bleu blanc ruche

What bleu blanc ruche does

Bleu Blanc Ruche is a French-origin honey brand that produces and markets single-origin, unblended honeys through a bee-repopulation business model. Operating under the legal entity APIS NOVA SAS (registered in France with €15,500 share capital), the company purchases honey from 45 partner professional beekeepers at prices above market rate, conditional on those beekeepers investing in increasing hive numbers — a model the company claims has added 160 million bees and 2,730+ new hives in its first year. The product range spans 8+ honey varieties (acacia, spring flowers, lavender, linden, forest, summer flowers, bramble, organic chestnut, organic all-flowers) sold in 250g pots priced between €7.50 and €9.50, supplemented by ancillary items including lip balm, wooden honey spoons, flower seed balls, and gift assortments. All products carry the Origine France Garantie certification audited annually by AFNOR, which the company positions as the only honey range in France fully certified under this label.

The company sells through three GTM motions: a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront (bleu-blanc-ruche.fr) with delivery via Colissimo, Chronopost, and UPS Access Point; a door-to-door sales force announced at 300 representatives in 2019; and a B2B reseller channel distributing through fine-food shops, concept stores, restaurants and department stores, with a professional catalog available on request. Marketing relies on content (blog), organic social (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), email newsletter, and substantial earned media on France 2, France Inter, RTL, BFM Business and Le Monde — visibility amplified by founder Arnaud Montebourg, the former French Minister for Industrial Renewal who serves as President and co-founder. Distribution is France-only (DOM-TOM excluded), the company has no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, no AI/ML capabilities, and operates with a stated headcount of 1-10 employees.

Pricing is purely transactional (pay-as-you-go, unit pricing) with no subscription tier; revenue is generated through one-time product sales across DTC, field, and reseller channels plus gift card sales via Ethi'Kdo starting from €20. Free shipping applies to French metropolitan orders over €99. Customer segments include health-conscious French consumers seeking traceable, ethical French honey, resellers and fine-food retailers, and gift purchasers seeking meaningful French-origin presents.

Name

bleu blanc ruche

Legal name

APIS NOVA

Website

https://bleu-blanc-ruche.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bleu Blanc Ruche is a French e-commerce honey brand that sells single-origin, Origine France Garantie-certified honeys sourced from 45 partner beekeepers under a bee-repopulation model, distributed via DTC, door-to-door sales, and fine-food resellers across France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium French Honey

NAICS

Apiculture (112910), Apiculture (11291)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Honey Production & Extraction (AFAEAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Honey Packaging, Bottling & Private Labeling (AFAEAHAL)

Keywords

• French honey production
• Single-origin honey
• Bee repopulation beekeeping
• Origine france garantie
• Premium honey retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Lavelanet

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct honey product sales: Bleu Blanc Ruche generates revenue through the direct sale of French-origin honey products to consumers via their e-commerce website and through resellers, with prices ranging from €7.50 to €9.50 per 250g pot.
2. Reseller/wholesale distribution: Revenue generated through sales to resellers, fine food shops, concept stores, and restaurants via a professional catalog program.
3. Gift cards and ancillary products: Sale of gift cards (starting from €20), honey spoons, lip balm, and other bee-related products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bleu Blanc Ruche produces, sources, and sells single-origin French honeys (250g pots) under the Origine France Garantie certification, marketed through a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site and a reseller network. Its distinctive model pays partner beekeepers above-market prices in exchange for commitments to increase hive numbers, directly linking consumer purchases to bee repopulation in France. Supplementary offerings include assortment gift boxes, honey-based lip balm, flower seed balls, wooden honey spoons, and Ethi'Kdo gift cards.

