cafes richard
Cafés Richard is a French coffee roaster founded in 1892, part of the Ricardo Group, selling roasted coffee, tea, and chocolate plus equipment, training, and maintenance services to hospitality, workplace, and institutional clients in 40+ countries via local distributors and B2B/B2C e-commerce.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1892
- Headquarters—
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What cafes richard does
Cafés Richard is a French coffee roaster and beverage solutions provider, founded in 1892 and operated as part of the Ricardo Group, with a stated presence in over 40 countries through a network of trusted local distributors. Its core offering spans roasted coffee (beans, ground, filter, E.S.E. pods, capsules), tea and herbal infusions under the La Route des Comptoirs and Lydia Gautier sub-brands, chocolate and gourmet drinks, and supporting sweet treats and tableware. Beyond packaged goods, the company sells professional equipment, installation, maintenance, repair, and emergency support services, and runs two training centers — Académie du Café and UniversiThé — for barista and tea-specialist education.
The business model is predominantly B2B and solutions-oriented: the company segments its professional offer by vertical (café/bar/restaurant, hotel, bakery and take-away, coffee shop, workplace, healthcare/education/public sector, and tailor-made events) and pairs equipment with consumables, service, and training under multi-year, quote-based contracts. B2C distribution is handled through Les Comptoirs Richard retail shops and an e-commerce storefront, while professional customers can order 24/7 via the E-pro B2B platform. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is tailored per account, consistent with a relationship-driven, specification-based sales motion.
Technically, the platform is a conventional product-and-service stack: a corporate website (English/French), a B2B ordering portal, a B2C e-commerce site, and a distributor-managed field service network. There is no disclosed API, AI/ML capability, or proprietary software beyond the e-commerce layer; differentiation is rooted in roasting expertise, three-generation heritage, the breadth of the product portfolio, the international distributor footprint, and the credentialed training ecosystem. Customer concentration is structurally low given the vertical segmentation and distributor model, and the company is privately held with no funding, M&A, or leadership-change signals in the available data.
cafes richard firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- cafes richard
- Legal name
- Cafés Richard
- Website
- https://cafesrichard.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1892
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Cafés Richard is a French coffee roaster founded in 1892, part of the Ricardo Group, selling roasted coffee, tea, and chocolate plus equipment, training, and maintenance services to hospitality, workplace, and institutional clients in 40+ countries via local distributors and B2B/B2C e-commerce.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
cafes richard industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Coffee Roasting
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Beverage Manufacturing (3121)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080), Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bar & Beverage Service Supplies Wholesale (AFAIALAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Functional Beverages (Vitamins, Probiotics, Nootropics, etc.) (CRADAHAL), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA)
Keywords
cafes richard business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Coffee and Beverage Products: Sale of coffee beans, ground coffee, filter coffee, coffee pods, coffee capsules, teas, herbal teas, chocolate drinks, and gourmet beverages to professional and retail customers
- Professional Equipment and Services: Equipment selection, installation, maintenance, repairs, emergency support and training services for professional clients
- Retail and E-commerce: Direct sales through retail shops (Les Comptoirs Richard) and e-commerce platforms for both B2B (E-pro) and B2C customers
- Training Services: Professional coffee and tea training through Académie du Café and UniversiThé training centers
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Professional B2B solutions - custom pricing based on business requirements |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
cafes richard product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cafés Richard produces roasted coffee, tea, chocolate drinks, gourmet beverages, sweet treats, and tableware accessories, and supplies them to professional foodservice and hospitality operators along with equipment, installation, maintenance, and training services. It also sells directly to individual consumers through Les Comptoirs Richard retail shops and e-commerce. The portfolio is delivered through local distributors in over 40 countries and includes dedicated education programs at the Académie du Café and UniversiThé.
Product overview
Cafés Richard is a French coffee and tea company that operates as a multi-product food and beverage solutions provider rather than a single unified product. The portfolio spans core coffee products (beans, ground, pods, capsules), tea brands (La Route des Comptoirs, Lydia Gautier), chocolate and gourmet beverages, sweet treats, and tableware accessories. The company offers professional solutions for various sectors including hospitality (cafés, hotels, restaurants), retail (bakeries, coffee shops), workplaces, healthcare, education, and public institutions. Additionally, Cafés Richard provides training services through the Académie du Café and UniversiThé programs, along with equipment selection, installation, and maintenance services. The products work together as an integrated offering where coffee and tea products are complemented by equipment, accessories, and support services to deliver complete beverage solutions for professional environments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- La Route des Comptoirs: Premium tea and herbal tea brand offering curated collections
- Lydia Gautier
- Académie du Café
- UniversiThé
- E-pro
- Les Comptoirs Richard
Products and services
- Coffee beans Whole coffee beans sourced from the world's finest terroirs, available for professional espresso machines and brewing equipment.
- Ground coffee Pre-ground coffee beans in various grinds suitable for different brewing methods including drip, French press, and espresso.
- Filter coffee Coffee specifically formatted for filter brewing methods, delivering consistent extraction and flavor profiles.
- Coffee pods Individual E.S.E. coffee pods for single-serve brewing in professional environments.
- Coffee capsules Single-serve coffee capsules compatible with various professional capsule systems for quick service.
- La Route des Comptoirs (tea and herbal tea) Premium tea and herbal tea brand offering curated collections from renowned tea-producing regions worldwide.
- Lydia Gautier tea Specialized tea brand featuring premium teas curated by tea expert Lydia Gautier.
- Chocolate drinks Premium chocolate beverages and drinking chocolate preparations for professional use.
- Gourmet drinks Indulgent specialty beverages including flavored lattes, caramel drinks, and other gourmet coffee-based creations.
