CUISINIER

What CUISINIER does

Le Cuisinier Français (legal entity SASU LE CUISINIER FRANÇAIS, SIRET 978 370 757, RCS Chambéry) is a France-based artisanal cutlery company registered in August 2023 and operating from La Trinité. It designs and sells folding kitchen knives and nomadic-cooking utensils — anchored by the Esperluèute family (Esperluèute, Esperluèute Mini, Esperluèute de Table) — complemented by accessories including a Paperstone cutting board, an artisanal Cantal beech chopping block, the Easysharp Dragon travel sharpener, the Georgette 3-in-1 cutlery set, the L'atelier des Rubs spice kit, and a co-developed Le Béret. Each knife is engraved and numbered; the flagship design won a silver medal at the Concours Lépine. Pricing runs from €18.30 (promo) for the sharpener up to €297 for the flagship Esperluèute, with mid-tier accessories in the €45–€200 range.

The technology layer is a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront built by the BAOTIFUL agency, hosted on Shopify infrastructure, with payments processed by PayPlug, installment financing by Oney Bank (3x/4x on €100–€3,000 purchases), shipping orchestrated via Boxtal across Colissimo/Chronopost/Relais Colis/Mondial Relay, and email marketing through Omnisend. The storefront is multilingual (French, English, German, Italian, Spanish) and ships globally, including to France Métropolitaine, DOM-TOM, Europe, and worldwide.

The business model is a direct-to-consumer e-commerce operation layered with a B2B 'Pros' channel for chefs, artisans, and resellers, supported by an ambassador/community program. Customer acquisition blends earned media (press coverage in Le Dauphiné, Le Journal des Femmes, France 3, France Bleu, Neo Zone, Test Bon Plan), influencer/ambassador endorsements (including 3-star Michelin chef Glenn Viel, Franck Putelat, and 2-star Michelin chef Christophe Aribert), social content (Facebook, Instagram), and a loyalty 'surprise gift' mechanic. Headcount is ~2 (Etienne ROZES is sole legal representative and DPO); registered capital is €10,000 with no disclosed institutional funding. The website reports 1,000+ satisfied customers.

Name

CUISINIER

Legal name

SASU LE CUISINIER FRANÇAIS

Website

https://lecuisinierfrancais.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Short description

France-based artisanal cutlery company (SASU, founded 2023) selling the Esperluèute line of folding chef's knives plus nomadic-cooking accessories via a multilingual Shopify storefront, serving professional chefs, passionate home cooks, and B2B resellers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

La Trinité-sur-mer

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware sales - knives and accessories: One-time hardware sales of proprietary folding kitchen knives (Esperluète, Esperluète Mini, Esperluète de table), sharpening tools (Easysharp Dragon), cutting boards, wooden blocks (billots), and branded accessories (bérets). Payment plans available via Oney Bank 3x/4x.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Le Cuisinier Français designs, manufactures, and sells a line of folding kitchen knives (the Esperluète family) and complementary culinary accessories for indoor and outdoor/nomadic cooking. The flagship Esperluète is a handmade-in-France, numbered, engraved, silver medal-winning folding chef's knife. Supporting products include the Esperluète Mini pocket paring knife, the Esperluète de Table table meat knife, Paperstone cutting boards, hand-oiled beech chopping blocks, a Basque-style branded beret, a travel sharpener (Easysharp Dragon), a 3-in-1 portable cutlery set (Georgette), and a premium spice kit.

