What Cooperl does

Cooperl (legal name: Coopérative des Éleveurs de la Région de Lamballe) is a French agricultural and agrifood cooperative headquartered in Lamballe-Armor, Brittany, founded in April 1966 by 24 livestock farmers and now operating as France's largest pig cooperative. The cooperative is organized as an integrated filière of 10 complementary branches spanning animal feed (Cooperl Nutrition, 750,000+ tonnes annually, including the SYNAPS precision feeding range on 1,324 farm sites), genetics (Nucléus, France's leading pig breeding programme), pig and cattle farmer services, slaughter and meat processing (Vérital Viande beef brand), charcuterie under owned brands (Madrange, Brocéliande, Montagne Noire, Paul Predault, Jean Caby), agricultural equipment distribution (Calipro), and direct-to-consumer retail (Coop Chez Vous, 15 farm-gate stores). It serves 4,530 farmer-members and 7,500 employees across 9 zones in western France and exports to 50 countries.

The cooperative's underlying technology platform combines proprietary environmental and precision-livestock systems: patented TRAC V-shaped manure scraping (commercialized since 2011, deployed in 127 buildings covering 165,453 pig places), Valutrac urine-to-ammonium-sulfate recycling (operational since 2019, enabling 95% nitrogen and 98% phosphorus export), the Émeraude bio-énergie methaniser (Europe's largest without land spreading, 50 GWh/year), and the IRIS by Cooperl connected-farming programme launched June 2026, whose IRIS Feeding module uses RFID UHF sensors and AI algorithms to deliver personalised pig nutrition with a documented €5/pig gain. Supporting software includes the Cooperl Suite (Pass'Porc, Pass'Cheptel, Pass'Porc Lite, Pass'Collecte) and CSuite platform, with quality specifications covering Porc Sans Antibiotique (>800 sites), Porc Bien-Être (93.5% of members), Label Rouge, HVE Level 3, Label Bas Carbone, Bio, and Sans OGM.

Cooperl's business model is the cooperative model itself: farmer-members are simultaneously shareholders (one person, one vote, 33-member board plus one Unigrains seat), suppliers (delivering pigs, cattle, crops), and customers (purchasing feed, genetics, equipment, environmental services, and technical advisory). Revenue is generated through transaction-fee margins on member produce sales, feed and equipment sales, genetics services, charcuterie and meat brands distributed through major French retailers (Carrefour, E.Leclerc, Auchan, Intermarché, Système U) and exported to 50 countries, and managed services including biogas (Émeraude), slurry treatment (Dénitral, 66 stations, 400,000 m³/year), and carbon credit monetization via La Place Carbone on Carbioz. Surplus is allocated to reserves and redistributed to farmer-members as quality premiums (€26.2M reported). Governance: Bernard Rouxel (farmer, Côtes-d'Armor) is President since June 2023; Emmanuel Commault has been Director General since 2008, overseeing 7,500 employees across 600 occupations.

Name

Cooperl

Legal name

COOPérative des Éleveurs de la Région de Lamballe

Website

https://cooperl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Cooperl is France's largest pig cooperative, an integrated filière serving 4,530 farmer-members and 7,500 employees across animal feed, genetics, pig and beef production, charcuterie brands (Madrange, Brocéliande, Montagne Noire), equipment distribution, and environmental services including Europe's largest land-spreading-free methaniser.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pork Production and Meat Processing

NAICS

Animal Slaughtering and Processing (3116), Animal Slaughtering and Processing (31161), Meat and Meat Product Merchant Wholesalers (42447), Support Activities for Animal Production (1152)

SIC

Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Pork Processing & Packing (AFAKALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pork Wholesale (Primal/Subprimal, Boxed Pork) (AFAIADAB), Butcher Box / DTC Meat & Seafood Delivery (AFAIANAD)

Keywords

• Pig farming cooperative
• Pork production
• Animal feed manufacturing
• Charcuterie processing
• Meat processing cooperative

