Van Den Casteele is currently the benchmark for high-quality frozen desserts manufactured in the North of France. Founded in 1975 by pastry chef Michel Van Den Casteele, the company was taken over in 2008 by Édouard Beaugrand, who partnered with Florent Lécrivain in 2022, with the objective of developing the brand while preserving its fundamentals : artisanal expertise, authenticity, and taste quality. The company, which currently generates nearly €10M in turnover and employs 90 people, has just opened its capital to Crédit Mutuel Equity to embark on a new stage of its development.
Well-established within its region, the Northern French ice cream maker generates 80% of its business from private individuals and currently operates a network of 12 boutiques across the Hauts-de-France region. The remaining 20% is generated through a selected network of partner distributors and restaurateurs. The company also operates a Click & Collect online store, enabling it to attract a new customer base.
As the nature of the business requires constant creativity to stand out, the company, led by Edouard Beaugrand, operates its historical site in Saint-Sylvestre-Cappel to develop original recipes, particularly for traditional holidays such as Easter and Christmas. More than 200 products are created there, with the option to customise bespoke desserts for special occasions such as weddings, christenings, and family events. Each year, 6,800 unique pieces are handcrafted by a team of 10 ice cream artists.
In addition to creativity, which is one of Van Den Casteele's strong hallmarks, quality and artisanal expertise have been at the heart of the business since the very beginning. On one hand, the sourcing and procurement of quality raw materials that favour local products - for instance, the fresh whole milk comes from a farm in Saint-Sylvestre-Cappel - along with eggs, fresh cream, vanilla from Madagascar, and raw fruits, form the basis for creating premium frozen desserts. On the other hand, the ice cream making profession requires technical skill and engineering : the manufacturing process must limit air integration to guarantee creaminess, while the packaging and storage stages, which are critical for respecting the cold chain, ensure optimal product quality.
By completing this capital increase with Crédit Mutuel Equity, the group's ambition is to equip itself with a new production and storage site by the end of 2027, which will be located in Bailleul (59), while continuing to develop its points of sale to consolidate its regional coverage in the main urban areas of the Hauts-de-France region and neighbouring regions (notably the East, West, and Belgium).
"In our profession, business growth is directly linked to production capacity. However, this growth is necessary to maintain an optimal level of product quality and to attract the best talent to our company. This is why we plan to invest in a new production facility and storage unit that is more efficient in flow management (primarily water, energy, and logistics flows) in line with our ESG objectives, and which will also significantly reduce strain for our teams. The installation of a blast freezing tunnel will, among other things, make everyday tasks easier for our employees, while pursuing our goal of continuous quality improvement. This development phase is a prerequisite for executing our roadmap, namely opening one to two new stores per year over the next five years, and setting up Van Den Casteele corners within selected distributors. The arrival of Crédit Mutuel Equity, with whom we share the same business vision and values as a whole, opens up great prospects thanks to their expertise in supporting business leaders and the strength of their network," explains Edouard Beaugrand.
"We are delighted to partner with Edouard Beaugrand and Florent Lécrivain to support this outstanding regional SME in its new phase of development, with the help of all the company's employees. This transaction illustrates our capacity and our ambition to support more broadly growing regional companies with whom we share common values, such as the entrepreneurial spirit or corporate social responsibility," adds Philippe Traisnel of Crédit Mutuel Equity.