France 44
France 44 is a third-generation, family-owned Minneapolis specialty food and beverage retailer operating a flagship Wines & Spirits and Cheese & Meat shop, two St. Paul satellite stores, and a private events venue. It serves Twin Cities consumers with curated wine, spirits, artisan cheese, whole-animal butcher cuts, catering, classes, and subscription clubs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1950
- HeadquartersMinneapolis, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What France 44 does
France 44 is a privately held, family-owned specialty food and beverage retailer founded in the 1950s in Minneapolis by the Anderson family and now in its third generation of ownership. The company operates a flagship dual-concept location at 4351 France Avenue South combining a Wines & Spirits store and a Cheese & Meat shop, supplemented by two satellite locations in St. Paul — the St. Paul Cheese Shop and the St. Paul Meat Shop — plus an in-store private events venue. Core offerings span retail wine, beer, spirits, sake, non-alcoholic beverages, and kegs; cut-to-order artisan cheese and a whole-animal butcher program with rotisserie chickens and sandwiches; off-site and on-site catering including grazing tables, custom cakes, and bartending; cooking, wine, and cheese classes; and recurring programs including Club 44 membership, Wine of the Month and Cheese of the Month subscriptions, and the Cellar Select newsletter for rare and allocated bottles.
The business makes money through seven distinct revenue streams: transactional retail of wine/spirits and cheese/meat, professional services catering and private event venue rental, recurring subscription clubs and the Club 44 membership, and one-time gift products (gift cards, custom and artisan gift boxes, and business gifting). Distribution is omnichannel: physical retail across four Twin Cities locations, the company's own e-commerce site at shop.france44.com, ChowNow for prepared food ordering, DoorDash for local delivery, and Table22 for subscription management. Customer segments are consumer-led — wine and spirit enthusiasts, cheese connoisseurs, and home cooks as primary personas — with secondary use cases in event hosting, catering, and business gifting. Pricing is per-bottle for retail ($15-60 noted on wines), hourly for labor ($18-35 depending on role), and quote-based for catering, classes, and venue rentals.
Underlying technology is intentionally light: the company explicitly carries no proprietary technology platform, relying instead on Lightspeed POS at the Wines & Spirits store plus off-the-shelf integrations (DoorDash, ChowNow, Table22). Competitive positioning rests on heritage (three-generation ownership, 70+ year history), credentialed talent (multiple WSET Levels 1-3, Certified Cheese Professionals, and a Certified Cicerone), artisan sourcing relationships (Pleasant Ridge Reserve, Peterson Craft Meats, Kadejan Market), and an integrated retail/experiential/recurring model that consolidates wine, cheese, meat, education, catering, and event hosting under one roof — a combination that is difficult for single-category competitors to replicate in the Twin Cities market.
France 44 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- France 44
- Legal name
- France 44
- Website
- https://france44.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1950
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- France 44 is a third-generation, family-owned Minneapolis specialty food and beverage retailer operating a flagship Wines & Spirits and Cheese & Meat shop, two St. Paul satellite stores, and a private events venue. It serves Twin Cities consumers with curated wine, spirits, artisan cheese, whole-animal butcher cuts, catering, classes, and subscription clubs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
France 44 industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Food & Beverage Retail
- NAICS
- Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wine Shops (Off-Premise) (CRANAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail) (CRANABAF), Specialty Wine-Adjacent Food Stores (Cheese/Gourmet Pairings) (CRAHAGAK), Bar & Beverage Catering (Mobile Bar, Bartending) (HSACAGAF)
Keywords
Where France 44 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Minneapolis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
France 44 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Retail Sales - Wine, Spirits, Beer: Physical and online retail sales of wine, spirits, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages from the Wines & Spirits store location
- Retail Sales - Cheese and Meat: Specialty cheese shop and whole animal butcher shop sales including cut-to-order cheese, cured meats, and fresh cuts
- Catering Services: Off-site catering and event catering including cheese & charcuterie trays, grazing tables, lunch, appetizers, salads, and bartending services
- Classes and Education: Cooking classes, wine classes, cheese classes, and specialty classes (like Sake) offered through the store
- Membership Clubs: Club 44 membership, Wine of the Month club, Cheese of the Month club, and Cellar Select newsletter with exclusive deals
- Private Events Venue: Private event venue rental including food and beverage service for parties and corporate events
- Gift Products: Gift cards, custom gift boxes, artisan gift boxes, and business gifting services
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Monthly | Culinary & Catering Assistant |
Distribution channels13 records
Marketing channels8 records
France 44 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
France 44 is a Minneapolis-based specialty food and beverage retailer combining a Wines & Spirits shop (wine, beer, spirits, sake, non-alcoholic beverages, wine storage, kegs), a Cheese & Meat Shop (cut-to-order artisan cheese, whole-animal butchery, sandwiches, rotisserie chickens), and a Private Events venue, with satellite St. Paul locations. The company also sells gift products, runs subscription clubs (Wine of the Month, Cheese of the Month, Club 44, Cellar Select), offers cooking/wine/cheese classes, and provides off-site catering and bartending services for private and corporate events.
