MOU COMPANY BTZ

What MOU COMPANY BTZ does

MOU COMPANY BTZ is a French designer and distributor of handcrafted wooden and bioacetate eyewear, watches, and ski masks, founded in 2015 in Biarritz on the Basque Coast. The company's core product is framed sunglasses and optical frames produced from FSC-certified woods (ebony, zebrano, oak, rosewood, walnut, ash, beech, cherry, sandalwood) and, more recently, biodegradable M49 cellulose acetate derived from wood pulp. Designs are created in the Biarritz headquarters and manufactured in a partner workshop using a hand-shaping process; sunglasses are fitted with polarized UV400 lenses. The product portfolio spans more than a dozen named collections (Gold, Red, Light, Eden, Brut, ARTEA, VAGUE, Racine, Pays Basque, Etxalde, Mendia, Titane, JANV 2024), plus wooden watch lines (CHRONO, TXIKI) and ski goggles.

The business operates a dual-channel go-to-market model. The primary route to market is a network of 500+ independent opticians across France and Europe, who stock MOU frames for fitting and resale (up from approximately 400 opticians in 2020). Direct-to-consumer e-commerce through moucompany.fr provides a secondary channel, supported by PayPal and standard card-payment integrations, with international shipping available. Sunglasses are sold at approximately €199; prescription optical frames are largely distributed through the optician channel at €0.00 list price with revenue captured on the prescription lens sale.

Commercially, MOU Company is a privately held, founder-led micro-business (1-10 employees) with no disclosed external funding, revenue, or investor base. Partnerships have been used selectively for credibility and reach: a Racing 92 limited-edition watch collaboration in 2017 and a 2021 partnership with ZEI impact accelerator that formalized the 100% eco-responsible commitment. Geographic exposure is concentrated in Europe (France-anchored), and the company's competitive position rests on sustainability credentials, Basque-rooted storytelling, and handmade differentiation rather than scale or cost advantage.

Name

MOU COMPANY BTZ

Legal name

MOU COMPANY BTZ

Website

https://moucompany.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MOU Company is a Biarritz, France-based designer and distributor of handcrafted FSC-certified wooden and bioacetate M49 sunglasses, optical frames, watches, and ski masks, selling through 500+ opticians across France and Europe and direct-to-consumer via its e-commerce site.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wooden Eyewear and Accessories

NAICS

Optical Goods Retailers (45613), Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing (339115)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Eyewear Retail & DTC Brands (Frames & Sunglasses) (CRAAAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sunglasses (Non-Prescription) (CRAAAKAB), Eyewear Manufacturing & OEM/ODM (Frames & Sunglasses) (CRAAAKAJ)

Keywords

• Wooden eyewear
• Wooden watches
• Acetate optical frames
• Wooden ski masks
• Fashion accessories

Headquarters

HQ city

Biarritz

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales - Eyewear: Direct sales of wooden sunglasses and optical frames to consumers through e-commerce and optician partners. One-time purchase model for individual frames.
2. Product Sales - Watches: Sales of wooden watches for men and women. Watch collections include CHRONO and TXIKI lines with various materials including wood with stainless steel or leather.
3. Product Sales - Ski Masks: Sales of ski masks/snow goggles in various colors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

MOU COMPANY BTZ designs, manufactures, and sells wooden eyewear (sunglasses and optical frames), acetate M49 bio-acetate eyewear, wooden watches, and wooden ski masks. Products are sold direct-to-consumer online and through a wholesale network of over 500 partner opticians across France and Europe.

Product overview

MOU COMPANY BTZ is a French eyewear and watch company founded in 2015 on the Basque Coast in Biarritz. The company offers a unified product portfolio centered around handmade wooden sunglasses and optical glasses (Lunettes en bois), acetate M49 biodegradable eyewear, wooden watches (Montres en bois), and ski masks (Masque de ski). The core product lines include multiple wooden eyewear collections (Gold, Red, Light, Eden, Brut, ARTEA, Collection VAGUE, Collection Racine, Collection Pays Basque, Etxalde, Mendia, JANV 2024, and Titane Collections), with most models featuring polarized lenses. Wooden watches are offered in CHRONO and TXIKI collections with steel-and-wood or leather options. The company emphasizes eco-responsibility using wood from controlled forests, bioacetate materials, and handmade craftsmanship inspired by Basque sports, landscapes, and traditions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wooden Sunglasses

Quantifiable outcome

• Available through 500+ opticians across France and Europe

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Racing 92minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Collaboration with Racing 92 rugby club in 2017 led to a limited edition wooden watch collection (Racing 92 x Mou Company).
• ZEI (ZEI Impact Accelerator)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOU Company partnered with ZEI, an impact accelerator, to commit to a 100% eco-responsible approach. This partnership supports the company's sustainability mission and eco-friendly business practices.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bobo Bird: Wooden watch brand with similar eco-friendly materials, handcraft positioning and DTC model. Comparable to MOU's wooden watch line (CHRONO, TXIKI) on product, price and target buyer.
• Mosevic: Direct competitor: a UK eyewear brand producing sunglasses and frames from recycled denim/wood composites, comparable as a niche sustainable eyewear DTC brand targeting the same eco-conscious buyer.
• Proof Eyewear: Direct competitor: a US-based DTC brand specializing in handcrafted wooden and eco-friendly sunglasses and optical frames with a comparable sustainability narrative and premium price point.
• Shwood Eyewear: Direct competitor: Portland-based brand making wooden and hybrid-material sunglasses and optical frames using natural materials, closely aligned with MOU's product approach and premium DTC positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Warby Parker: US-based DTC and retail optical incumbent offering prescription eyewear and sunglasses. Comparable GTM (DTC + physical retail partners) but at massive scale and a different price tier.
• Bollé: Established sport and protective eyewear brand with strong ski goggle/sunglasses portfolio. Comparable to MOU's ski mask and polarized sunglasses lines as a broader incumbent in sport eyewear.

Regional players

• Polette: French DTC optical retailer selling affordable prescription eyewear online. Competes with MOU on the optical frame side and shares the French market, but at a much lower price point and without the wooden/sustainable angle.
• Julbo: French sport eyewear brand with strong heritage in ski goggles and mountain sunglasses. Overlaps with MOU's ski mask category and shares the French brand identity, but is significantly larger and more performance-focused.
• Lunettes Pour Tous: French optical retailer focused on low-priced prescription eyewear. Competes indirectly with MOU's optical frames in the French market but at very different positioning (value vs premium sustainable).

Others

• Albéa (Eco-Responsible Eyewear Programs): Adjacent ecosystem participant: a major packaging and beauty packaging group that has publicly invested in bioacetate and eco-responsible eyewear materials. Relevant context for BIO M49 acetate supplier dynamics rather than direct competition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/moucompany

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 MOU COMPANY BTZ