What Les Alchimistes does

Les Alchimistes is a French cleantech company founded in 2016 that operates industrial composting platforms to collect and valorize food waste from professional clients into NFU 44-051 certified compost. As of 2025 it runs 26+ regional hubs across mainland France and La Réunion, employs 280 people, serves more than 5,000 clients, and processes 42,000 tonnes of food waste per year using aerobic composting with locally sourced wood chipping over an 8–16 week cycle. The client base spans restaurants, hotels, hospitals and clinics, schools and universities, large retailers, corporate caterers, startups/SMEs, and local authorities; named customers include APHP, Ramsay Santé, Intermarché, McDonald's (France), Le Crillon, HEC Paris, Sodexo, and Enedis, alongside municipalities such as the Métropole Européenne de Lille, Paris, Lyon, Nantes, and Toulouse Métropole.

The core offering is a recurring full-service food-waste collection and composting solution: technicians perform bin exchange with washing and disinfection at each visit, food waste is transported to Les Alchimistes' composting platforms (or partners'), and finished compost is sold to farmers, market gardeners, landscapers, and clients, including in 2L/20L bag format. Ancillary revenue streams include used cooking oil collection for biofuel, Les Couches Fertiles for compostable baby-diaper valorization (NFU 44-095), and QUALIOPI-certified training and animation services. A proprietary client extranet (mon-compte.alchimistes.co) tracks weekly collected weights, sorting-quality star ratings, and CO2-avoided equivalences (278 kg CO2 avoided per tonne composted vs. incineration), which feed client CSR reporting.

Revenue is generated primarily through subscription-style service contracts billed monthly on three line items (collection frequency, treatment volume and quality, and bin cleaning), creating a usage-based model that incentivizes client waste reduction. The company is structured as a private SAS, certified ESUS (Entreprise Solidaire d'Utilité Sociale) with 52% of operational positions filled by people distant from employment, and has raised approximately €12.7M across a 2020 round led by France Active/Impactivist/PhiTrust and a February 2023 €10M round led by Amundi Private Equity Funds with PhiTrust, Swen Capital Partners, and Impactivist. The business model is anchored in the regulatory tailwind from France's AGEC mandatory source-sorting law (effective January 1, 2024), which compels all professional food-waste producers and local authorities to deploy compliant collection.

Name

Les Alchimistes

Legal name

Les Alchimistes, Société par Actions Simplifiée, Entreprise de l'ESS

Website

https://alchimistes.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Les Alchimistes is a French cleantech company that collects and valorizes food waste from 5,000+ professional clients (restaurants, hotels, hospitals, retailers, schools, local authorities) via industrial composting, producing NFU 44-051 certified compost across 26+ French regional hubs and 42,000 tonnes of annual throughput.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biowaste Management Services

NAICS

Compost Manufacturing (325315), Solid Waste Collection (562111), Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Organics Collection & Processing (Composting/Anaerobic Digestion) (IMAIAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Commercial Food Waste Programs & On-Site Solutions (Cafeterias, Grocers, Hospitality) (BPALAEAE), Organics (Food/Yard) Collection (Residential & Commercial) (EUAIAAAO), Compost Product Distribution, Retail & Landscape Supply (Bulk/Bagged) (BPALAEAI), Organics Contamination Monitoring & Compliance (QA/QC, Auditing, Reporting) (EUAIAEAI)

Keywords

• Food waste collection
• Industrial composting
• Biowaste management
• Used cooking oil recycling
• Organic compost production

Headquarters

HQ city

L'ile-saint-denis

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Food Waste Collection and Composting Service: Core recurring service for collecting and valorizing food waste from professional clients. Billing comprises three line items: (1) Collection — based on the number of collection visits per month; (2) Treatment — based on the quantity and quality of waste collected; (3) Bin cleaning — based on the number of bins cleaned. Pricing is volume-based (weight of waste), creating an incentive for clients to reduce waste and improve sorting quality.
2. Used Cooking Oil Collection and Biofuel Valorization: Separate collection service for used cooking oils (huiles alimentaires usagées) from professional clients, with valorization into biofuel.
3. Compost Sales: Compost produced from collected food waste, certified NFU 44-051 and suitable for organic agriculture, is sold in multiple formats: small 2L or 20L bags offered to clients/employees as samples or gifts, and bulk volumes to farmers, market gardeners, arborists, landscapers, and private individuals for larger-scale use. Closes the loop between fork and field.
4. Training and Animation Services: Customized training sessions (e.g., Guide Composteur certification in Normandy, QUALIOPI-certified) and awareness animation services for client teams and event attendees on waste sorting, food waste reduction, composting, and soil health topics. Charged as standalone service or bundled with collection contracts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Les Alchimistes collects food waste from professional establishments (restaurants, hotels, hospitals, schools, retailers, businesses, and municipalities) across France through a bin-exchange service with washing and disinfection at every visit. The collected biowaste is processed at the company's own industrial composting platforms into NFU 44-051 certified compost, which is then redistributed to local farmers and sold to close the loop from fork to field. Complementary services include used cooking oil recycling into biofuel, awareness/training animations, and the Les Couches Fertiles line for compostable diaper valorization.

