huitres henry

What huitres henry does

Huitres Henry is a six-generation family oyster-farming (ostréiculture) business headquartered in Saint-Philibert, Morbihan, France, operating since approximately 1870 across four production sites in Brittany — Baie de Quiberon, Rade de Brest, Golfe du Morbihan, and Baie du Mont Saint-Michel — covering roughly 200 hectares of oyster parks and processing more than 1,300 tonnes of product annually through a central facility capable of purifying 200 tonnes simultaneously.

The company produces exclusively natural diploid oysters (no laboratory-produced triploids) under four registered trademarks: La Belle de Quiberon and La Belle de Cancale (its flagship hollow and authentic flat Belon oysters), plus the more recently introduced La Celtique and the BIO-certified La Bio Henry. It became the first BIO-certified oyster farmer in Brittany in January 2017 (ECOCERT certification 56/166016/597571) and has accumulated 22 medals at the Concours Général Agricole de Paris, with membership in the Académie Culinaire de France and Collège Culinaire de France reinforcing its premium positioning. Operations are led by Renan Henry (5th generation) and his son Rémi Henry, supported by 10 permanent staff handling the full production cycle — from spat collection and sorting through purification, grading, conditioning, and shipping.

Commercial activity follows a hybrid distribution model: direct retail at the Saint-Philibert headquarters and at Les Halles d'Auray marketplace; e-commerce D2C sales via the Pourdebon marketplace platform with 24–48h refrigerated-truck delivery across France and Europe; and dedicated B2B sales (by phone and email) to wholesalers, fishmongers, and restaurants, with pallet volumes available on quote-based pricing. The business is privately held, with no external funding, parent company, or M&A activity in evidence.

Name

huitres henry

Legal name

Huitres Henry

Website

https://huitres-henry.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1870

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Huitres Henry is a six-generation family oyster farmer in Brittany, France, producing premium hollow and authentic flat Belon oysters across 200 hectares and selling them D2C, via e-commerce, and to wholesalers, fishmongers, and restaurants in France and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oyster Farming

NAICS

Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (42446), Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers (4244)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Shellfish Wholesale (Crustaceans & Mollusks) (AFAIADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Seafood Markets & Fishmongers (CRAHAHAC)

Keywords

• Oyster farming
• Hollow oyster production
• Flat Belon oysters
• Oyster purification
• Seafood distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-philibert

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct Retail Sales (B2C): Individual consumers purchase oysters directly from the company's retail establishment at headquarters in Saint-Philibert (open Monday to Saturday 9h-18h) and at physical marketplace location in Auray (Halles d'Auray)
2. E-commerce Sales via Pourdebon Marketplace: Online sales through third-party marketplace platform Pourdebon with competitive transport pricing and dedicated team; delivery within 24-48h across France year-round
3. B2B Professional Sales: Wholesale, fishmonger, and restaurant sales via direct outreach; daily shipping capability; pallet orders available for large volumes

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Huitres Henry farms, purifies, packages, and sells hollow oysters, special hollow oysters, and flat Belon oysters from four production sites in Brittany. Its portfolio comprises four registered product brands sold through company retail locations, an online marketplace, and direct professional supply channels.

Product overview

Huîtres Henry is an oyster farming (ostréiculture) family business operating across four production sites in Brittany totaling 200 hectares: Baie de Quiberon (south), Rade de Brest (west), Golfe du Morbihan, and Baie du Mont Saint-Michel (north). The company produces hollow oysters (huîtres creuses) and flat Belon oysters (huîtres plates) across four branded product lines — La Belle de Quiberon (core hollow oyster raised in Baie de Quiberon), La Belle de Cancale (core flat Belon raised in Baie du Mont Saint-Michel and refined in Quiberon), La Celtique (a newer fine hollow oyster brand from Breton waters), and La Bio Henry (the BIO-certified sub-brand using diploid, naturally-spawned oysters from certified clean waters). All production flows through the company's headquarters in Saint-Philibert for sorting, calibration, purification in dedicated basins (with a simultaneous capacity of 200 tonnes), and packaging, before daily national and international shipment. The company holds 22 medals from the Concours Général Agricole de Paris and is the first Breton oyster farmer to obtain BIO certification (ECOCERT, 2017).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• La Belle de Quiberon: Creuse oysters born in Rade de Brest and bred in southern Loire basins, pre-grown in Rade de Brest, raised and refined in Baie de Quiberon. A special oyster with subtle gustatory nuances ranging from hazelnut to strong iodine.
• La Belle de Cancale
• La Celtique
• La Bio Henry

