The French luxury patisseries market
Also named ‘haute couture patisserie’, luxury patisseries become more and more trendy for foodies, influencers, and tourists coming to Paris. Just like Paris is known for being THE place to be for everything luxury and hospitality, whether it is fashion, jewelry, skincare, perfumes, hotels, or alcoholic beverages, it also welcomes among the most raffinate chefs for food and especially sweet patisseries, generally specialty cakes and desserts of hundreds of flavors, colors, and textures.
Well-known by French people, patisseries are totally part of the French food culture and are sold in every bakery around the corner in France. But the most delicate and tasteful ones are generally the fruit of hard work from the most famous and creative chefs out here. It’s also something as old as French history, with Antonin Carême (19th century) being quoted as the first great master of pastry making in modern times by many culinary historians.
A French luxury pastry should be a delight for both the taste buds and eyes: chefs take the time to imagine the tastiest and original mixes of textures and flavors so that each mouthful can feel like a relief, but also need to think of the esthetics of the cake by working on the colors and shapes. With that, each different pastry feels like a luxurious surprise. Then, the pastries are branded to their name like a work of art, and sold in divinely decorated shops, making it a whole marketing experience for the consumer.
Nature of the purchase
French luxury pastries are very colorful and tasty, sold in beautiful boxes or presented on elegant plates if you decide to eat directly in the shop facility. You can choose to buy a drink with it, whether hot like coffee or tea, or cold like fresh juice. Generally made with cream, mousse, and/or delicate dough, the pastries are to be conserved in the fridge if you decide to buy them ‘to go’. The ‘augmented product’ marketing can also be seen in different ways. For instance, there’s the quality of the service in the shops, the possibility of buying goodies or other products associated with the purchased brand (books, groceries), or an available delivery / click & collect service when purchasing online.
Trends around the product/service
French luxury patisseries and chefs can be as viral material as the most famous traditional luxury brands in the country. After all, France is very well known worldwide for all its sweet dessert specialties! Gifted with beautiful esthetics, everything related to it can be ‘Instagramable’.
The macaroon is the favorite one and maybe the cutest of them all. This small cake, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, has hundreds of flavorous versions depending on the brand. Pierre Hermé is famous as the most avant-garde patissier in this matter, having seasonal thematics for the macaroons and always pushing the boundaries further in terms of creativity. If you prefer something more traditional and old-school, you’d love Ladurée, which offers two new collections each year. Don’t miss the chocolate and salted caramel ones!
Choux pastries are also very popular, such as eclairs, profiteroles, and so on. Go to the legendary tea room Angelina to experience French elegance and coziness in its best form, and don’t forget to taste their Mont-Blanc, known as the best one since 1903.
Finally, revisited classics are a must, which you can find in celebrity chef’s patisseries such as Cyril Lignac or Cedric Grolet. There, you can taste classic French traditional cakes and pastries but with the special touch of each chef. There’s no limit to creativity and striving for perfection! For instance, you can try revisited Paris-Brests, Millefeuilles, Rum Babas, Saint-Honorés, or marbré/chocolate cakes.
La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac: today’s highlight
Very popular French chef Cyril Lignac created his patisserie brand in the 2010s to display and sell his sweet creations. 6 shop points currently exist in Paris.
Brand identity
The visual identity of the brand is made by the Studio Saint-Lazare. Immaterialy-wise, La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac uses very traditional brand colors, such as white, gray, black, and coral pink. The logo is very simple, being a word-only logo. For the fonts, they use a mix of delicate serif and sans serif. Physically wise, La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac looks like a local shop, just like a neighborhood bakery in France. The creations are delicately placed in lines, on marble plates. The packaging is white with navy blue dots which feels very artsy, like a painting.
Distinctive assets
This brand can count on the ‘Gourmand Croquant’ duo’s skills and expertise, made of Chef Cyril Lignac and Benoit Couvrand. The production always remains artisanal, with fresh ingredients from renowned French places or regions (ex: flours from Minoterie Viron, dairy from L’Or des Prés, and butter from Charentes-Poitou). The chef duo guides daily all the expert pastry chefs and chocolatiers working for the brand.
Positioning
La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac can be listed among the “best” patisseries in France, but more as a premium option rather than pure luxury, in terms of price and brand environment. One of its main direct competitors is Cedric Grolet.
Values
The brand works with values such as precision, tradition, novelty, terroir cuisine, expertise, love of good food, and emotion.
Key characteristics
The slogan line of the brand is « Creations steeped in tradition with a new modern touch ». The shop focuses on quality instead of quantity by only suggesting 20+ product specialties, including individual versions of the cakes. The shop also offers a delivery service and has a gift aisle.
