Scheme status not verified
CRISTEL: 1,07 M€ in FEDER funding to modernize and expand a historic industrial site
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté· Métallurgie et travail métaux
How a French manufacturer of high-end cookware secured more than one million euros in European funding to support the growth of its business, increase its production capacity and modernize its order preparation. CRISTEL, based in Fesches-le-Châtel (Doubs) on a historic industrial site dating back to 1826, obtained 1 067 420,72 € in FEDER funding to build a new workshop and continue its development in France and internationally.
Funding obtained
€1,067,421
Funding rate
24%
Instrument
Grant
The company
CRISTEL is an industrial company based in Fesches-le-Châtel, in the Doubs department.
Its industrial history dates back to 1826, when the Japy brothers had a factory built on the historic site. The first stamped saucepan from this factory was produced in 1830.
After the workshops closed in the early 1980s, former employees relaunched the business as a cooperative. The CRISTEL brand was then developed from 1983 onward, notably with the "cuisson-service" (cook-and-serve) concept and utensils with removable handles.
Today, the company manufactures high-end stainless steel cookware and sells its products in France and internationally, drawing on French manufacturing, expertise in stainless steel processing, product innovation and design. CRISTEL states that it carries out more than 90% of the production integration of its products at its Fesches-le-Châtel site.
The initial need
The growth of the business led to increasing pressure on the company's industrial and logistics organization. Order preparation is a particularly important issue: when volumes vary significantly, the ability to process orders quickly becomes a decisive factor in maintaining a high level of commercial service. The project was intended to allow CRISTEL to continue its growth without losing operational responsiveness.
- Increase its production capacity.
- Modernize the spaces dedicated to order preparation.
- Improve the efficiency of logistics operations.
- Better absorb seasonal variations in activity.
- Maintain a high level of service for distributors and customers.
- Support the development of new markets in France and abroad.
The funded project
The project "Extension of premises for the installation of a new modern workshop" involves constructing a new building on the company's historic industrial site, with two complementary objectives: increasing production capacity to support the growth of the business, and modernizing order preparation to improve responsiveness and service levels.
The project is also part of an environmental approach: the new building is presented by the Region as having to be designed to be as ecologically neutral as possible. The company thus wishes to continue its development on its historic site, preserve its ties to the local area and secure local jobs in the long term.
- Construction of a new building on the historic industrial site.
- Increase in production capacity.
- Modernization of the order preparation and shipping organization.
- Design of the building following an ecological neutrality approach.
Funding plan
Total cost
€4,469,936
Public funding
€1,067,421
Programmed eligible amount (4 469 936 €) and programmed European aid amount (1 067 420,72 €), according to the regional fact sheet cited by the source. The total cost possibly incurred by the company (beyond the eligible base) is not specified in the fact sheet consulted. These amounts are programmed amounts — on their own, they do not confirm what was actually disbursed at the close of the operation.
The scheme used
The funding falls under FEDER, as part of the regional FEDER-FSE+ Bourgogne-Franche-Comté 2021-2027 program. The operation started on 17 April 2023 and ended on 30 March 2025.
Results and outcomes
- Forecast
A regional press article (February 2026) reports that CRISTEL is considering taking over a former industrial brownfield site in Fesches-le-Châtel to install a second production line, with an announced investment of around 4 M€ and a targeted opening by 2028.
2026-02 — source
Results are distinguished by nature (achieved, stated objective, forecast, estimate) — never presented as certain without this distinction.
What funding could a similar project get?
Every company's situation is different. Identify the schemes that match your activity, your location and your project.
Check which grants my company may be eligible forOther funded companies
€6M public funding secured
Vulkam
Industrializing a new generation of metals with France 2030
France 2030 · Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Featured in Présences Grenoble
€73,980 grant secured
Rue Traversette
Financing the creation of an artisanal cannery workshop with FEADER
FEADER · Occitanie
Featured in Midi Libre
€500,000 grant secured
Coopérative fromagère des Bergers du Larzac
500 000 € in FEADER funding to expand the production workshop
FEADER · Occitanie
Featured in La Dépêche
Sources and transparency
Cristel plans to open a new production line in the Doubs — maCommune.infoConfirms CRISTEL's business activity (manufacturing of stainless steel cookware in Fesches-le-Châtel) and the industrial development underway in 2026 (new production line project, around 4 M€, targeted for 2028) — a development distinct from the 2023-2025 FEDER operation and not to be attributed to it.
Does your company also have a project to fund?
Check your eligibility for public grants
This case illustrates funding obtained by another company. Run a personalised scan to identify the opportunities matching your own activity, location and project.
Discover the opportunities identified by the scan, then access your personalised report.