Product overview
France 44 is a Minneapolis-based specialty food and beverage retailer with three integrated business units: a Wines & Spirits shop (offering wine, beer, spirits, non-alcoholic beverages, sake, wine storage, and kegs), a Cheese & Meat Shop (featuring cut-to-order artisan cheese, a whole-animal butcher program, rotisserie chickens, and sandwiches), and a Private Events venue. The company also operates two satellite locations in St. Paul (Cheese Shop and Meat Shop). Additional offerings include catering services (cheese/charcuterie trays, lunch, appetizers, grazing tables, custom cakes, bartending), educational classes (cooking, wine, cheese), private event hosting, and subscription programs (Club 44 membership, Wine of the Month club, Cheese of the Month club, and Cellar Select newsletter). Products are available for online ordering via DoorDash delivery and ChowNow, with in-store and e-commerce shopping at shop.france44.com.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Club 44: Wine and spirits membership club offering monthly selections and discounts.
- Wine of the Month Club
- Cheese of the Month Club
- Cellar Select
Products and services
- Wines & Spirits Shop Retail wine, beer, spirits, non-alcoholic beverages, sake, wine storage, and keg sales at the Minneapolis flagship Wines & Spirits store, with online ordering for pickup and DoorDash local delivery.
- Cheese & Meat Shop Cut-to-order artisan cheese, whole-animal butcher cuts, sandwiches, and rotisserie chickens sold at the Minneapolis Cheese & Meat Shop, with online ordering via ChowNow.
- St. Paul Cheese Shop A separate cheese-focused retail location in St. Paul operated by France 44, offering artisan cheeses and specialty foods.
- St. Paul Meat Shop A separate specialty meat retail location in St. Paul operated by France 44, featuring whole-animal butcher cuts.
- Catering Services Off-site and on-site catering including cheese and charcuterie trays, lunch, appetizers, salads, veggies, dessert, grazing tables, custom cakes, and bartending services for events of various sizes.
- Private Events Venue Private event venue rental at the Minneapolis flagship including on-site food and beverage service and party packages such as summer parties for personal and corporate events.
- Classes Educational cooking classes, wine classes, cheese classes, sake and other specialty classes, plus pop-up events, available through the online classes store and giftable via Gift-a-Class.
- Gifts Gift cards, custom gift boxes, artisan gift boxes, business gifting services, and Gift-a-Class products for personal and corporate gift-giving occasions.
- Club 44 Membership Annual membership program providing members with benefits and discounts at the store plus exclusive access to products, tastings, and events.
- Wine of the Month Club Monthly curated wine subscription delivering selected wines to members or available for in-store pickup, managed via the Table22 platform.
- Cheese of the Month Club Monthly curated cheese subscription delivering selected artisan cheeses to members or available for in-store pickup, managed via the Table22 platform.