Products and services

• La Belle de Quiberon Special-class hollow oyster of 100% natural origin, sourced from the Rade de Brest and southern Loire basins, pre-grown in the Rade de Brest, and raised and refined in the Baie de Quiberon. It is known for crispness and flavor notes ranging from hazelnut to strong iodine.
• La Belle de Cancale Flat Belon oyster of 100% natural origin, captured in the Baie de Quiberon, raised in the Baie du Mont Saint-Michel near Cancale, and refined in the Baie de Quiberon. It represents the authentic Belon variety, born, raised, refined, and packaged in Brittany.
• La Celtique Fine-fleshed hollow oyster produced exclusively in Brittany and raised in bags throughout its life under the strong tidal currents of the Golfe du Morbihan and the Rade de Brest. It is sold as a purified specialty oyster at an attractive price point.
• La Bio Henry Bio-certified hollow oyster of diploid, non-triploid origin, raised exclusively in certified BIO waters in the Baie de Quiberon and Brittany without laboratory modification. The company became the first BIO-certified oyster producer in Brittany in January 2017.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200 tonnes simultaneous purification capacity
• +3 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PourdeboncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party e-commerce marketplace partnership for online sales of oysters to consumers; provides platform with competitive transport pricing and dedicated team for customer satisfaction; enables 24-48h delivery across France

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Maison Sturia: French premium aquaculture brand specializing in caviar and sturgeon, with adjacent seafood offerings and Académie Culinaire affiliations. Comparable as a French premium aquaculture brand leveraging culinary credentials and gourmet channels, though in a different species category.

Direct peers

• Huîtres Tarbouriech: Premium French oyster producer based in the Thau lagoon with strong brand and innovation focus (solar-powered basins, wellness experiences). Comparable in scale and premium-brand strategy, though geographically distinct (Mediterranean vs. Brittany).
• Huîtres Cadoret: Brittany-based oyster farmer with direct retail, e-commerce, and restaurant accounts. Comparable as a Breton oyster producer operating own-branded DTC plus B2B channels.
• Huîtres Spéciales Geay: Multi-generation French oyster producer from the Marennes-Oléron basin with national distribution and branded product lines. Comparable in family heritage, branded portfolio, and B2B/wholesale channels.
• Gillardeau: Iconic French oyster farming family brand (Maison Gillardeau) producing premium hollow and flat oysters across multiple sites, with strong restaurant and retail distribution. Closest comparable in terms of premium positioning, multi-generation heritage, and B2B focus to fine-dining and wholesalers in France and Europe.
• Fief de la Rente: Established Normandy-based oyster producer with a long heritage and own-brand retail offering. Comparable as a French oyster farming business with own-branded retail, B2B wholesale, and DTC channels.

Others

• Pourdebon: Third-party French online marketplace for premium food products including Huîtres Henry's oyster line. Comparable as the company's e-commerce channel partner and a broader benchmark for premium French food DTC distribution dynamics.

Regional players

• Bretagne OstRéiculture (regional industry cluster): Regional Brittany shellfish-farming body aggregating many smaller oyster producers. Comparable as a regional Breton shellfish supply ecosystem competing for the same wholesale and retail demand.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCIC0sOhPeQeDrJ5n4ZtkzCQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/huitreshenry56
• Instagraminstagram.com/huitreshenry
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/huitres-henry

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 huitres henry