Louise Glaces à la française

What Louise Glaces à la française does

Louise Glaces à la française is a French artisanal ice cream franchise created in 2004 as an offshoot of La Compagnie des Desserts, an Audois manufacturer of ice creams and pastries for foodservice professionals. Headquartered in Lézignan-Corbières, the company operated as a brand-licensing concept until March 2018, when it pivoted to a full franchise development model with a redesigned brand, a new offer, and recipes signed by Meilleur Ouvrier de France Pâtissier Philippe Urraca. Today Louise operates a network of 43+ points of sale across France and Spain, comprising permanent boutiques in city centers (Paris, Toulouse, Bayonne, Nice), coastal kiosques, mobile units at high-traffic tourist sites (Jardin des Plantes, Galeries Lafayette), and seasonal locations at major theme parks (Futuroscope, Parc Astérix, Walibi).

The core product line centers on artisanal Crèmes Glacées et Sorbets made from fresh milk sourced within 48 hours from HVE-certified Ferme Marg'Aude and fruits from French cooperatives, with up to 40 flavors. Complementing products include handcrafted macarons produced in a dedicated workshop in Gimont, house-made beverages (milkshakes, smoothies, iced tea, lemonade), and signature creations such as L'Éclat Mystère. The underlying technology is traditional rather than digital: milk maturation in tanks, manual incorporation of inclusions, and hand-filling of display cases. The company also operates a QUALIOPI-certified professional training arm (Formations Professionnelles) serving ice cream operators and foodservice professionals.

Louise monetizes through two principal streams. First, franchise revenues: a one-time €10,000 entry fee, a €5,000 training fee, an ongoing 2.5% royalty on franchisee revenue, and a 1% communication contribution. Second, direct retail sales at owned boutiques and kiosques. Two customer segments are addressed: B2C consumers (tourists, families, premium ice cream buyers) and B2B franchise entrepreneurs recruited primarily through Franchise Expo Paris. The franchisor is supported by a lean central team of approximately nine employees and is wholly controlled by La Compagnie des Desserts. The brand has been recognized as Capital magazine's "Meilleure Enseigne" in the Glaciers et Desserts glacés category for four consecutive years (2017–2020).

Name

Louise Glaces à la française

Legal name

LA COMPAGNIE DES DESSERTS

Website

https://louiseglaces.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Louise Glaces à la française is a French artisanal ice cream franchise operating 43+ points of sale across France and Spain under parent La Compagnie des Desserts, serving premium ice cream consumers and franchise entrepreneurs through boutiques, kiosks, and theme-park locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisanal Ice Cream

NAICS

Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520), Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing (3113)

SIC

Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024), Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060)

akta.pro primary industry

Ice Cream & Gelato Shops (THAFAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Chocolate & Confectionery Patisseries (Bonbons, Truffles, Macarons) (THAFAFAL)

Keywords

• Artisan ice cream
• Gelato franchise
• French frozen desserts
• Sorbet manufacturing
• Artisanal macarons

Headquarters

HQ city

Lézignan-Corbières

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees: Louise generates revenue through franchise fees including a one-time entry fee of €10,000, training fee of €5,000, ongoing royalties of 2.5% of revenue, and communication contributions of 1% of revenue.
2. Direct Retail Sales: Revenue from ice cream, sorbet, macaron, and beverage sales through owned boutiques and kiosques in high-traffic tourist and retail locations across France.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Louise Glaces à la française manufactures and sells artisanal French ice creams and sorbets through a network of company-owned and franchised boutiques, kiosks, and theme park locations across France. Its offerings include Crèmes Glacées et Sorbets (up to 40 flavors), the signature L'Éclat Mystère dessert, handcrafted macarons, and house-made beverages. The company also licenses its brand and operating model through a turnkey franchise program and provides QUALIOPI-certified professional training for ice cream makers and restaurateurs.