- Cellar Select Monthly newsletter offering subscribers access to a rotating selection of rare, allocated, and standout wines and spirits at significant discounts.
Companies that use France 44
Customer profileSegments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
France 44 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
France 44 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
France 44 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bedford Cheese Shop: Specialty cheese retailer with cheesemonger service, classes, and curated accompaniments. Mirrors France 44's credentialed-staff, education-first specialty cheese retail format.
- Formaggio Kitchen: Cambridge and Boston specialty retailer offering cheese, charcuterie, wine, pantry, and catering with deep staff expertise. Comparable artisan-curation philosophy and brick-and-mortar-plus-catering structure.
- K&L Wine Merchants: Specialty wine, spirits, and gourmet food retailer combining a flagship store, multiple warehouses, and a strong e-commerce channel. Comparable to France 44 in curation depth, rare/allocated allocation, and multi-channel wine retail.
- Surdyk's: Minneapolis-based gourmet food, wine, cheese, and gift retailer offering classes, catering, and an in-store cafe. Most direct local competitor to France 44, with overlapping product mix and similar specialty education focus.
- Murray's Cheese: Iconic NYC specialty cheese shop with retail counter, classes, wholesale, and bar/restaurant. Closely mirrors France 44's cheesemonger-led, cut-to-order, class-driven cheese retail model.
- Di Bruno Bros. Philadelphia cheesemonger and specialty foods retailer with multiple locations, gift boxes, and curated meats. Comparable to France 44 in artisan cheese, cured meats, gift business, and educational class programming.
Broad incumbents
- Total Wine & More: Largest U.S. specialty beer, wine, and spirits retailer with national footprint. Represents the scaled, broad-format incumbent that France 44 differentiates against via curation, expertise, cheese, and event services.
- Zabar's: Iconic NYC specialty food retailer offering cheese, meats, smoked fish, coffee, and housewares. Comparable as a heritage, multi-category gourmet destination with strong brand recognition and curated gift business.
Regional players
- Haskell's: Long-standing Twin Cities wine and spirits retailer with multiple locations. Competes with France 44 on fine wine selection and customer relationships but lacks its cheese/butcher/event breadth.
- Solo Vino: Small Minneapolis wine shop and bar focused on Italian and natural wines. Shares France 44's Minneapolis address and curated small-format retail approach but is narrower in category scope.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
France 44 social profiles
Digital presenceFrance 44 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
France 44 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
France 44 subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
France 44 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
France 44 M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about France 44
What does France 44 do?
France 44 is a Minneapolis-based specialty food and beverage retailer combining a Wines & Spirits shop (wine, beer, spirits, sake, non-alcoholic beverages, wine storage, kegs), a Cheese & Meat Shop (cut-to-order artisan cheese, whole-animal butchery, sandwiches, rotisserie chickens), and a Private Events venue, with satellite St. Paul locations. The company also sells gift products, runs subscription clubs (Wine of the Month, Cheese of the Month, Club 44, Cellar Select), offers cooking/wine/cheese classes, and provides off-site catering and bartending services for private and corporate events.
Is France 44 a public or private company?
France 44 is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was France 44 founded?
France 44 was founded in 1950.
Where is France 44 based?
France 44 is headquartered in Minneapolis, United States, in the North America region.
How does France 44 make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Retail Sales - Wine, Spirits, Beer is the primary driver. The others are retail Sales - Cheese and Meat, catering Services, classes and Education, membership Clubs, private Events Venue and gift Products.
Who are France 44's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bedford Cheese Shop, Formaggio Kitchen, K&L Wine Merchants, Surdyk's, Murray's Cheese and Di Bruno Bros.. Broad incumbents are Total Wine & More and Zabar's. Regional players are Haskell's and Solo Vino.
Does France 44 have an API?
No public API is recorded for France 44.
What industry is France 44 in?
France 44's product category is Specialty Food & Beverage Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRANAAAB, Wine Shops (Off-Premise), with a secondary code of CRANABAF, Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail). Its NAICS code is 445320 and its SIC code is 5810.