Product overview

Les Alchimistes operates as a national operator specializing in food waste collection and valorization, offering a unified service platform for professionals across multiple sectors. The core offering consists of food waste collection through bin exchange with washing and disinfection, processed through the company's own composting platforms or partner facilities to produce NFU 44-051 certified compost. The platform integrates a customer extranet for real-time impact tracking. Additional services include used frying oil recycling into biofuel, awareness and training animations, and Les Couches Fertiles for compostable diaper collection. The company serves diverse professional sectors (restaurants, hotels, healthcare, retail, education, collectivities) with sector-specific solutions, and sells finished compost back to clients, partners, farmers, and landscapers to complete the circular loop.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Les Couches Fertiles: Solution de collecte et compostage pour couches-bébé compostables usagées permettant le retour au sol des nutriments présents dans les excréta de bébé.
• Les Alchimistes Normandie

Products and services

• Collecte et Valorisation des Biodéchets Main service: weekly or scheduled collection of food waste from professional establishments with bin exchange (washing and disinfection at every visit), followed by industrial composting into NFU 44-051 certified compost. Designed for restaurants, hotels, hospitals, schools, retailers, businesses, and municipalities that must comply with the January 2024 mandatory source-sorting obligation.
• Recyclage des Huiles de Friture Collection of used cooking oils (huiles alimentaires usagées) from professional clients, with valorization into biofuel. Sold as an add-on to the core food waste collection contract.
• Sensibilisation et Animation Awareness and animation services for professionals, including training on waste sorting, food waste reduction, composting, and soil health. Includes Guide Composteur certification (QUALIOPI-certified in Normandie) and event animations for environmental weeks (SEDD, SERD, World Soil Day, etc.).
• Achat de Compost Sale of certified NFU 44-051 compost produced from collected food waste, available in 2L and 20L bags for clients/employees (as samples or gifts) and in bulk volumes for farmers, market gardeners, arborists, landscapers, and private individuals.
• Les Couches Fertiles Specialized collection and composting service for compostable baby diapers from nurseries and maternity wards, producing NFU 44-095 certified compost that returns nutrients from baby excreta to soil.
• Plateformes de Compostage Industrial composting platforms operated by Les Alchimistes and local partners, transforming collected food waste into NFU 44-051 certified compost over 8–16 weeks using wood-chip mixing and regular turning.

