What CHALON MEGARD does

CHALON MEGARD SAS is a French industrial equipment manufacturer, founded in 1920 and headquartered in Montréal-la-Cluse, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, that designs, fabricates, installs, and maintains cheese production machinery for artisanal cooperatives (fruitières) and large industrial dairy groups. The company operates from a single ~3,500 m² plant where it performs in-house design, fabrication, assembly, testing, and spare parts machining, and is a subsidiary of SYNEXT Group (created 2018, six dairy/cheese equipment specialists). Its portfolio spans fabrication vats (open round, double-O open/closed, semi-cylindrical), molding systems (the flagship GSV vacuum molding line, GM2P pre-pressing group, tubular piston molder, dosing and pump-based units), pressing/demolding equipment, salting/brining systems, and CIP washing — covering the full line from milk reception to aging-cellar entrance across pressed cooked, pressed uncooked, semi-hard, blue-veined, and soft cheeses including Comté, Emmental, Gruyère, Raclette, Roquefort, Bleu d'Auvergne, Bleu de Gex, Gorgonzola, and Stilton.

The commercial model is direct enterprise field sales executed by a small team (~5) of technical sales engineers who shepherd projects from need identification through specification and contract signature, with worldwide commissioning and after-sales service (remote hotline, scheduled maintenance, audits, operator training). Pricing is bespoke per project with multi-year contracts; no standard price list is published. Revenue is generated through hardware sales (custom equipment), installation/commissioning services, and recurring maintenance/spare-parts streams. CHALON MEGARD claims the position of historical leader in cheese and dairy factory equipment in France, with equipment installed at nearly all French PDO (AOP) producers, and active export coverage across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Spain, Czech Republic, and Poland. Named reference customers include Entremont, Chabert, and Les Monts de Joux.

Name

CHALON MEGARD

Legal name

CHALON MEGARD SAS

Website

https://chalonmegard.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CHALON MEGARD SAS is a French industrial equipment manufacturer, founded in 1920 and based in Montréal-la-Cluse, that designs, builds, installs, and services bespoke cheese production machinery — including its proprietary GSV vacuum molding system — for artisanal fruitières and industrial dairy groups worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Dairy Equipment

NAICS

Food Product Machinery Manufacturing (333241)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)

akta.pro primary industry

Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAB)

Keywords

• Cheese production equipment
• Dairy processing machinery
• Industrial cheese vats
• Vacuum molding systems
• PDO cheese equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal-la-Cluse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equipment design, manufacturing, and sales: Design and manufacture of custom cheese production equipment (vats, molding systems, pressing, demolding, salting/brining equipment, CIP washing). Equipment is designed and fabricated in-house at the company's workshop in Montréal-la-Cluse, France, with final assembly and testing performed before shipment.
2. Installation and commissioning services: Worldwide assembly and installation services performed by specialized technician teams who travel internationally to install production lines and machines, including performance commitment.
3. Maintenance, spare parts, and after-sales service: Customer service provides remote troubleshooting via hotline for emergencies, scheduled maintenance, spare parts ordering, equipment audits, and on-demand operator training. Spare parts stock maintained for rapid response. Internal machining of parts performed in-house.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CHALON MEGARD designs, manufactures, installs, and maintains bespoke industrial equipment for cheese production, covering the full line from milk reception to aging cave entrance. The portfolio includes cheese fabrication vats (open round, double-O open/closed, and semi-cylindrical for blue and soft cheeses), the proprietary GSV vacuum molding system, pre-pressing and tubular piston molders, dosing molders, pump-based draining groups, demolding equipment, chamber presses, CIP washing tanks, brine salting equipment, and complete turnkey production lines. Equipment is engineered for PDO/AOP cheese production and serves both artisanal cooperatives (fruitières) and large industrial agro-food groups at scales from 5 liters per day to over 1 million liters per day of milk.

