What GROUPE SICALAIT does

GROUPE SICALAIT is a French agricultural cooperative group headquartered in Bourg Murat, Le Tampon, on La Réunion Island, with its legal entity registered as SICA LAIT (Société d'Intérêt Collectif Agricole du Lait). Founded in 1962 at the initiative of Réunion dairy farmers — with Charles Isautier providing the founding land and premises — the cooperative organizes the production and collection of milk from approximately 50 farms operated by 85 member breeders, capturing essentially all (~100%) of La Réunion's dairy production. The 2019 collection figure of roughly 18 million liters comes from a herd of approximately 3,000 dairy cows (49 per member on average, at 6,300 liters per cow per year). SICALAIT processes this milk into dairy products including milk and yogurt, distributes it to local consumers and retailers across the island, and provides technical support to its members on animal welfare and milk quality.

Beyond dairy, the group operates a portfolio of wholly-owned agricultural-retail subsidiaries that share an agricultural-services distribution angle: Fermes&Jardins (a network of 8 garden and pet stores, founded 1983), Fermes&Jardins Village (5 neighborhood stores), Terranimo (pet specialty retail, launched 2021), and Exoflor (a plant nursery). The group is a co-founder of URCOOPA (Union Réunionnaise des Coopératives Agricoles) and a member of FRCA, with additional partnerships including ARIA for milk quality analysis and EU agricultural program support. PGMSB (Plan Global de Maîtrise Sanitaire Bovin) sanitary certification is maintained across the member base.

The business model is a member-owned cooperative with democratic governance ("1 homme = 1 voix"); revenue is generated from dairy product sales on the island and from the retail subsidiaries' consumer transactions. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, with content marketing via the company website (sica-lait.re), Facebook, YouTube, printed brochures, and participation in events such as the Miel Vert agricultural fair. The dairy sector accounts for over 600 direct and indirect jobs. Revenue, pricing, and detailed financial figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

GROUPE SICALAIT

Legal name

SICA LAIT

Website

https://sica-lait.re

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

GROUPE SICALAIT is a farmer-owned dairy cooperative on La Réunion, France, founded in 1962. It organizes milk production and collection from 85 member breeders across ~50 farms (~18 million liters annually), capturing essentially all island dairy output, and has diversified into garden, pet, and nursery retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dairy Production

NAICS

Dairy Cattle and Milk Production (11212), Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115), Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151), Fluid Milk Manufacturing (311511)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Milk Production (Raw Milk) (AFAEACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Member-Owned Food Cooperatives (CRAHALAA), Dairy-Based Beverage Production (Milk Drinks, Yogurt Drinks, Lassi) (AFAFABAJ)

Keywords

• Dairy cooperative
• Milk collection
• Agricultural cooperative
• Dairy production
• Garden retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Le Tampon

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dairy production and milk collection: The cooperative organizes dairy production and milk collection from its member farmers, then processes and distributes dairy products (milk, yogurt) to consumers in Réunion. Revenue comes from selling dairy products to local markets, retailers, and consumers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GROUPE SICALAIT is an agricultural cooperative group whose core activity is organizing dairy production and milk collection across approximately 50 farms operated by 85 member breeders in La Réunion, producing around 18 million liters of milk annually. The group processes and distributes dairy products (including milk and yogurt) locally and has expanded into agricultural retail via garden centers, pet stores and a nursery under sub-brands Fermes&Jardins, Fermes&Jardins Village, Terranimo and Exoflor.

