CAPPI

What CAPPI does

CAPPI is a French cold chain packaging specialist founded in 1996 by Jacques de Michieli and headquartered in Auxerre, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The company designs, tests, and manufactures insulated packaging solutions for transporting temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical, biotech, and food products, leveraging three core insulation technologies: Vacuum-Insulated Panels (VIP) in its premium CAPPI-box Xtreme, polyurethane insulation in CAPPI-box Performance, and expanded graphitised polystyrene in CAPPI-box Eco. Beyond insulated boxes, CAPPI produces pallet shippers, the patented Pal-in-box modular air-freight system, the CAPPI-buffer and CAPPI-buffer Plus thermal covers for sea freight, and a range of plastic totes used as an industry standard in European pharmaceutical automated order-picking systems. Gel packs for the food industry are sold through a dedicated e-commerce brand, Gel Pack by CAPPI (gelpackbycappi.fr).

The business operates an asset-light manufacturing model: CAPPI itself employs only 14 people focused on design, testing, supplier quality management, and customer-facing engineering, while a curated network of manufacturing partners produces the physical products. Three patents protect key innovations (condensation-absorbing casing for eutectic plates, pallet-shipper nesting system, Pal-in-box modular system), and CAPPI Circular provides closed-loop recycling for plastic totes in collaboration with IPC and ADEME. The in-house Testing and Innovation Centre (opened September 2021) qualifies packaging against ISTA, IATA/TCR, FDA/CGMP, GDP, and WHO frameworks, and is calibrated annually by COFRAC-accredited CIET with JRI real-time monitoring.

Revenue is generated through one-time product sales (insulated packaging, gel packs), professional services (custom design and laboratory testing), and managed logistics services (Ready-to-Use and Just-in-Time delivery of pre-conditioned thermal packaging). The go-to-market combines enterprise field sales targeting pharmaceutical laboratories, biotech, wholesalers/distributors, and food e-commerce with direct e-commerce for gel packs. Pricing is bespoke and not publicly disclosed. Customers include named enterprise accounts such as Sanofi, alongside European pharmaceutical wholesalers and distributors, and food industry players. The company is family-owned under second-generation leadership (Thomas De Bie, Managing Director; Estelle de Michieli-De Bie, co-leader) and is ISO 9001-2015 certified.

Name

CAPPI

Legal name

Société CAPPI

Website

https://cappi.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CAPPI is a French cold chain packaging specialist designing and manufacturing insulated packaging solutions (VIP, polyurethane, EPS) and gel packs for pharmaceutical, biotech, and food industry customers, supported by an in-house Testing and Innovation Centre, custom engineering, and the CAPPI Circular closed-loop recycling programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cold Chain Packaging

NAICS

Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing (32614), Urethane and Other Foam Product (except Polystyrene) Manufacturing (32615), Packaging and Labeling Services (56191)

SIC

Plastics Foam Products (3086), Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580)

akta.pro primary industry

Cold Chain & Temperature-Controlled Packaging (Insulated Shippers, Gel Packs) (IMALAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Temperature-Controlled & Insulated Shippers (Coolers, Gel Packs, PCM Systems) (IMALAFAI), Cold Chain Packaging, Refrigerants & Thermal Qualification Services (as-a-service) (TLAIAIAL)

Keywords

• Cold chain packaging
• Pharmaceutical insulated packaging
• Temperature-controlled logistics
• Thermal shipping containers
• Vaccine cold chain solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Auxerre, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Packaging product sales: CAPPI designs, tests, and produces custom packaging solutions including plastic totes, insulated boxes (CAPPI-box Eco/Performance/Xtreme), pallet shippers, Pal-in-box systems, CAPPI-buffer/Plus, and thermal covers for pharmaceutical and food industries. Products are sold directly to pharmaceutical laboratories, distributors, and food companies.
2. Custom/individual solutions: Custom design, testing, and manufacturing services for tailored packaging solutions. From research and development through to design, testing, and manufacturing, CAPPI develops fail-safe and sustainable solutions for each packaging challenge.
3. Laboratory testing services: Temperature testing services at the Testing and Innovation Centre, which simulates customers' logistics circuits and temperature profiles. Issues detailed temperature test reports according to pharmaceutical regulatory frameworks (ISTA, IATA/TCR, FDA/CGMP, GDP, WHO).
4. Logistics services (Ready-to-Use and Just-in-Time): Outsourced logistics services including stock management, storage, refrigeration, and daily delivery of thermal packaging and gel packs. Services reduce customers' storage costs and cold chain management burden.
5. Gel packs and refrigerants (food segment): Sale of refrigerating gel solutions through gelpackbycappi.fr e-shop for food industry, meal delivery, and e-commerce customers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CAPPI designs, manufactures, and tests insulated packaging solutions (plastic totes, VIP/polyurethane/polystyrene boxes, pallet shippers, thermal covers, gel packs) for the temperature-controlled transport of heat-sensitive pharmaceutical and food products. The company also delivers complementary services including custom packaging engineering, laboratory temperature testing under ISTA/IATA/FDA/GDP/WHO frameworks, and Ready-to-Use and Just-in-Time logistics services, supported by a closed-loop recycling programme (CAPPI Circular).