Product overview

CHALON MEGARD is an industrial equipment manufacturer specializing in cheese-making machinery with over 100 years of experience. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of equipment for pressed cheese production (AOP/PDO), including various cheese vats (round, double-O open/closed, semi-cylindrical), advanced molding systems (GSV vacuum molding, GM2P pre-pressing, tubular piston, dosing, pump-based), demolding equipment, pressing systems, CIP cleaning systems, and brine equipment. The GSV (Vacuum Molding System) is their flagship innovation, enabling ultra-fast mold filling in 4-5 minutes without curd pumps. The semi-cylindrical vat is designed specifically for blue-veined and soft cheeses. The company provides complete turnkey production lines from milk reception to aging cellar, serving both artisanal fruitières and industrial dairy operators worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cheese Fabrication Vats (Cuves de fabrication) Range of fabrication vats designed for all types of pressed cheeses: open round vat, closed double-O vat, open double-O vat, and semi-cylindrical vat. The semi-cylindrical configuration is purpose-built for blue-veined and soft cheeses (Roquefort, Bleu d'Auvergne, Bleu de Gex, Fourme d'Ambert, Fourme de Montbrison, Gorgonzola, Stilton) with anti-sticking internal wall finish, precise stirring speed control, tilting bowl for complete emptying, and optional de-sludging and CIP washing.
• GSV Vacuum Molding System (Groupe de Soutirage Sous-Vide) Vacuum-based cheese molding system that fills molds in 4–5 minutes without a curd pump, transferring the curd-whey mixture solely by vacuum. Preserves curd grain integrity and ensures even distribution for regular cheese quality with a standard deviation of 0.8–1.2% on curd. Suitable for pressed cooked and pressed uncooked cheeses including Comté, Emmental, Gruyère, Raclette, Grana, and Swiss Cheese. CIP-cleaning capable.
• GM2P Pre-Pressing Molding Group (Groupe de Moulage Pré-Pressage) Pre-pressing molding group for cheese production with adjustable whey separation on filter grid, suitable for meules, blocs, and bars in various formats. Available in semi-automatic and fully automatic configurations with CIP cleaning. Volume range: 10,000–35,000 liters.
• Tubular Piston Moulder (Mouleuse Tubulaire à Piston) Allows curd to be guided during descent and cutting phase, guaranteeing molding without mechanical opening. Volume range: 10,000–35,000 liters. Available in semi-automatic and fully automatic configurations with CIP cleaning. Suitable for wheels, blocks, and bars of various formats.
• Vacuum Molding System for Blue Cheese Continuous molding system for blue cheese production, scalable from 5 L/day to over 1 million L/day of milk. Achieves molding in under 5 minutes for 25,000 liters while guaranteeing maximum material recovery. Suitable as a reference for PDO production and compatible with both traditional and micro-perforated molds. Available with mechanization options ranging from manual valves to fully automated systems with improved hygiene.
• Whey Separation on Molding Block (with draining conveyor for blue cheese) Continuous molding system that pours curd over a block form train with adjustable whey separation on a filter grid. For blue cheese production, integrates a draining-off conveyor belt between head filtration and the molds.
• Dosing Moulder (Mouleuse doseuse) Dosing molder for precise cheese portion control during production.
• Pump-Based Curd Draining Group (Groupe de soutirage par pompe) Pump-based curd draining group for cheese molding operations, complementing the vacuum-based GSV approach.
• Demolding Equipment (Équipement de démoulage) Demolding equipment for efficient cheese release from molds, including blow-based demolding without a mold bottom (sans-fond) option.
• Chamber Press (Presse-Caisson) Chamber press for the pressing and acidification step in cheese production, used to extract desired components from the curd.
• CIP Washing Tank (Bac de lavage) Washing tank with CIP (Clean-in-Place) system for equipment cleaning and sanitation in cheese production environments.
• Dynamic Brine Salting System (Saumurage dynamique) Dynamic brine (salting) equipment for the cheese salting process, ensuring cheese preservation and development of characteristic flavors and rind. The Moutiers installation (2024) is a reference implementation.
• Complete Cheese Production Lines (Lignes de fabrication complètes) Complete, flexible, and scalable cheese production lines from milk reception to aging cellar entrance, tailored to specific customer needs including production requirements, quantities, rates, infrastructure, and specifications. Covers pressed cooked, pressed uncooked, semi-hard, blue-veined, and soft cheese families.
• Installation, Commissioning, and Worldwide Assembly Services Turnkey worldwide installation and commissioning services for cheese production equipment, including mechanical, hydraulic, and automatic function tests before shipment and on-site assembly by specialized traveling technician teams, with performance commitment.
• After-Sales Service, Maintenance, Spare Parts, and Operator Training Comprehensive after-sales service offering: remote troubleshooting hotline for emergencies, scheduled preventive maintenance, spare parts ordering with maintained stock and in-house machining, equipment audits, and on-demand operator training. Customer service team of approximately 11 people supports the global installed base.

Quantifiable outcome

• Mold filling time reduced to under 5 minutes for 25,000 liters using GSV vacuum system
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SYNEXT GroupcoreOthers · 1 January 2018CHALON MEGARD is a subsidiary of SYNEXT Group, a French parent company created in 2018. SYNEXT Group is composed of 6 companies specializing in dairy and cheese equipment: Tecnal, Simon-SAS, Dima.it, Projitec.fr, and others. SYNEXT Group supports CHALON MEGARD's development and provides shared services including RSE commitments, a global Compact signatory, and a Diversity Charter signatory.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SPX FLOW: US-headquartered industrial dairy and food equipment maker. Comparable as it serves multinational dairy processors with separation, mixing, and processing technologies.
• Tetra Pak: Global dairy processing and packaging equipment leader. Comparable as it sells equipment to the same industrial dairy groups with a wider portfolio spanning processing and packaging.
• Alfa Laval: Swedish industrial equipment maker with strong dairy processing exposure. Comparable as it sells heat exchange, separation, and fluid handling equipment to the same dairy customers.
• GEA Group: Global dairy and food processing equipment incumbent. Comparable as it serves the same industrial dairy customers with broader separation, homogenization, and processing portfolios.

Direct peers

• SIMON SAS: French dairy equipment manufacturer within SYNEXT Group. Comparable as a sister entity serving French dairy customers with adjacent processing technology.
• Projitec: French dairy engineering specialist within SYNEXT Group. Comparable as a sister company with overlapping cheese/dairy engineering customer base.
• ALPMA: German specialist in cheese production and packaging equipment. Comparable as a focused European cheese-equipment manufacturer serving PDO and industrial cheesemakers.
• DIMA S.r.l. Italian dairy and cheese equipment maker within SYNEXT Group. Comparable as a SYNEXT sister company serving European cheesemakers with complementary equipment lines.
• Tecnal: Sister company under SYNEXT Group focused on dairy processing equipment in France. Most directly comparable peer because of shared parent, overlapping customer base, and identical end-market.
• Scherjon: Dutch specialist in cheese-making equipment and dairy processing lines. Comparable as a niche European peer serving artisanal and industrial cheesemakers with focused cheese technology offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chalon-megard

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 CHALON MEGARD