Product overview

GROUPE SICALAIT is a diversified agricultural cooperative group based in La Réunion, France. The core business is SICALAIT, the dairy cooperative founded in 1962 that organizes milk production and collection from approximately 50 farms with 85 member farmers producing 18 million liters of milk annually. The group has expanded into retail operations through its sub-brands: Fermes&Jardins (8 garden and pet stores since 1983), Fermes&Jardins Village (5 neighborhood stores), Terranimo (pet specialist opened 2021), and Exoflor (nursery). This multi-brand portfolio serves both professional farmers and private consumers across agricultural, gardening, and pet care sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SICALAIT dairy cooperative Core dairy cooperative organizing milk production and collection from approximately 50 farms operated by 85 member breeders in La Réunion, producing around 18 million liters of milk annually and distributing dairy products (milk, yogurt) to local consumers and retailers.
• Fermes&Jardins Network of 8 garden and pet stores in La Réunion offering products for both agricultural professionals and individual consumers in the gardening and pet care sectors.
• Fermes&Jardins Village 5 neighborhood garden and pet stores providing proximity retail services to both professionals and private individuals in La Réunion.
• Terranimo Animal specialty retail store operating in La Réunion as the pet care specialist within the Groupe SICALAIT portfolio.
• Exoflor Plant nursery operation in La Réunion forming part of the Groupe SICALAIT's diversified agricultural product and service offerings.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18 million liters of milk collected annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ARIA (ASS REUNI INTERPRO ANALYSE DU LAIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSICALAIT transmits member data to ARIA for milk quality analysis purposes. ARIA is an association responsible for analyzing the quality of milk from producers in Réunion.
• FRCA (Fédération régionale des coopératives agricoles de La Réunion)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSICALAIT is a member of the Regional Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives of Réunion, which coordinates agricultural cooperation across the island.
• URCOOPA (Union Réunionnaise des Coopératives Agricoles)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSICALAIT is one of four founding cooperatives of URCOOPA, the Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Réunion.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• URCOOPA: Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of La Réunion, of which SICALAIT is a founding member. Directly related as a regional peer cooperative ecosystem body rather than a competitor — represents the federated structure SICALAIT participates in and could leverage for collective procurement or marketing.

Direct peers

• Sodiaal: France's largest dairy cooperative, operating the same cooperative-owned farmer model as SICALAIT but at continental scale (multi-billion liter annual collection). Directly comparable on governance structure, member-farmer relationships, and revenue model (milk collection and processing), though orders of magnitude larger.
• Laïta: French dairy cooperative owned by farmer-members in Brittany, processing milk into butter, cheese, and dairy ingredients. Directly comparable on cooperative structure and member-farmer governance, with a similarly branded regional identity approach.
• Müller: German/UK dairy company focused on yogurt, milk drinks, and dairy desserts. Comparable on product mix (yogurt, dairy beverages, dairy desserts), demonstrating the value-added dairy categories SICALAIT could expand into.
• Triballat Noyal: French dairy cooperative specializing in cheese, butter, and plant-based alternatives. Comparable cooperative business model with dairy processing focus; relevant as a peer for SICALAIT's potential expansion into value-added dairy categories.
• Yoplait: International yogurt-focused dairy brand with French origins, currently operated as a franchise by Sodiaal in France and General Mills elsewhere. Most directly comparable to SICALAIT's yogurt production activity and brand-led dairy consumer marketing.
• Agrial: Major French agricultural cooperative spanning dairy, beverages, vegetables, and agricultural retail. Comparable on cooperative structure and diversification into adjacent agricultural retail, though operating at much larger continental scale.

Broad incumbents

• Lactalis: World's largest dairy company, privately held and headquartered in France. Operates across all major dairy categories globally. Relevant as the dominant French dairy incumbent whose products and distribution shape the competitive environment for smaller cooperatives like SICALAIT.
• Savencia Fromage & Dairy: French dairy group focused on cheese and specialty dairy products. Comparable on dairy processing and branded dairy category participation, though with a continental/global footprint versus SICALAIT's island-market concentration.
• Danone: French-headquartered multinational dairy and plant-based products company. Comparable on yogurt and dairy beverage manufacturing (SICALAIT also produces yogurt), though operating at vastly larger global scale with extensive branded product portfolios.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCrAAGQvMqtyywrD8Yp0ZGXg
• Facebookfacebook.com/sicalaitreunion
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sicalait-r%C3%A9union

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 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 GROUPE SICALAIT