Product overview

Le Cuisinier Français is a French artisan company specializing in nomadic cooking utensils and culinary cutlery. The product portfolio centers around the Esperluète family of folding chef knives (Esperluète, Esperluète mini, and Esperluète de table), complemented by kitchen accessories including cutting boards (La Planche), artisanal chopping blocks (Le Billot), and lifestyle items (Le Béret). The company also offers sharpening tools (Easysharp Dragon), portable cutlery (Georgette), and spice kits (L'atelier des Rubs), all united by the concept of French craftsmanship meeting outdoor/nomadic cooking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Esperluète folding kitchen knife The flagship folding chef's knife that combines professional kitchen performance with pocket-knife portability. Made in France, engraved and numbered, silver medal winner at the Concours Lépine. Sold to home cooks, food enthusiasts, and professional chefs for indoor and nomadic cooking. Regular price €297.00, promotional €247.50, or 3x €99.00 via Oney Bank.
• Esperluète Mini pocket paring knife The pocket-sized paring knife version of the Esperluète, designed for precision tasks in nomadic cooking contexts. Priced at €137.50.
• Esperluète de Table table meat knife A customizable table knife designed for meat service, combining chef-level cutting with portable use. Starting from €67.42, with personalized options available.
• La Planche Paperstone cutting board

Quantifiable outcome

• 1000+ satisfied customers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ShopifycoreTechnology or Integration · 13 March 2023E-commerce platform hosting the company's online store since March 13, 2023. Provides website infrastructure, payment processing integration, and inventory management.
• PayPlugcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment service provider handling online credit card transactions. Located in Paris, France. PCI-DSS compliant payment processing.
• BoxtalcoreTechnology or IntegrationLogistics partner handling package delivery and shipment processing. Provides shipping services through multiple carriers (Colissimo, Chronopost, Relais Colis, Mondial Relay).
• Le Béret FrançaisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with French beret maker to create 'Le Béret du Cuisinier Français' - a branded beret combining Basque tradition with high-end finishes and nomadic spirit.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Deejo: French-designed folding knives sold DTC with strong lifestyle/ambassador positioning and customizable finishes. Most comparable on the modern DTC folding-knife playbook — community, design, personalisation — though Deejo sells outdoor/pocket rather than kitchen blades.
• Laguiole: Premium French cutlery brand synonymous with table and folding knives. Directly comparable on French craftsmanship narrative, premium pricing, and table/culinary use cases targeted by the Esperluète de table.
• Opinel: Iconic French folding-knife brand (Savoy-based) with deep heritage and global distribution. Most direct comparable on the folding-knife mechanism, French artisanal positioning, and mid-premium price ladder; competes for the same 'pocketable cutlery' use case.
• Coutellerie Goyon-Chazeau: French artisanal cutler producing Laguiole-style folding and table knives, numbered and made in France. Comparable on the small-batch, numbered, made-in-France premium folding knife offering and the artisan/reseller wholesale channel.
• Forge de Laguiole: Artisanal Laguiole knife maker producing numbered, handcrafted French knives. Comparable on the 'numbered, made-in-France, premium artisan' positioning and high-end gifting channel.

Emerging players

• Made In: French-founded DTC premium kitchen cutlery and cookware brand with chef-investor strategy. Comparable on the DTC direct-to-chefs model, French culinary heritage, and premium price ladder targeting home cooks and professionals.

Broad incumbents

• Wüsthof: Premium German kitchen-knife maker with chef-grade positioning and worldwide retail. Comparable on the high-performance kitchen knife use case that the Esperluète targets, but lacks the folding mechanism.
• Victorinox: Swiss global leader in folding knives (Swiss Army) with broader cutlery lines. Comparable on the folding-blade mechanism and worldwide retail distribution that Le Cuisinier aspires to scale into.
• Zwilling J.A. Henckels: Global premium cutlery and kitchen brand (German, 290+ years). Comparable on premium kitchen knife positioning, multi-channel distribution, and chef-endorsement marketing approach used by Le Cuisinier.

Others

• Le Creuset: Iconic French premium kitchenware brand with globally recognized craftsmanship aesthetic. Comparable as a reference point for 'made-in-France premium kitchen' brand equity and lifestyle/gifting positioning, though it operates in cookware rather than cutlery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lecuisinierfrancais
• Instagraminstagram.com/le_cuisinier_francais

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 CUISINIER