What groupe guillin does

Groupe Guillin SA is a privately-held, family-controlled French B2B food packaging manufacturer founded in 1972 and headquartered in Ornans, France. The group designs and produces plastic and paper-cardboard packaging for fresh produce, deli counters, prepared foods, dairy, meat, fish, and catering applications, serving six customer segments: supermarkets and hypermarkets, commercial catering, traditional retail, institutional catering, food industry (wholesale and agri-food), and fruit and vegetable packers and distributors. Revenue is generated via direct B2B sales through a network of 26+ wholly-owned subsidiary companies that provide local presence across at least 11 European countries (France, Germany, UK, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, Belgium).

The group's product portfolio includes proprietary technologies such as SharpTek (a fully recyclable, pad-free tray that reduces packaging weight by 17% for delicate berry protection, recognized via the King's Award For Enterprise 2026 in the Innovation category for subsidiary LITEPAK), ALPHACUP customizable cups in small batches, RESCASET DURALIPACK INOX sealable stainless-steel packaging, and SECURIPACK tamper-evident formats from NESPAK. In January 2025 the group consolidated all paper-cardboard subsidiaries under the unified WEFOLD brand. The group is a founding partner of the Prevented Ocean Plastic program, incorporates recycled plastic into packaging lines, co-founded the RecyPac circularity association (2023-12), and is a partner in the Cellulose Valley Chair with Grenoble INP Foundation (2022-01) for cellulose-material R&D.

The business model is direct B2B sales-led, with each subsidiary handling sales for its respective geographic territory and product category; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Growth has been driven primarily by serial acquisitions — Thermoflex SA (2020), Gault & Frémont Group (2021), Ciesse Paper (2022), Celtic Sales Company Ltd (2022), Cartonnerie Moderne/Défi Imprimerie/Alpes Emballages (2025-04), and Gruyaert/V De V (2025-12) — supplemented by a minority stake in WOBZ (2024-05) for reusable-container customization. The group is led by Sophie Guillin and operates without external private equity or venture capital backing.

Name

groupe guillin

Legal name

Groupe Guillin SA

Website

https://groupeguillin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Groupe Guillin is a privately-held French B2B food packaging manufacturer operating 26+ subsidiaries across Europe, producing plastic and paper-cardboard packaging for supermarkets, catering, food industry, and fresh-produce customers. The group sells directly through country-level subsidiaries and grows primarily via serial acquisitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Packaging

SIC

Paperboard Containers & Boxes (2650)

akta.pro primary industry

Plastic Trays, Clamshells & Blister Packaging Manufacturing (IMANAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Foodservice/To-Go Packaging (Cups, Clamshells, Cutlery) (IMALAHAM), Paper-Based Packaging & Single-Use Paper Products (Paper Bags, Wraps, Cartons) (CRADALAL), Secondary & Multipack Packaging (IMALAHAB)

Keywords

• Food packaging manufacturing
• Plastic food containers
• Paper cardboard packaging
• Catering packaging equipment
• Fresh produce packaging

Headquarters

HQ city

Ornans

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food Packaging Products: Sale of food packaging solutions including plastic trays, cups, containers, and paper/cardboard packaging to B2B customers in food retail, catering, and food industry sectors

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Groupe Guillin manufactures and sells food packaging products (plastic trays, cups, containers, films, and catering equipment) and paper-cardboard packaging through a network of more than 25 European subsidiary companies. Its products serve supermarkets and hypermarkets, commercial and institutional caterers, traditional retailers, food industry wholesalers, and fruit and vegetable packers across Europe, with proprietary sustainable technologies such as SharpTek fully recyclable pad-free trays and Prevented Ocean Plastic recycled plastic integration.

Product overview

Groupe Guillin is a B2B food packaging company operating 26+ subsidiaries across Europe, offering a diverse portfolio of food packaging solutions. The company provides both plastic and paper-cardboard packaging through its subsidiary network. Key products include SharpTek (recyclable pad-free tray technology for berries), ALPHACUP (customizable cups), and RESCASET DURALIPACK INOX (sealable packaging). In January 2025, the company consolidated all its paper-cardboard operations under the unified WEFOLD brand. The portfolio serves multiple sectors including supermarkets, commercial catering, traditional retail, institutional catering, food industry, and fruit & vegetable packaging. The company also incorporates recycled ocean plastic into some packaging lines as a founding partner of Prevented Ocean Plastic.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WEFOLD: Unified brand for all paper-cardboard packaging companies within Groupe Guillin, launched January 2025.
• SharpTek
• ALPHACUP
• ALPHAFORM
• Prevented Ocean Plastic

