La Ruche Qui Dit Oui is a platform that enables producers to sell ultra-fresh food directly to local consumers at fair market prices via a network of hosts and weekly collection points called Ruches. Founded in 2010 by Guilhem Cheron, Marc-David Choukroun, and Mounir Mahjoubi, the company operates in France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. It counts roughly 10,000 farmers, 1,000 Ruches, and 80,000 monthly active subscribers. La Ruche has been building out La Ruche à la Maison, a home grocery delivery service, and is assembling a network of small grocery stores to support that expansion. The company emphasizes sourcing quality products and deep local producer relationships rather than competing solely on ultra-fast commodity delivery. Munich-based Cipio Partners has made an undisclosed investment and several angel investors and XAnge are selling shares, signaling investor liquidity activity alongside Cipio’s stated confidence in the business and its revenues. La Ruche provides a technology platform and brand that enables independent ruche managers to run local weekly marketplaces where foodmakers sell directly to consumers. The company takes an 8.35% cut on transactions, ruche managers receive an 8.35% commission, and local producers keep over 80% of sale proceeds. It operates hundreds of ruches in France (about 600) and has expanded to the U.K., Germany, Spain and Italy; only 70 people work for the company, including 15 on product design and development. The team says the model is highly scalable (3–4 people can manage 100–200 ruches) and the company emphasizes community and fair margins for producers. Management plans to solidify existing markets and accelerate innovation following the latest financing.

Total raised

$13M

Funding rounds

4

Latest round

Series B

Latest activity

Jun 2015