Product overview

Louise Glaces à la française operates as an artisan ice cream franchise with a portfolio centered on artisanal French ice creams and sorbets (Crèmes Glacées et Sorbets), complemented by handcrafted macarons (Macarons Artisanaux) and house-made beverages (Boissons Maison). The signature product is L'Éclat Mystère, a multi-texture frozen dessert featuring fresh milk ice cream, salted caramel, meringue, and toasted nuts. The company sells through company-owned and franchise-operated kiosks and boutiques across France, and licenses its brand to theme parks (Futuroscope, Astérix, Walibi). The franchise arm (Franchise Louise) recruits and trains independent operators, while the training division (Formations Professionnelles) provides QUALIOPI-certified professional development for ice cream makers and restaurateurs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crèmes Glacées et Sorbets Artisanal ice creams and sorbets produced using traditional methods, featuring up to 40 different flavors. Crèmes glacées are made from fresh milk from HVE-certified Ferme Marg'Aude; sorbets are made from fruits picked at ripeness from French fruit cooperatives, with fruit content reaching up to 66.6% for certain varieties.
• L'Éclat Mystère Signature ice cream dessert combining fresh milk ice cream, artisanal salted caramel sauce, crispy meringue pieces, and roasted nuts (almonds and hazelnuts), served in a crispy cone, pot, or tasting container.
• Macarons Artisanaux Artisanal macarons manufactured in the workshop in Gimont, Gers, using traditional techniques including hand piping, in flavors such as cassis, mangue-passion, sesame, caramel, fraise, and chocolat.
• Boissons Maison House-made beverages including customized milkshakes (two ice cream flavors, milk, whipped cream), smoothies (fresh fruits, no added sugar or preservatives), iced tea, and lemonade.
• Franchise Louise Turnkey franchise program for opening artisan ice cream kiosks or boutiques, including entry fee of €10,000, training fee of €5,000, 2.5% royalty on revenue, and 1% communication fee; franchisees receive personalized support, training, marketing tools, and access to exclusive recipes.
• Formations Professionnelles QUALIOPI-certified professional training programs for ice cream makers, restaurateurs, and foodservice professionals. Three current offerings: Tenir son point de vente glacier, Gérer son point de vente glacier, and Animer ses réseaux sociaux.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% satisfaction among training participants in 2023
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Ferme Marg'AudecoreOthersPrimary milk supplier for all Louise ice creams. Family farm in Aude with 50 cows certified HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale). Located less than 90km from production workshop. Cows fed with crops grown on the farm (corn, alfalfa, barley, clover, ryegrass). Milk used within 48 hours of milking.
• Coopératives Fruitières FrançaisescoreOthersFruit suppliers for sorbets, primarily from cooperatives in the Monts du Lyonnais region. Fruits are picked at ripeness for intense, natural flavors. Supplier cooperatives committed to fresh, healthy, and delicious products meeting high quality and sustainability standards.
• Philippe UrracaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMeilleur Ouvrier de France Pâtissier (1994) and President of MOF Pâtissier (2003-2017) serves as Chef Pâtissier of La Compagnie des Desserts since 2011. Created new recipes and collection for Louise in 2018 when the brand pivoted to franchise model. Signature ice cream creations including the Éclat Mystère.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Amorino: French-founded artisanal gelato and ice cream chain with boutiques across Europe, North America, and Asia. Most direct competitor to Louise: same premium artisanal positioning, comparable product range (gelato, sorbet, macaron-style offerings), and similar tourist-flux and high-street location strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Cold Stone Creamery: Large US-origin ice cream franchise chain specializing in customized mix-in ice cream at mall and tourist locations. Operates a franchise model similar to Louise's but with mass-market positioning rather than French artisanal credentials.
• Rita's Italian Ice: US-based franchise chain specializing in Italian ice and frozen custard with several hundred franchised locations. Comparable franchise-driven growth model and tourist-flux location strategy, but differentiated toward frozen novelty items rather than premium French artisanal scoops.
• Magnum Pleasure Stores: Unilever's premium-dipped ice cream boutique concept operating in major European cities. Directly competes for the premium tourist/urban location segment with a different (chocolate-dipped) product format but similar high-street retail strategy.
• Carvel: Established US ice cream and frozen cake franchise chain with thousands of locations. Comparable franchise-driven business model and impulse-purchase format, though differentiated by novelty/cake heritage rather than French artisanal positioning.
• Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops: Unilever-owned premium ice cream brand with a global franchised scoop shop network. Targets similar impulse-purchase and tourist occasions but is differentiated by counter-culture branding rather than artisanal/French gastronomy positioning.
• Häagen-Dazs Shops: Global premium ice cream brand operating owned and franchised scoop shops in high-footfall urban locations worldwide. Competes with Louise in the premium tourist/site-driven segment but is a mass-market brand with a much wider product portfolio.

Emerging players

• Glaces Moustache: Belgian artisanal ice cream brand expanding across European cities with a similar boutique-and-kiosk format and traditional-production-method positioning. Direct competitor for the premium urban artisanal segment with growing footprint in France.

Regional players

• Glaces des Alpes: French artisanal ice cream maker serving the French Alps and surrounding regions with traditional production methods and regional flavors. Comparable artisanal production story to Louise, but geographically concentrated and lacks the franchise network model.
• Grom Gelato: Italian premium gelato chain (now owned by Unilever) with boutiques focused on traditional artisan methods and high-quality ingredients. Comparable artisanal premium positioning to Louise but primarily serves the Italian market and limited international footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCP-WEXKT2RjtQh7g63YPTQg/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/louiseglaces
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/louiseglaces
• Instagraminstagram.com/louiseglaces

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Louise Glaces à la française