What Levain et le Vin does

Levain et le Vin is an Amsterdam-based sourdough bakery and natural wineshop founded in August 2019 by Florence Gramende, operating from a single retail storefront at Jan Pieter Heijestraat 168. The company produces handcrafted sourdough bread (classic loaves, seeded rye, sandwiches), French-style pastries (canelés, madeleines, brioches, galettes, Basque cheesecake), and a curated selection of natural wines and champagnes from small French producers. Its core production technology is a 24-48 hour natural sourdough fermentation process using a levain starter instead of commercial yeast, with ingredients sourced from local Dutch suppliers including Lindenhoff, Graanbroeders, and Korenmolen de Zandhaas.

The business operates on a direct-to-consumer retail model with multiple revenue streams: walk-in bakery and wineshop sales, online ordering for in-store pickup (minimum 3 days advance), wine shipping within the Netherlands and Belgium (weekly Thursday dispatch), experience-based revenue from sourdough workshops (€125/person, max 8) and wine tastings (€50/person, max 12), custom event catering, and gift vouchers. Distribution is primarily single-channel physical retail with a regional e-commerce layer; the company runs no external sales force and relies on organic Instagram (@levainetlevin) and earned media for acquisition.

Customer segments span the local Amsterdam community for daily purchases, event hosts for catering, and hobbyist bakers/wine enthusiasts for workshops. The company is founder-owned with no external funding, employs 20+ part-time staff, and is currently expanding into hospitality through La Maletrie, a French property renovation project scheduled to open guestrooms and a restaurant in spring 2026, with a sourdough bakery school planned for 2028.

Name

Levain et le Vin

Legal name

Levain et le Vin

Website

https://levainetlevin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Levain et le Vin is an Amsterdam-based sourdough bakery and natural wineshop founded in 2019, serving local consumers and event hosts with handcrafted 24-48 hour fermented breads, French pastries, curated natural wines, and baking workshops from a single retail storefront.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisanal Bakery & Natural Wineshop

NAICS

Bread and Bakery Product Manufacturing (31181), Baked Goods Retailers (445291)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Artisan & Specialty Bakeries (Sourdough, Heritage Grains) (THAFAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Patisseries & Viennoiserie (French-Style) (THAFAFAB), Artisanal & Craft Bakeries (CRAHAGAA)

Keywords

• Artisan sourdough bakery
• Natural wine retail
• French patisserie pastries
• Sourdough baking workshops
• Wine tasting events

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Bakery & Patisserie Retail: Fresh sourdough bread and pastries sold daily over the counter in-store, including classic sourdough loaves, seeded rye bread, brioche, canelés, madeleines, galettes, cheesecake, and sandwiches.
2. Natural Wine & Champagne Retail: Curated selection of natural wines and champagnes from small producers sold in-store and shipped within the Netherlands and Belgium. Includes limited and aged bottles.
3. Workshops & Events: Sourdough workshops (€125 per person, 3-hour sessions for groups up to 8) and wine tasting events (€50 per person) generate experience-based revenue.
4. Custom & Bulk Orders: Catering and custom pastry orders for events (birthdays, weddings, business meetings) placed minimum three days in advance, picked up in store or delivered.
5. Epicerie & Sundry Products: Sells high-quality coffee, books, eggs, butter, sausages, vinegar, olive oil, and other épicerie products alongside its core bakery and wine offerings.
6. Gift Vouchers: Gift cards available for sourdough workshop (€125) or wine tasting (€50), and general gift vouchers (€20).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Levain et le Vin operates a single retail location in Amsterdam combining a sourdough bakery, patisserie, and natural wineshop. They bake fresh sourdough breads and French-style pastries daily using natural fermentation (24-48 hour proofing, no commercial yeast), retail a curated selection of natural wines and champagnes from small French producers, and run sourdough workshops and wine tasting experiences.