- Académie du Café training center Professional coffee training academy offering courses in coffee preparation, barista skills, and coffee culture for hospitality professionals.
- UniversiThé training program Specialized tea training program dedicated to tea knowledge, brewing techniques, and tea culture education.
- Professional solutions — Café, bar and restaurant Tailored coffee and beverage solutions for cafés, bistros, bars, and restaurants, including equipment, products, and support services.
- Professional solutions — Hotel Complete beverage solutions for hotel lobbies, bars, room service, and hospitality environments.
- Professional solutions — Bakery and take-away Beverage programs designed for bakeries, pastry shops, and quick-service take-away establishments.
- Professional solutions — Coffee shop End-to-end coffee shop concepts and solutions including equipment, product supply, and operational support.
- Professional solutions — Workplace Office coffee solutions and workplace beverage services including equipment, maintenance, and supply.
- Professional solutions — Healthcare, education and public sector Beverage solutions for healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and public sector organizations.
- Tailor-made coffee experiences Custom coffee concepts and event-specific beverage solutions for corporate events, weddings, and special occasions.
- E-pro B2B ordering platform B2B e-commerce platform enabling professional customers to place product orders 24/7.
Companies that use cafes richard
Customer profileSegments8 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
cafes richard technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
cafes richard partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Ricardo GroupcoreParent company/group affiliation. Cafés Richard is part of the Ricardo Group, which encompasses multiple brands including La Route des Comptoirs and retail concepts.
- Local Distributor NetworkcoreCafés Richard works alongside a network of trusted local distributors to operate in over 40 countries, delivering consistent and comprehensive service across international markets. These distributors provide equipment selection, installation, maintenance, repairs, emergency support, and training.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
cafes richard competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- illy caffè: Premium Italian coffee roaster with a heritage positioning, B2B foodservice supply and university/training programs (Università del Caffè) that mirror Cafés Richard's Académie du Café model. Directly comparable in premium hospitality focus and education-led brand building.
- Lavazza: Italian heritage coffee company with a comparable B2B foodservice wholesale model, multi-format product range (beans, ground, capsules), retail cafés and global distribution. Lavazza is the most direct peer to Cafés Richard's integrated products-plus-services approach.
- Segafredo Zanetti: Italian espresso heritage brand with B2B foodservice focus and own retail cafés worldwide. Comparable to Cafés Richard in espresso-centric heritage, hospitality targeting and multi-country distribution through local partners.
- Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group: One of the world's largest B2B coffee roasters with multiple brands (Boncafé, Chock full o'Nuts, Hills Bros), private-label and foodservice supply across 100+ countries. Comparable integrated B2B platform serving cafés, hotels and offices.
- Caffè Vergnano: Italian heritage coffee company (since 1882) operating B2B supply, own retail cafés and international distribution. Closely mirrors Cafés Richard's combination of legacy positioning, HoReCa focus and multi-channel retail expansion.
- Kimbo: Neapolitan coffee roaster with a strong B2B foodservice and HoReCa focus, multi-format range and international presence. Comparable smaller-scale European heritage roaster competing in similar hospitality channels.
Emerging players
- La Colombe: US-based specialty coffee roaster with B2B wholesale, retail cafés and ready-to-drink beverages. Represents the emerging third-wave specialty model that increasingly competes with traditional heritage roasters like Cafés Richard for premium hospitality accounts.
Broad incumbents
- Nestlé Nespresso Professional: B2B arm of Nespresso targeting offices, hotels and hospitality with capsule systems and professional machines. Operates at vastly greater scale and competes directly with Cafés Richard in workplace and hotel segments through proprietary capsule IP.
- JDE Peets: Global coffee and tea group (Douwe Egberts, Jacobs, L'OR, Peet's) with deep foodservice and retail presence across Europe. Competes with Cafés Richard in B2B coffee supply and broad portfolio scale that the smaller player cannot match.
Regional players
- Strauss Group: Israeli food and beverage conglomerate whose Elite Coffee brand operates a B2B and retail coffee platform across EMEA. Comparable diversified conglomerate structure (parent of multiple brands) and international coffee distribution beyond home market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
cafes richard social profiles
Digital presencecafes richard financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
cafes richard leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
cafes richard funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
cafes richard 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 cafes richard
What does cafes richard do?
Cafés Richard produces roasted coffee, tea, chocolate drinks, gourmet beverages, sweet treats, and tableware accessories, and supplies them to professional foodservice and hospitality operators along with equipment, installation, maintenance, and training services. It also sells directly to individual consumers through Les Comptoirs Richard retail shops and e-commerce. The portfolio is delivered through local distributors in over 40 countries and includes dedicated education programs at the Académie du Café and UniversiThé.
Is cafes richard a public or private company?
cafes richard is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was cafes richard founded?
cafes richard was founded in 1892.
How does cafes richard make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Coffee and Beverage Products are the primary driver. The others are professional Equipment and Services, retail and E-commerce and training Services.
Who are cafes richard's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are illy caffè, Lavazza, Segafredo Zanetti, Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group, Caffè Vergnano and Kimbo. La Colombe is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Nestlé Nespresso Professional and JDE Peets. Strauss Group is listed as a regional player.
Does cafes richard have an API?
No public API is recorded for cafes richard.
What industry is cafes richard in?
cafes richard's product category is Specialty Coffee Roasting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAIALAG, Bar & Beverage Service Supplies Wholesale, with a secondary code of CRADAHAL, Functional Beverages (Vitamins, Probiotics, Nootropics, etc.). Its NAICS code is 311920 and its SIC code is 2080.