud-estate focus is benchmarked.
• Obrist SA: One of Switzerland's largest wine producers and négociants based in the Vaud region. Direct overlap with Bolle in Vaud AOC production, négociant operations, and Swiss-wide distribution, but operates at meaningfully larger scale with broader national distribution.
• Provins Valais: Largest wine producer in the Valais canton with comparable négociant-producer dual model and significant estate ownership. Comparable as a major Swiss regional wine producer but with broader geographic footprint than Bolle's Vaud-only base.

Regional players

• Cave de Genève: Geneva-based cooperative and négociant handling a wide portfolio of Geneva AOC wines. Comparable négociant-producer model and regional Swiss footprint, with adjacency rather than direct competition given geographic differentiation from Bolle's Vaud base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCsexo4N9p0l4TZ4CtSiBN9Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/BolleOenothequeLaLicorne
• Instagraminstagram.com/lalicornevins
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bolle-cie-sa

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 The Unicorn