Headquarters

HQ city

Lamballe

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pig and cattle farmer membership and produce sales: Cooperl is a cooperative whose farmer-members (4,530 pig and cattle farmers) deliver their production (pigs, cattle, crops) to the cooperative. The cooperative collects, transforms, and commercialises member production. Surplus revenue is allocated to reserves and redistributed to farmer-members. This forms the core of the cooperative's business model.
2. Pig genetics (Nucléus): Cooperl operates its own pig genetics subsidiary Nucléus (France's leading genetic scheme by size) providing breeding stock and genetics services to pig farmers, generating revenue from genetics sales and related services.
3. Animal nutrition and feed: Cooperl Nutrition manufactures and sells animal feed (over 750,000 tonnes annually) to member farmers and external customers, including precision nutrition products (SYNAPS) and farm-made feed (FAF). Cooperl is France's leader in farm-made feed (FAB/FAF).
4. Meat and charcuterie brands: Cooperl commercialises pork and beef under owned brands (Brocéliande, Madrange, Montagne Noire, Paul Predault, Jean Caby, Coop Chez Vous, Côté Plaisir Madrange, Vérital, Caby) and third-party brands, through retail and food service channels.
5. Agricultural equipment and supplies (Calipro): Calipro, Cooperl's equipment distribution subsidiary, sells building materials, livestock equipment, LED lighting (CS LED), water systems (Eau Sûre), and farm supplies through e-commerce and physical branches, delivering 200+ parcels daily.
6. Environmental services and biogas: Cooperl Environnement operates methanisation (Émeraude bio-énergie producing 50 GWh/year of biogas), slurry treatment stations, and sells natural fertilisers (Fertival). The unit processes solid manure from ~100 farms equipped with TRAC technology.
7. Agricultural ingredients and health products (Farmapro, Cooperl Ingrédients): Cooperl sells veterinary products, hygiene products, nutritional supplements, and functional/pharmaceutical ingredients through subsidiaries Farmapro and Cooperl Ingrédients to farmers.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Cooperl is a French agricultural cooperative operating a fully integrated pork value chain spanning animal feed manufacturing, pig genetics, pig farming, slaughter, meat processing, charcuterie production, and retail distribution. The cooperative serves 4,530 farmer-members across western France through 10 interconnected branches, manufacturing over 750,000 tonnes of feed annually and commercialising pork and beef products under owned brands (Madrange, Brocéliande, Montagne Noire, Paul Predault, Jean Caby). Cooperl also supplies agricultural equipment, veterinary products, environmental services, and digital farm management tools to its farmer-members.

Product overview

Cooperl is an agricultural and agrifood cooperative organized as an integrated value chain with 10 complementary branches: Groupement d'éleveurs porcs (pig farmer grouping), Groupement d'éleveurs bovins (cattle farmer grouping), Nutrition (animal feed including SYNAPS precision feeding), Équipements (equipment via Calipro subsidiary), Environnement (methanization, waste treatment, renewable energy), Ingrédients (functional/nutritional/pharmaceutical ingredients), Viandes (meat processing with Vérital beef brand), Salaisons (charcuterie with Madrange, Montagne Noire, Paul Predault, Jean Caby brands), and Distribution (Coop Chez Vous farm stores). Key technology products include IRIS by Cooperl platform with IRIS Feeding (AI-powered individualized nutrition), Cooperl Suite apps (Pass'Porc, Pass'Cheptel, Pass'Collecte), TRAC/Valutrac manure separation, and Émeraude bio-énergie methanization. Subsidiaries include Nucléus (genetics), Farmapro (veterinary products), and Calipro (equipment distribution). The cooperative serves 4,530 farmer members and 7,500 employees across western France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Brocéliande (Les Éleveurs Coopérateurs): Pork and beef meat products under the Brocéliande brand
• Madrange
• Montagne Noire
• Paul Predault
• Coop Chez Vous
• Jean Caby
• Caby
• Vérital Viande
• Nucléus
• IRIS by Cooperl
• Calipro
• CS LED
• Cooperl Suite
• Dénitral
• Émeraude bio-énergie

Products and services

• IRIS Feeding (IRIS by Cooperl)
• Cooperl Suite (CSuite)
• TRAC (Technologie de Raclage en V)
• Émeraude bio-énergie (methanisation unit)
• Nucléus pig genetics
• SYNAPS precision feeding programme
• Madrange consumer charcuterie brand
• Brocéliande (Les Éleveurs Coopérateurs)
• Montagne Noire charcuterie brand
• Caby snacking brand
• Côté Plaisir Madrange
• Vétital Viande (innovative beef chain)
• Calipro farm equipment distribution
• Cooperl Nutrition animal feed
• Porc Sans Antibiotique (PSA) specification
• Porc Bien-Être (PBE) specification
• Coop Chez Vous farm-gate store network
• Farmapro veterinary and hygiene products
• Dé-nitral pig slurry treatment stations
• Valutrac urine recycling system
• Ginkgo agro-environmental data tool
• Advanced biodiesel from fat flotation
• La Place Carbone carbon credit platform

