SDA - Distribution Automatique

What SDA - Distribution Automatique does

SDA Distribution Automatique is a family-owned French SARL founded in 1980 and headquartered in Apprieu, Isère, operating exclusively in the Rhône-Alpes region (Lyon, Grenoble, Annecy, Chambéry). The company provides connected vending machine solutions covering coffee and hot beverages, cold drinks and snacking, BWT-filtered water fountains, and fresh-food vending (sandwiches, salads, prepared dishes). Its portfolio of 1,600+ installed machines is monitored via real-time telemetry that enables proactive restocking, rapid intervention, and site-specific assortment optimization based on consumption data. A field team of 47 employees handles daily supply, maintenance, and dedicated account management across an enterprise customer base that includes IKEA, Carrefour, Sanofi, Siemens, Thales, Ferrari, Air Liquide, Rossignol, and Grenoble Alpes Métropole.

The company's business model is anchored in multi-year subscription-style contracts: machines are placed at client sites with customized product assortments, ongoing restocking and maintenance, and a dedicated single point of contact per account. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Revenue streams combine recurring rental/managed-services contracts, product sales (including an upcoming online boutique for capsules and consumables), and service interventions across the installed fleet. SDA markets to five primary verticals — entreprises, collectivités, hôtels, universités, and établissements recevant du public — each with tailored use cases and payment options including CB, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

Technically, the platform rests on connected machines (real-time inventory and consumption telemetry), a client account portal, and a forthcoming e-commerce storefront. The company is GDPR-compliant (DPO appointed), holds an SSL-secured website, and has published a CSR charter. Ownership is concentrated with the SARRA family (Francis SARRA as Gérant; Mathilde SARRA as DPO), share capital is €300,000, and no external investors, subsidiaries, or M&A activity are present in the source material. Geographic expansion beyond Rhône-Alpes is not currently signaled.

Name

SDA - Distribution Automatique

Legal name

S.D.A (Société à responsabilité limitée au capital de 300.000 Euros)

Website

https://sda-france.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Family-owned French vending operator founded in 1980, placing and servicing 1,600+ connected machines (coffee, snacks, water, fresh food) for enterprises, public institutions, hotels, and universities across the Rhône-Alpes region under multi-year managed-service contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automated Vending Solutions

NAICS

Vending Machine Operators (445132), Convenience Retailers and Vending Machine Operators (44513)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350), Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEUAIANAI

Leasing, Rental & Product-as-a-Service (PaaS) Enablement

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Services (Waste Management, Recycling & Remediation)/Resource Recovery & Circular Economy Services (Reuse, Take-back, Refurbishment)

Keywords

• Automatic vending machines
• Connected vending solutions
• Workplace refreshment services
• Coffee vending machines
• Water fountain dispensers

Headquarters

HQ city

Apprieu

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Vending Machine Rental/Leasing: SDA provides vending machines (coffee, beverages, snacks, food) to businesses and institutions. Revenue comes from machine placement agreements with ongoing service, maintenance, and product supply.
2. Product Sales (Capsules, Consumables): Sale of coffee capsules, ground coffee, teas, and consumables through their online store (boutique en ligne) for machine owners and operators.
3. Maintenance and Support Services: Regular restocking, maintenance, and rapid interventions for installed vending machines across 1600+ units in operation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SDA - Distribution Automatique places, services, and supplies connected automatic vending machines (coffee, beverages, snacks, food, and filtered water) for businesses and institutions across the Rhône-Alpes region of France. The company delivers a full-service solution including machine installation, customized product assortment, ongoing restocking, and rapid maintenance for over 1,600 deployed units.