Quantifiable outcome

• 42,000 tonnes of food waste valorized per year (2025 figure)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers33 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Carton PleincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Carton Plein is a social integration association that collects waste by bicycle in Paris. The partnership enables Les Alchimistes to collect food waste from Enedis Paris sites using cargo bikes, reducing the carbon footprint of collection while supporting social inclusion for people distant from employment. The association follows a 'zero waste, zero pollution, zero poverty' model.
• Réseau Compost CitoyensupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2020Partner organization in the November 2020 'Kiss the Ground' documentary screening event, alongside ADEME, Les Alchimistes, and Réseau Compostplus.
• Réseau CompostplussupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2020Partner organization in the November 2020 'Kiss the Ground' documentary screening event, alongside ADEME, Les Alchimistes, and Réseau Compost Citoyen. The Réseau Compostplus federates local authorities on food waste source sorting and composting.
• HalagecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHalage is a social integration association that rehabilitates urban brownfield sites. The Ferme Florale de Lil'Ô on Île Saint-Denis (the largest floricultural farm in Île-de-France) was created by Halage, which partners with Les Alchimistes to use compost produced from Grand Paris food waste on the reclaimed industrial site. In 2024, the farm was selected to plant the Olympic and Paralympic spaces in Paris.
• BinHappy (now Les Alchimistes Normandie)coreOthersBinHappy, a food waste valorization company operating in Normandy since 2017, merged into the Alchimistes national network in January 2024 and became Les Alchimistes Normandie. The entity brought 160+ existing clients and regional expertise to the network.
• TerraLéo (now Les Alchimistes Normandie)coreOthersTerraLéo, a food waste valorization company operating in Normandy, merged into the Alchimistes national network in January 2024 alongside BinHappy to form Les Alchimistes Normandie.
• Various Social Integration Structures (structures d'insertion)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLes Alchimistes works with a broad network of social integration partners including insertion structures (structures d'insertion), adapted enterprises (entreprises adaptées), Employment Purpose companies (Entreprises à But d'Emploi), and ESATs across France. 52% of operational positions are filled by people distant from employment through these partnerships.
• ADEME (Agence de la Transition Écologique)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerADEME partnered with Les Alchimistes, Réseau Compost Citoyen, and Réseau Compostplus to co-host the free online screening and expert debate of the documentary 'Kiss the Ground' in November 2020, focused on soil health and regenerative agriculture.
• Ferme de l'Envol (Bretigny-sur-Orge)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA 56-hectare farm created in 2020 on the former Centre d'Essais en Vol of Base 217, growing produce for Paris restaurants whose food waste is collected by Les Alchimistes Île-de-France. The farm uses compost from those food wastes to fertilize its fields, creating a true 'fork to farm' loop.
• Ferme Florale de Lil'Ô (Île Saint-Denis)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe largest floricultural farm in Île-de-France, created by Halage on a 3.6-hectare former industrial brownfield site on Île Saint-Denis. Les Alchimistes operates a composting platform there processing food waste from the Grand Paris, and the resulting compost feeds the farm's flowers. Selected to plant the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic spaces.
• Métropole Européenne de Lille (MEL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe MEL works with Les Alchimistes Hauts-de-France on the 'Tous Alchimistes!' project, a laureate of the 'De la Fourche à la Fourchette' AMI. The project deploys food waste collection at 10 outdoor markets across the Lille metropolitan area, covering 1,200 inhabitants and collecting 90 tonnes annually.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Others

• Halage: Social-integration association rehabilitating urban brownfield sites in Île-de-France, partnering with Les Alchimistes to use compost from collected food waste on reclaimed land. Adjacent enabling player in Les Alchimistes' circular-economy and social-impact ecosystem rather than a direct competitor.
• Réseau Compostplus: French network federating local authorities engaged in source sorting and composting of food waste. Functions as both an ecosystem partner (co-hosted 'Kiss the Ground' event with Les Alchimistes) and a convener for municipal tenders that Les Alchimistes competes for.

Direct peers

• Moulinot: Paris-based B2B food waste collection and biowaste valorization company serving restaurants, markets, and catering clients in France. Closest direct competitor to Les Alchimistes with overlapping customer segments and a similar collection-plus-composting model.

Broad incumbents

• Veolia Environnement: Global waste management major operating municipal and commercial collection networks across France. Competes with Les Alchimistes on large municipal and enterprise contracts, particularly in biowaste, and could scale biowaste services rapidly given existing infrastructure.
• Séché Environnement: French hazardous and non-hazardous waste treatment group operating collection, sorting, and treatment infrastructure nationwide. Comparable in serving regulated French waste streams and competing for municipal contracts that increasingly include biowaste.
• Pizzorno Environnement: French integrated waste management operator with collection, treatment, and recovery activities, particularly active in southern France. Overlaps with Les Alchimistes' Provence and Côte d'Azur footprint and competes for municipal and commercial collection contracts.
• Suez: International environmental services group with extensive French municipal and commercial waste operations. Increasingly active in organic waste valorization, representing both a potential partner and a structural competitor for Les Alchimistes' public-sector and enterprise pipeline.

Emerging players

• Triadis Services: French waste management company with a growing focus on biowaste and selective sorting for professional clients. Similar mid-market enterprise targeting to Les Alchimistes, though smaller in scale and geographic reach.
• Compost In Situ: French company specializing in on-site and decentralized composting solutions for businesses and communities. Comparable to Les Alchimistes' on-site and platform-based composting approach but with a stronger on-site / less centralized collection footprint.
• Fertibio: French organic fertilizer and soil amendment producer with compost and amendment product lines for agriculture and landscaping. Comparable on the downstream compost product side of Les Alchimistes' business, serving farmers and landscapers with NFU-certified amendments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@lesalchimistes
• Facebookfacebook.com/lesAlchimistesCompost
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/les-alchimistes-sas
• Instagraminstagram.com/lesalchimistes_fr
• Xx.com/AlchimistesCo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Les Alchimistes