CThese are new products, but also a return to the sources that the family company producing and distributing the famous Cacolac chocolate drink with a unique taste – the result of a recipe kept secret – is presenting next week at the International Catering Show. hotel and food industry (Sirha) in Lyon from January 23 to 27.
On the occasion of the event, a world reference in the coffee, hotel and restaurant sector, Cacolac will reveal to professionals products which will not find their place on the shelves of mass distribution and in our refrigerators, but which will perhaps fill our cups of customers ordering hot chocolate at the bistro counter.
“We offer ready-to-serve hot chocolate, a practical and quicker alternative to the powdered chocolate regularly used in bars. This Cacolac for professionals takes us back to the roots of the brand. At the start of the adventure in 1954, Cacolac targeted bars and cafes for customers,” summarizes Christian Maviel, CEO of the company.
50% of turnover via filling on behalf of third parties
A “reconquest” innovation which illustrates the strategy deployed for several years. Do not rely solely on the emblematic and unique Cacolac in glass bottles or cans well known to the general public. “We have developed other products, drinks, such as the Cacolac barista range which offers three flavors, intense black, mocha and chai, or even ice creams which have found their audience,” continues the CEO. We have also developed beverage filling services at our Léognan site in Gironde by creating a 2,500 square meter division called ICT Drinks. »
This unit required 10 million euros of investment last year. In addition to filling activities for third parties, it will ensure the canning of Panda Tea iced teas with which Cacolac has established a production and distribution partnership for licensed products.
Despite the economic situation, good financial health
Result: today, the 24 million turnover of the company, which employs 50 people, is achieved 50% via Cacolac drinks and the rest thanks to custom filling. “It is a good way for us to ensure our growth and to face the hazards that we encounter like all players in the agri-food sector: increases in the costs of raw materials, energy, and the strong pressure from buyers of mass distribution on our sales prices and therefore, in fact, on our margins” underlines Christian Maviel. A large distribution yet essential for Cacolac: this is where the beverage activity generates 80% of its turnover.
Cacolac generates 80% of its beverage activity through mass distribution
Despite political and fiscal uncertainties, a three-fold increase in the price of essential cocoa, as well as its energy bill, the Cacolac company, due to its diversification, is in good financial health. Over the past five years, its net profit has fluctuated between 1.4 million and 600,000 euros. Better, after a decline in activity (-8%) in 2023, the year 2024 marks the return to growth.
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