Product overview

SDA Distribution Automatique is a vending machine solutions provider offering a portfolio of connected automatic dispensers. The product line includes three coffee machine variants (Coffee Station for large spaces, Corner Café for convivial corners, and Office Coffee Service for small offices), beverage and snack vending machines, network-connected water fountains with filtration, and automatic food dispensers. The connected machines enable real-time inventory analysis and assortment optimization. Solutions are tailored for enterprises, local authorities, hotels, universities, and public establishments across the Rhône-Alpes region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hot Beverage Vending Solutions (Coffee Station, Corner Café, Office Coffee Service) Connected vending solutions for hot beverages including three formats: Coffee Station (modern machine for high-traffic halls with real-time analysis and a wide selection of coffees, teas, and gourmet drinks), Corner Café (customized furniture unit creating a convivial coffee corner with cups, stirrers, sugars, and consumables), and Office Coffee Service (compact table-top professional machine for small offices and meeting rooms with online capsule ordering). Targeted at enterprises, hotels, public institutions, and universities.
• Beverage and Snack Vending Machines Automatic vending machines providing cold drinks and snacks, including confectionery, chocolate bars, cereals, biscuits, salty snacks, candies, sodas, mineral and flavored waters, fruit juices, and healthy/organic snacks. Targeted at workplaces and public-facing establishments seeking on-demand refreshments.
• Connected Water Fountains with BWT Filters Network-connected water fountains equipped with BWT filters guaranteeing water quality, available in cold, temperate, hot, or sparkling water models. Targeted at enterprises, public institutions, and public-facing establishments seeking to reduce plastic bottle waste while providing workplace hydration.
• Automatic Food Dispenser (Restauration Automatique) Connected automatic food vending machines offering fresh products including sandwiches, wraps, salads, soups, pasta boxes, prepared dishes, and desserts, with healthy, vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free alternatives. Real-time consumption data is used to compose optimal assortments matching consumer preferences. Targeted at workplaces, public institutions, hospitals, and 24/7 venues.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1600+ vending machines in operation across Rhône-Alpes region
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Selecta Group: Europe's largest automated vending and workplace refreshment operator, offering coffee, snack, food and water solutions to enterprises and public institutions — directly comparable to SDA's offering and target customers, but at pan-European scale.
• JDE Professional (JACOBS DOUWE EGBERTS): Professional coffee and tea solutions arm of JDE Peet's serving offices, hospitality and foodservice with bean-to-cup and capsule systems — competes with SDA's hot beverage portfolio across the same enterprise verticals.
• Lavazza Professional: Office and out-of-home coffee operator (formerly Espresso Service and Lavazza Professional) providing bean-to-cup machines, capsules and full-service coffee programs to workplaces — competes head-to-head with SDA's coffee station and OCS products.
• Nespresso Professional: Nestlé's B2B coffee division placing connected espresso machines in offices, hotels and hospitality — directly comparable to SDA's Office Coffee Service and Coffee Station offerings, including capsule supply and telemetry.

Others

• Rhea Vendors Group: Global manufacturer of professional coffee and vending machines — upstream supplier to vending operators; relevant because SDA's connected coffee stations sit on similar OEM platforms.
• Crane Merchandising Systems: Major manufacturer of vending machines and payment systems used by vending operators worldwide — not a competitor but a key equipment supplier whose hardware sits inside operators like SDA.
• Bianchi Vending: Italian manufacturer of hot-beverage and snack vending machines distributed across Europe — adjacent supplier ecosystem to SDA rather than a direct competitor, but influences the available machine portfolio SDA can offer.

Broad incumbents

• Nestlé Professional: Broader Nestlé out-of-home and vending beverage business (Nescafé,机等) serving workplaces, vending and hospitality — overlapping capability with SDA's connected coffee and food machines but as part of a much wider global portfolio.

Emerging players

• Groupe Evolem (citron / Selecta franchise network): French mid-market B2B vending and refreshment platform consolidating regional operators; comparable to SDA in service offering and customer base, and a potential consolidation counterpart in the French market.

Regional players

• Distributeurs Automatiques de France (DAF) / regional French vending operators: Other regional French vending machine operators providing coffee, snack and food vending to local enterprises and institutions — same business model as SDA but competing in adjacent French regions rather than Rhône-Alpes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sdadistribution
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sda-distribution-automatique
• Instagraminstagram.com/sdadistribution38?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Compliance2 records

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 SDA - Distribution Automatique