Co-founder CAUDALIE
“How to force destiny”
20th November 2019, at Caudalie
Mathilde grew up in Grenoble south-east of France, in a family of entrepreneurs. Her grandparents built together a succesfull supermarket chain, and then at the age of 27 Mathilde’s father took over the family business with her mother. In keeping with the family tradition, Mathilde and her husband Bertrand embarked on an entrepreneurial adventure of their own.
It began on her parent’s vineyard, Château Smith Haut Lafitte, when the young couple learned that grape seeds, which are usually thrown away after wine-making, have spectacular anti-aging benefits. Several meetings with Dr. Joseph Vercauteren Professor of Pharmacognosy and a few formulas later, Caudalie was born.
Fast forward two decades and Mathilde and Bertrand, now joined by their three children, have lived on every continent to build a cosmetics empire that employs more than 900 people globally. Despite numerous offers, they have resisted selling up, and Caudalie remains a 100% family-owned business.