CHAUX

What CHAUX does

CHAUX de SAINT-ASTIER® is a privately held, family-owned French industrial company founded and headquartered in Saint-Astier, Dordogne (Périgord Blanc), that has produced Natural Hydraulic Limes (NHL) and related building materials for four generations. Its core technology rests on the calcination of limestone from its own Périgord Blanc quarry, yielding pure NHL binders and formulated lime-based products without artificial additives. The portfolio spans five core categories — pure NHL, formulated limes, technical mortars, façade solutions, and bio-sourced composites (including the trademarked Batichanvre® hemp-lime line) — organized into nine specialized ranges covering heritage restoration, renovation, new construction, decorative finishes, façade plaster, flooring, specialty products, and insulating renders (NOVASKIN).

The company generates revenue primarily through one-time sales of building materials to French material distributors (négoce en matériaux) and independent professional stores, supported by a regional technical-commercial field team that serves professional builders, craftsmen, and heritage restoration projects. A Qualiopi-certified in-house training center provides a parallel revenue stream from professional courses on lime applications, while a recently launched direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform sells samples to individual renovators as a top-of-funnel route into the distributor channel. Customers include heritage sites such as the Abbaye de Fontevraud (UNESCO), professional builders, and the broader eco-construction segment, with the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (EPV) state label functioning as a key credibility marker.

Operationally, CHAUX de SAINT-ASTIER® operates a single domestic production site with 33 employees, distributes exclusively in France through wholesale and retail channels, and supplements organic development with EU FEDER/FSE co-funding. Recent strategic activity has focused on product-line expansion (Batichanvre® Plus, NOVASKIN), an ecosystem partnership with hemp-block specialist IsoHemp®, and channel diversification through D2C sample sales. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and no revenue, funding, or ownership-change data is available in the source material.

Name

CHAUX

Legal name

CHAUX de SAINT-ASTIER®

Website

https://c-e-s-a.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CHAUX de SAINT-ASTIER® is a four-generation, family-owned French producer of natural hydraulic lime and lime-based construction materials serving heritage restoration, professional builders, and eco-construction markets across France via distributors, independent stores, and a new D2C sample platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Materials

NAICS

Lime Manufacturing (32741), Lime and Gypsum Product Manufacturing (3274)

SIC

Cement, Hydraulic (3241)

akta.pro primary industry

Cementitious Binders & Additives (Fly Ash, Slag, Silica Fume, Lime) (IMADAAAH)

Keywords

• Natural hydraulic lime
• Construction mortars
• Heritage restoration materials
• Bio-sourced building materials
• Facade rendering systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-Astier

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Building Materials Sales: Sale of natural hydraulic limes, formulated limes, technical mortars, facade solutions, and bio-sourced construction materials through building material distributors and professional retail channels.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CHAUX de SAINT-ASTIER® manufactures pure natural hydraulic limes (NHL), formulated limes, technical mortars, facade solutions, and bio-sourced lime-hemp composites (Batichanvre®) at its historic quarry site in Saint-Astier, Dordogne (Périgord Blanc), France. The company has been producing these lime-based construction materials for four generations and distributes them through building material wholesalers and independent professional stores across France, while operating a Qualiopi-certified professional training center on lime applications.

Product overview

CHAUX de Saint-Astier® is a family-owned French company producing Natural Hydraulic Limes (NHL), formulated limes, and technical mortars for over 4 generations. The product portfolio consists of five core product categories (pure natural hydraulic limes, formulated limes, technical mortars, facade solutions, and bio-sourced solutions) organized across nine specialized product lines covering restoration, renovation, eco-materials, new construction, decorative finishes, facade plaster, flooring, specialty products, and insulating renders. The company also offers a professional training center. Products are available through material distributors and independent professional stores, with sample sales now offered to individual consumers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chaux hydrauliques naturelles pures (Pure Natural Hydraulic Limes)
• Chaux formulées (Formulated Limes)
• Mortiers techniques (Technical Mortars)
• Solutions façade (Façade Mortars and Solutions)
• Solutions bio-sourcées Batichanvre® Plus and Batichanvre® Isol Plus (Bio-sourced Solutions)
• Gamme Enduits Isolants NOVASKIN (Insulating Renders)
• Centre de formation Saint-Astier® (Professional Training Center)
• Vente d'échantillons pour particuliers (Sample Sales for Individuals)

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced carbon footprint with new Batichanvre® Plus formulations featuring higher NHL content

Named customers2 records

Segments3 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

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IsoHemp®coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 December 2025Strategic partnership announced on December 30, 2025, combining Saint-Astier's natural hydraulic lime expertise with IsoHemp's hemp-based building solutions for sustainable construction applications.
• Training Institution PartnersminorOthersNetwork of training and professional education partners including CenC, RNCP, Compagnons, Odéys, Usine Verte, CFA BTP, and various heritage and construction organizations for professional training programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Calucem: Specialty cement producer focused on calcium sulfoaluminate and calcium aluminate cements for demanding construction applications. Comparable as a niche European manufacturer of specialty cementitious binders, though with a different specialty chemistry than NHL.

Broad incumbents

• Graymont: Canadian-based lime producer with operations across North America and Asia-Pacific. Comparable as a large lime manufacturer serving construction and industrial markets, with overlapping product categories in hydraulic lime and related binders.
• Nordkalk: Nordic-based producer of limestone-based products including quicklime, hydrated lime, and ground calcium carbonate. Comparable as a European lime producer with broad construction and industrial applications, though serving primarily Northern European markets.
• Carmeuse: Global lime producer with operations across Europe and North America serving construction, environmental, and industrial customers. Comparable as a major hydraulic lime manufacturer, though with a broader portfolio and significantly larger scale than Saint-Astier.
• Lhoist: Belgian-headquartered global leader in lime and lime-based products serving construction, environmental, and industrial markets. Comparable as a major lime producer with overlapping hydraulic lime categories, though much larger and more diversified than Saint-Astier's NHL specialty focus.
• Secil: Portuguese cement and lime producer with broad building materials portfolio. Comparable as a Southern European cement and lime manufacturer serving construction markets, with overlap in hydraulic lime products and heritage restoration applications.
• Heidelberg Materials: Global cement, aggregates, and ready-mixed concrete producer with strong European presence and significant lime-related operations. Comparable as a European-based cementitious binder producer serving similar construction customers, though far broader and larger than Saint-Astier.

Direct peers

• Singleton Birch: UK-based lime producer with long heritage in chalk-based quicklime and hydrated lime products for construction and industrial uses. Comparable as a long-established European specialist lime producer serving construction and heritage restoration markets.
• Vicat: French-headquartered cement and lime producer with deep heritage in hydraulic binders and building materials. Most directly comparable as a French competitor producing cement, lime, and concrete products for the same construction and heritage markets Saint-Astier serves.
• Ty-Mawr Lime: Welsh producer of natural hydraulic limes and lime-based products for heritage restoration and eco-construction. Closely comparable as a specialist NHL manufacturer serving the same heritage restoration and sustainable construction customer base as Saint-Astier.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chaux

Compliance2 records

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 CHAUX