Product overview

Bleu Blanc Ruche is a French honey brand and e-commerce platform selling repopulation honeys exclusively from French professional beekeepers. The core offering consists of single-origin, unblended, Origine France Garantie-certified honeys across 8+ varieties (acacia, spring flowers, lavender, linden, forest, summer flowers, bramble, organic chestnut, organic all-flowers). Supplementary products include gift box sets, gift cards via Ethi'Kdo, lip balm, flower seed balls, and wooden honey spoons. Products are sold directly through the Shopify-powered e-commerce site (bleu-blanc-ruche.fr), with professional reseller catalogs available for B2B partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Miel d'acacia (250g pot) Single-origin French acacia honey, light and floral with high fructose content that remains liquid for long periods; aimed at consumers sweetening beverages and desserts.
• Miel de fleurs de printemps (250g pot) Single-origin French spring flower honey, one of the first harvests of the year; mild, fine, sweet with crystallized or creamy texture, primarily rapeseed nectar.
• Miel de lavande (250g pot) Single-origin French lavender honey with intense floral aromas, light amber color that whitens during crystallization, slight acidity; pairs well with pastries and desserts.
• Miel de tilleul (250g pot) Single-origin French linden honey with a fresh, mentholated taste and persistent eucalyptus and mint notes; recommended for sweetening infusions and breakfast spreads.
• Miel de forêt (250g pot) Single-origin French forest honey, dark brown and liquid with tannic, woody perfume; made from honeydew (miellat) produced by aphids on trees such as heather, chestnut, bramble, and buckthorn.
• Miel de fleurs d'été (250g pot) Single-origin French summer flower honey harvested during the summer season from various wildflowers across French regions.
• Miel de ronce (250g pot) Single-origin French blackberry honey, a rare and original variety with a mild, fruity taste reminiscent of jam; ideal for spreading on crepes.
• Miel Toutes fleurs Bio (250g pot) Single-origin French organic multi-flower honey made from nectar or honeydew of various plant species depending on region and terroir; certified organic under apiculture standards.
• Miel de châtaignier Bio (250g pot) Single-origin French organic chestnut honey produced from chestnut blossoms; robust character with woody aromas.
• Assortiment Miels Corsés Gift assortment box of bold-flavored French honeys including calluna, heather, organic chestnut, and strawberry tree honey.
• Baume à lèvres Lip balm formulated with honey for lip care.
• Bombe à fleurs Flower seed ball for planting bee-friendly flowers.
• Carte cadeau Ethi'Kdo Gift card for purchasing Bleu Blanc Ruche honey products, distributed via Ethi'Kdo and starting from €20.
• Cuillère à miel en bois Artisanal wooden honey spoon made from French boxwood (bois de buis français); natural, durable, and designed to serve honey without drips.

Quantifiable outcome

• 160 million additional bees in France within first year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Integration6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AFNOR CertificationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019AFNOR conducts annual audits to certify Bleu Blanc Ruche products carry the Origine France Garantie label, ensuring all honey is of French origin and meets certification requirements.
• Ethi'KdominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Gift card partnership allowing consumers to purchase Bleu Blanc Ruche products through Ethi'Kdo gift cards, facilitating gifting occasions.
• Kedge Bees (Kedge Business School)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Student association at Kedge Bordeaux business school. Arnaud Montebourg installed 3 hives at the school campus in March to raise awareness about bee conservation.
• Bee2BeepminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnected scale startup for beekeepers (Bee2Beep) mentioned as an innovative initiative. Bleu Blanc Ruche supporters received honey from the company as part of their Ulule crowdfunding campaign.
• ECV Design SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign students from ECV Aix-en-Provence created a video workshop showcasing Bleu Blanc Ruche's bee repopulation mission.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Famille Michaud Apiculteurs: France's largest honey packer (Miel l'Apiculteur, Lune de Miel). Overlaps with Bleu Blanc Ruche on French-origin, single-varietal honey retail, but at significantly larger scale and broader SKU range, making it the most direct competitive benchmark.
• Ballot-Flurin: Premium artisanal French honey producer positioned on ethics, biodiversity, and beekeeper partnerships. Closely comparable to Bleu Blanc Ruche on positioning (small-batch, premium, bee-conservation narrative) though with its own in-house apiary rather than a partner-beekeeper model.
• Le Rucher de Provence: Small-batch French honey and hive-product brand sold in fine-food retail and gift channels. Comparable on artisanal positioning, single-origin varietals, and premium price points.
• Lune de Miel: Heritage French honey brand distributed through major retailers. Direct competitor at the premium end of supermarket honey shelves; overlaps on varietal range and French provenance claims, though without the repopulation model.
• Apidis: French honey specialist selling varietal and organic honeys through retail and food-service channels. Comparable on premium varietal range and French-origin certification.
• Terres d'Oc: French artisanal brand with a honey line distributed via concept stores and fine-food retail. Comparable on premium gifting SKUs, Mediterranean terroir positioning, and reseller-led GTM.
• Comtes de Provence: French artisanal food brand with a honey line, sold through fine-food retail and gift channels. Comparable on premium gifting distribution, terroir-led branding, and presence in the same fine-food reseller accounts.

Emerging players

• Bee Friendly: French bee-conservation brand offering honeys and bee-friendly products. Comparable mission narrative around bee repopulation, though with a narrower product range and more limited retail presence.

Broad incumbents

• Burt's Bees: International personal-care and honey-based brand with a lip balm line that overlaps with Bleu Blanc Ruche's ancillary products. Useful as a benchmark for scaling a bee-related brand beyond pure honey retail.
• Melvita: Established French organic personal-care and wellness brand that includes honey in its product range. Overlaps with Bleu Blanc Ruche's ancillary SKUs (lip balm, honey-based cosmetics) and on the organic / French-origin positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bleublancruche
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCevuOBf4VcCJu1szPw5WzVw
• Facebookfacebook.com/BleuBlancRuche
• Instagraminstagram.com/bleu_blanc_ruche
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bleu-blanc-ruche

Compliance1 record

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 bleu blanc ruche