Product overview

CAPPI is a cold chain expert offering a comprehensive portfolio of insulated packaging solutions and related services for temperature-sensitive product transport. The product range spans two main categories: (1) insulated packaging products including Pallet-shipper, Pal-in-box, CAPPI-buffer Plus, CAPPI-buffer, Thermal cover (Housse isotherme), CAPPI-box Xtreme, CAPPI-box Performance, CAPPI-box Eco, and Plastic tote (Bac plastique) for pharmaceutical distribution; and (2) Gel packs for food delivery through the Gel Pack by CAPPI subsidiary. These products serve three market segments: international pharma distribution (air and sea freight), national pharma distribution (last-mile delivery), and food industry & e-commerce. Services complement the product portfolio through Testing and Innovation Centre (laboratory testing), Ready-to-Use logistics, Just-in-Time logistics, and Custom solutions (sur-mesure). The CAPPI Circular program provides closed-loop recycling for plastic totes. Products are designed in accordance with Good Distribution Practices and eco-designed for recyclability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gel Pack by CAPPI: A range of ice packs developed by CAPPI for the food industry, available through gelpackbycappi.fr e-shop.

Products and services

• Pallet-shipper

Quantifiable outcome

• Temperature maintenance up to 120+ hours for air freight transport
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• IPC (Centre technique industriel de la plasturgie et des composites)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical Industrial Centre for Plastics and Composites collaborated with CAPPI to develop and validate the CAPPI Circular closed-loop recycling programme for plastic totes. IPC provided expertise in testing and validating recyclability of used totes.
• ADEME (Agence de l'Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l'Énergie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench Environment and Energy Management Agency supported the CAPPI Circular programme development. ADEME collaboration enabled testing and validation of recyclability of used plastic totes, supporting sustainable development objectives.
• Manufacturer network partnerscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNetwork of carefully selected manufacturers chosen according to highly selective quality criteria. Long-term partnerships with partners sharing CAPPI's quality requirements and commitment to product robustness and performance. CAPPI combines different technologies and materials expertise across this network to create products meeting strictest requirements.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Intelsius: UK-based temperature-controlled packaging manufacturer (formerly part of DGP). Comparable in pharma and life sciences cold-chain packaging with qualification services.
• Cold Chain Technologies: US-based provider of thermal packaging for pharma, biotech and food with reusable and single-use solutions. Closely comparable on product range, target customers (pharma labs and wholesalers), and qualification-driven sales motion.
• va-Q-tec: German specialist in Vacuum-Insulated Panels and high-performance thermal packaging for pharma and biotech. Closely comparable technology overlap (VIP) and pharma customer base.
• Sofrigam: French specialist in cold-chain packaging for pharmaceuticals and food, offering insulated shippers and qualified solutions. Directly comparable as a France-headquartered pharma cold-chain packaging competitor serving overlapping customers.
• Envirotainer: Provider of active temperature-controlled air-freight containers for pharmaceuticals. Comparable in pharma air-freight cold chain serving the same customer set, though focused on active containers vs CAPPI's passive shippers.
• Pelican BioThermal: Global provider of temperature-controlled packaging including reusable and single-use shippers for the life sciences industry. Directly comparable in pharma air-freight and last-mile cold chain solutions.
• Cryopak: North American manufacturer of gel packs, insulated shippers, and temperature-monitoring solutions for food and pharma. Comparable in gel packs, insulated packaging, and small-format cold chain.

Broad incumbents

• Sonoco ThermoSafe: Division of Sonoco Products offering a broad portfolio of temperature-assured packaging. Larger, well-capitalised incumbent competing with CAPPI in pharma cold chain across multiple product tiers.
• Sealed Air (Cryovac): Global packaging incumbent with temperature-assured solutions and food cold chain. Competes in adjacent categories and serves overlapping food/pharma customers at much greater scale.

Regional players

• Aeris Group: European provider of insulated and temperature-controlled packaging including gel packs and insulated containers. Comparable in food/pharma cold chain, primarily serving European customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCd26YsykwLxsIY5v2CkUktw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cappi-france

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 CAPPI