Products and services

• SharpTek recyclable pad-free tray A fully recyclable, pad-free tray technology designed to protect delicate berries and similar fresh produce while reducing packaging weight by 17%, sold through Groupe Guillin's fruit and vegetable packaging channel.
• ALPHACUP customizable cups Personalized cups that reflect customer image, available in small batches with just one click, targeting independent retailers, bakeries, and food-service operators.
• RESCASET DURALIPACK INOX sealable range Sealable product range using stainless steel (INOX) sealing technology that completes the RESCASET subsidiary's packaging offering for food retailers and food-service operators.
• SECURIPACK tamper-evident packaging Security/tamper-evident packaging solution offered by the NESPAK subsidiary for retailers and food manufacturers.
• WEFOLD paper and cardboard packaging Unified paper and cardboard packaging brand consolidating Groupe Guillin's former paper-cardboard subsidiaries (WEFOLD BLOIS, WEFOLD METTET, WEFOLD SIBIU, WEFOLD ST-VICTOR, WEFOLD TOURS, WEFOLD TROYES) serving food retail, catering, and agrifood industrial customers.
• Prevented Ocean Plastic recycled-plastic packaging Food packaging lines produced with high-quality recycled plastic under Groupe Guillin's founding partnership in the Prevented Ocean Plastic programme, available across multiple subsidiary brands.
• ALPHAFORM packaging solutions Innovative food packaging solutions (trays, containers, films) supplied by ALPHAFORM, one of Groupe Guillin's core operating subsidiaries, serving bakery, confectionery, deli, and food-industry customers.
• SOCAMEL catering and food-service packaging Catering and food-service packaging solutions (including equipment and consumables) supplied through the SOCAMEL Technologies subsidiary and its regional variants (SOCAMEL DEUTSCHLAND, SOCAMEL ESPAÑA, SOCAMEL UK).

Quantifiable outcome

• 17% packaging weight reduction with SharpTek technology

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• WOBZminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024GROUPE GUILLIN took a participation in WOBZ, a specialist in the personalization of reusable containers. This investment expands capabilities in reusable packaging solutions.
• RecyPac AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2023THERMOFLEX and other value chain actors founded the association 'RecyPac – circularity of plastics and beverage cartons'. This Swiss association focuses on advancing circular economy for plastics and beverage cartons.
• Fabrice AmedeominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023GUILLIN partnered with skipper Fabrice Amedeo, supporting his sailing competitions including the Transat Jacques Vabre and Vendée Globe 2024. Partnership focuses on ocean plastic prevention awareness.
• Cellulose Valley ChaircoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership with Grenoble INP Foundation for the launch of the Cellulose Valley Chair, focused on cellulose research and innovation in packaging materials.
• Prevented Ocean PlasticcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2020GUILLIN is a founding partner of Prevented Ocean Plastic and incorporates high-quality recycled plastic into its packaging. This partnership demonstrates the company's commitment to environmental responsibility and circular economy principles.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Huhtamaki: Finnish global food packaging group serving foodservice and consumer goods markets with both fiber and plastic packaging. Closest public-market comparable to Groupe Guillin given European footprint, B2B food packaging focus, and mix of plastic trays and paper-based solutions.
• Constantia Flexibles: Austrian flexible packaging company serving food, pharma, and home/personal care with comparable European private ownership structure and food packaging customer overlap with Groupe Guillin's food industry and fruit & vegetable segments.
• Faerch: Danish plastic food packaging manufacturer with similar mid-market European scale, focused on ready meals, fresh produce, and food-to-go trays that directly overlap Groupe Guillin's SharpTek and DYNAPLAST product lines.
• Sealed Air: US-listed food packaging and protective packaging company with Cryovac food packaging and food service solutions. Comparable to Groupe Guillin in food retail and food service end-markets and in emphasis on sustainability-led product innovation.
• Berry Global: Global plastic packaging manufacturer with a large food and beverage packaging portfolio (formerly RPC Group, now part of Amcor). Directly comparable to Groupe Guillin's plastic tray, container, and food service packaging business across European retail customers.
• Mondi Group: UK-listed paper and packaging group with a meaningful food packaging segment including corrugated and paper-based solutions. Closely comparable to Groupe Guillin's WEFOLD consolidated paper-cardboard business and food industry customer base.
• Schur Star Systems: Danish family-owned packaging group with European footprint across pre-made packaging, flexible packaging, and packaging machinery. Comparable mid-sized European private competitor with overlapping food packaging customers and B2B sales model.
• Pactiv Evergreen: US-listed food service and food packaging manufacturer producing plastic and paper containers, clamshells, and tableware. Directly comparable to Groupe Guillin's SOCAMEL catering and ALPHACUP product lines serving restaurants and food service operators.

Broad incumbents

• Amcor: Global packaging giant with flexible and rigid plastic packaging across food, beverage, healthcare, and personal care. Broader incumbent with overlapping food packaging capability but not specialized to Groupe Guillin's mid-market European B2B niche.
• AptarGroup: US-listed packaging and dispensing solutions provider serving food, beverage, beauty, and healthcare. Adjacent incumbent with some food packaging overlap but a broader, non-specialized portfolio relative to Groupe Guillin's focused B2B food packaging offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries40 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 groupe guillin