Quantifiable outcome

• IRIS Feeding generates an average gain of €5 per pig in the first year
• +17 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Carbioz (Groupe Crédit Agricole)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2026Cooperl's La Place Carbone platform is now listed on Carbioz, the Crédit Agricole Group's carbon credit marketplace. La Place Carbone sells Label Bas Carbone carbon credits from Cooperl farmer-members' decarbonation projects (Bois & Bocage). Carbioz lists over 780 LBC projects from 6 agricultural and forestry methods.
• GreenYellowminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026GreenYellow installed a 1.3 MWp solar carport on the parking area of Cooperl's Sainte-Eanne (79) production site. The installation covers 12% of the site's electricity needs (up to 20% in summer) and produces approximately 1,470 MWh/year of renewable energy, avoiding 173 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent annually.
• CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEA is an academic partner in Cooperl's microalgae research project (producing spirulina, phycocyanine, and other high-potential molecules for dietary supplements and cosmetics). Cooperl uses renewable energy, CO₂, and nutrients from its environmental technologies to grow the algae.
• CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNRS collaborates with Cooperl on the microalgae production research project, contributing scientific expertise to the extraction and application of algal molecules.
• European universitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean university partners collaborate with Cooperl on the microalgae research and development project, contributing academic research capabilities.
• Darby Genetics Inc. (Korea)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDarby Genetics (Korea) and Nucléus (Cooperl subsidiary) have a 7-year exclusive genetic partnership agreement (renewed in 2026). Darby exclusively sources Nucleus maternal genetics (Yorkshire and Landrace) for the Korean market, where it holds approximately 24% of domestic pork consumption. The partnership also covers Darby's Vietnamese operations, established in 2005 as Korea's first pig breeding subsidiary abroad.
• Sapeurs-Pompiers des Côtes d'ArmorminorOthersCooperl signed a partnership agreement with the Côtes d'Armor fire brigade (Sapeurs-Pompiers) in May 2026. The partnership is part of Cooperl's commitment to social responsibility and community engagement.
• CCAOF (Confédération des Coopératives Agricoles de l'Ouest de la France)minorOthersCCAOF conducted an audit of Cooperl's governance in 2023 under the 'Coopertise' programme, validating Cooperl's cooperative governance practices. The audit covered governance structure and practices.

Scale indicators39 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Broad incumbents

• Tyson Foods: Tyson Foods is a US-domiciled protein major with pork, beef, and prepared foods businesses. While not a French-market competitor, it is comparable as a vertically integrated meat processor with branded charcuterie-style products (Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farms) and a useful scale benchmark.
• JBS: JBS is the world's largest meat processor with significant pork operations globally. While far larger and broader than Cooperl, JBS competes in European pork markets and share benchmarks for scale-based competition in slaughtering and processed pork.
• Smithfield Foods / WH Group: Smithfield (owned by WH Group / Shuanghui) is the world's largest pork processor with deep European exposure. Comparable as a globally integrated pork producer with slaughtering, processing, and branded fresh pork offerings addressing the same global protein supply chain.

Direct peers

• Groupe Bigard: Groupe Bigard is France's largest beef and pork processor and Cooperl's primary domestic competitor across slaughtering, meat cutting, and charcuterie. Both serve the same French retailer base (Carrefour, E.Leclerc, Auchan, Intermarché, Système U) with overlapping SKU portfolios.
• Westfleisch: Westfleisch is a German cooperative pork and beef processor structurally analogous to Cooperl as a farmer-member-owned integrated meat company. Comparable cooperative governance, integrated value chain, and focus on German/European retail and food service markets.
• Vion Food Group: Vion is a major Dutch pork and beef processor with European slaughtering and charcuterie operations comparable to Cooperl. Both serve retail, food service, and ingredient customers across France, Germany, and Benelux with branded and private-label pork.
• Tönnies Group: Tönnies is Germany's largest family-owned pork processor and a direct competitor to Cooperl in European pork slaughtering, cutting, and charcuterie production. Both operate integrated value chains across slaughter, deboning, and processed meats serving national retail chains.
• Danish Crown: Danish Crown is a Danish farmer-owned pork cooperative — the closest structural analog to Cooperl globally, with member-ownership, full filière integration from genetics to retail brands, and international export reach. Operates at much larger scale with global brand portfolio.
• El Pozo Alimentación: El Pozo is a leading Spanish integrated pork and charcuterie producer, comparable to Cooperl in scale of vertical integration, brand portfolio (Cárnicas El Pozo, Javier de la Rosa), and focus on Iberian/Spanish retail. Provides a regional Iberian benchmark for Cooperl's Mediterranean-Europe offering.

Others

• Cargill Protein: Cargill's Protein and Animal Nutrition businesses overlap with Cooperl's animal feed and protein trading activities. While not a direct charcuterie competitor, Cargill is a comparable diversified agricultural supplier serving European meat and feed markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCaIK9GnAotzdORzqs3r0qRw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cooperl

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Cooperl