Product overview

Levain et le Vin is a sourdough bakery and natural wineshop operating as a single unified physical retail location in Amsterdam. The core offering consists of handcrafted sourdough breads (classic sourdough in small and large formats, seeded rye bread, sandwiches, and seasonal focaccias) and French-style pastries (canelés, madeleines, brioches with various flavors, cheesecakes, galettes, and chocolate rye cookies). The business also retails a curated selection of natural wines and champagnes from small French producers, and offers experiential services including sourdough baking workshops and wine tasting sessions. All products are made using natural fermentation (no commercial yeast), with ingredients sourced locally and organically where possible. The company is expanding into hospitality with the La Maletrie project in France, planned to open in 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Classic Sourdough Bread

Named customers3 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Piet VerschoorminorOthersBakery supplier providing ingredients to Levain et le Vin, selected based on sustainable approach and organic products.
• Korenmolen de ZandhaasminorOthersArtisan mill providing specialty flour for sourdough baking, selected for local sourcing and quality.
• Lindenhoff BaambruggeminorOthersKey supplier of produce (eggs, cream) and specialty ingredients used in pastries and sandwiches.
• XOCOminorOthersSupplier of high-quality chocolate used in chocolate rye cookies and brioche au levain with chocolate.
• GraanbroedersminorOthersSupplier of local Dutch organic flour used in cheesecake and other pastries.
• Bolomey WijnimportminorOthersWine importer that Levain et le Vin previously worked for (Florence Gramende's professional background), and continues as a supplier relationship for natural wines.
• Vinatura WijnimportminorOthersWine importer supplying natural wines to Levain et le Vin.
• Zuiver WijnenminorOthersWine importer supplying natural wines.
• Libre WinesminorOthersWine importer supplying natural wines.
• Bruut WijnimportminorOthersWine importer supplying natural wines.
• Aerts ChampagneminorOthersChampagne supplier providing natural champagne products.
• Fromagerie KefminorOthersCheese supplier providing cheese for wine tasting events and sandwiches.
• UncommonminorOthersCoffee roaster supplying high-quality coffee for the bakery and wineshop.
• RoaminorOthersCoffee roaster supplying specialty coffee.
• La Guinelle (Vinaigre de Banyuls)minorOthersSupplier of Vinaigre de Banyuls, a specialty vinegar in the épicerie offering.
• Ballymaloe Cookery SchoolminorOthersFlorence Gramende completed the 12-week cookery course at Ballymaloe in Ireland in 2015, which influenced her career path and led to founding Levain et le Vin.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tartine Bakery: Iconic San Francisco artisan bakery renowned for its country loaves, pastries, and bakery-school program. Operates a similar model of handcrafted sourdough-led products with a strong brand and community footprint, making it a closely comparable specialty bakery peer.
• Poilâne: Paris-based bakery famous for its hand-mixed sourdough pain Poilâne and French pastries, with global shipping. Directly comparable on sourdough craft, French patisserie line, premium positioning, and an iconic single-brand identity.
• Levain Bakery: New York-based bakery famous for its oversized cookies and pastry line, with multiple locations. Comparable as a craft bakery with strong brand recognition, premium pricing, and a focus on a few signature, highly differentiated SKUs.
• Dominique Ansel Bakery: New York and London bakery-patisserie led by a French-trained chef, offering a French-influenced pastry and viennoiserie line. Directly comparable on the patisserie and French-style offering within Levain et le Vin's product mix.
• Meyers Bageri: Copenhagen-based artisan bakery built around a strong locavore and quality-supplier narrative, with bakeries and a bakery school. Highly comparable on craft-led baking ethos, supplier-driven differentiation, and education-as-revenue.
• Boulangerie Colas: Paris-based traditional boulangerie known for its artisanal sourdough breads and classic French pastries. Comparable on craft-led bread, French patisserie range, and the small-shop, premium-positioning model Levain et le Vin embodies in Amsterdam.
• Pierre Hermé Paris: Paris-based haute patisserie and macaron house with global retail. Comparable on the premium French patisserie positioning and gift-voucher / event-order channels that Levain et le Vin also operates.

Broad incumbents

• Le Pain Quotidien: International bakery-café concept offering artisan breads, pastries, and organic-focused casual dining. Overlaps on the artisan bread and pastry core, but operates a much broader cafe-restaurant format versus Levain et le Vin's retail-bakery-plus-wineshop model.
• Maison Kayser: Global French bakery chain offering artisan breads, viennoiserie, and patisserie across multiple countries. Comparable in product categories and French bakery craft, but operates at much greater scale and breadth than Levain et le Vin's single Amsterdam location.

Regional players

• Vyne Wine Bar: Amsterdam wine bar focused on a curated selection of natural and small-producer wines with food pairings. Directly comparable on the natural wine side of Levain et le Vin's offering, though not a bakery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/levainetlevin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/levain-et-le-vin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Levain et le Vin