TERRE VIVANTE

What TERRE VIVANTE does

Terre Vivante, legally SCOP Terre Vivante, is a French worker cooperative founded in 1979 and headquartered at 169 chemin de Raud, Mens, Isère. It is structured as a Société Coopérative et Participative (SCOP), meaning it is collectively owned by its worker-members with no external parent, venture, or private equity ownership. Reported headcount is 1-10 employees and the entity operates as a private, mission-driven organization. Its stated purpose is to disseminate practical, experiment-tested information on organic gardening, permaculture, ecological habitat, healthy cooking, natural health, and alternative economic models.

The company is organized around three core operating divisions: Éditions Terre Vivante (a book publishing imprint covering gardening, habitat, cuisine, health, and DIY topics, with titles priced roughly €3 to €29); Les 4 Saisons (a bimonthly 100-page subscription magazine on ecological living); and the Centre écologique Terre Vivante in Mens, which functions as a demonstration site, visitor attraction, school program venue, corporate seminar host, training facility, and overnight accommodation. Distribution combines an owned e-commerce storefront at terrevivante.org (with Colieco and Colissimo shipping, gift cards, and donations), postal magazine fulfillment for subscribers, and on-site visits to the Trièves-region center. The operating geography is concentrated in France, with limited shipping to Belgium and Switzerland.

Revenue is generated across six streams: one-time book sales, recurring magazine subscriptions, e-commerce sales of seeds, tools, accessories, DVDs, and games, professional services and workshops at the center (stages), ecological center admissions and overnight stays, and donations. Customer acquisition is community-led through forums (75+ topics, 91+ replies across five verticals), podcasts, radio programming on RCF, a weekly newsletter, and broad social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube. No proprietary technology platform, AI/ML capabilities, mobile apps, patents, or certifications were disclosed; monetization is built entirely on editorial content, physical products, and in-person services rather than software.

Name

TERRE VIVANTE

Legal name

SCOP Terre Vivante

Website

https://terrevivante.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ecological Publishing and Education

NAICS

Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies Retailers (4442)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Home, Garden & DIY Magazines (MPAJAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Health, Wellness & Fitness Trade Publishing (MPAJAAAL)

Keywords

• Ecological publishing
• Organic gardening education
• Permaculture resources
• Sustainable living media
• Garden supplies retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Mens

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Sale of published books through the Editions Terre Vivante imprint covering permaculture, organic gardening, ecological habitat, healthy cooking, natural health, and DIY topics. Books are sold through the e-commerce platform with prices ranging from approximately €3 to €29.
2. Magazine Subscription: Subscription revenue from 'Les 4 Saisons' magazine, a bimonthly 100-page publication providing practical gardening advice, ecological tips, and sustainable living content. Subscribers receive exclusive content and access to dedicated forum discussions.
3. E-commerce Products: Sale of seeds (vegetables, herbs, flowers, medicinal plants), garden tools, accessories, games, and DVDs through the online boutique.
4. Ecological Center Activities: Revenue from the ecological center including visitor admissions, family/group visits, school programs, seminars for businesses and associations, and overnight accommodations (Dormir à Terre Vivante).
5. Training Stages: Workshop and training program fees (stages) offered at the ecological center covering various ecological and gardening topics.
6. Donations: Acceptance of donations to support the organization's mission and activities, with dedicated donation products available on the e-commerce platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TERRE VIVANTE publishes books (Éditions Terre Vivante) and a bimonthly magazine (Les 4 Saisons) on organic gardening, permaculture, ecological habitat, healthy cooking, and natural health. It sells organic seeds, garden tools, accessories, DVDs, and games via its online boutique, and operates the Centre écologique in Mens, France as a hands-on training and visitor facility offering workshops, seminars, school programs, and accommodations.

Product overview

Terre Vivante is a French SCOP (worker cooperative) operating as a multi-channel ecological lifestyle company. Its portfolio includes a publishing house producing books on organic gardening, permaculture, healthy cooking, and ecological habitat; the bimonthly Les 4 Saisons magazine; an e-commerce platform selling organic seeds (vegetable, aromatic, floral, medicinal varieties), garden tools, accessories, DVDs, and games; and an ecological visitor center in Mens offering educational programs, training courses, seminars, and accommodations. The company also maintains active community forums for knowledge exchange on sustainable living topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Les 4 Saisons: Bimonthly ecological gardening magazine covering organic gardening, permaculture, healthy cooking, and sustainable living topics.
• Éditions Terre Vivante
• Centre écologique Terre Vivante

Products and services

• Livres (Books — Éditions Terre Vivante) Publishing-house line of books covering organic gardening, permaculture, vegetable gardening, fruit trees, small livestock, biodiversity, ecological home construction, healthy cooking, natural health, children's titles, and society/engagement topics. Sold individually (€3.20–€29.00) to French-speaking home gardeners and ecological-living enthusiasts.
• Les 4 Saisons Magazine Bimonthly 100-page magazine providing practical advice on organic gardening, permaculture, ecological habitat, food, health, and ecological alternatives. Available via new subscription, renewal, gift subscription, and back-issue/hors-série purchase; subscribers gain access to exclusive forum discussions.
• Graines et Semences (Organic Seeds) Online catalogue of organic seeds covering vegetable (potagères), aromatic, floral, medicinal, and original varieties, plus gardening kits. Sold in packets (€3.20–€4.70) via the boutique.
• Outils et Accessoires de Jardin (Garden Tools and Accessories) Range of garden tools and accessories for organic gardening, permaculture, and ecological practices, sold through the online boutique.
• Centre Écologique Terre Vivante (Ecological Center Visits and Programs) Educational and visitor center in Mens (Trièves) providing guided tours, family activities, school programs, seminars, corporate events, training spaces, and overnight accommodations. Publishes an annual program calendar (e.g., Programme 2026).
• Stages et Formations (Workshops and Training Courses) Paid educational workshops and training courses on organic gardening, permaculture, ecological habitat, and sustainable living practices, held at the Centre écologique in Mens.
• Cartes Cadeau (Gift Cards) Variable-amount gift cards usable across the boutique for books, seeds, magazine subscriptions, and center visits.
• DVDs (Educational Videos) Educational DVDs covering organic gardening, permaculture, and ecological practices, sold through the online boutique.
• Jeux (Educational Games) Educational and ecological games related to gardening and nature, sold through the online boutique.
• Forums Communautaires (Community Forums) Online community forums where members exchange knowledge on vegetable gardening, composting, pests, plant identification, renewable energy, eco-construction, recipes, and ecological-transition topics across five categories (Jardin bio, Habitat écologique, Cuisine saine, Soins naturels, Société et alternatives).

Quantifiable outcome

• The forums contain 75+ topics with 91+ replies across organic gardening, ecological habitat, healthy cooking, natural care, and alternative society categories
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Larousse: Established French reference publisher with gardening, food, and lifestyle titles — a broad incumbent whose gardening books overlap with Terre Vivante's catalog.
• Actes Sud: Major French publisher with ecological and nature-related titles in its catalog — a broad incumbent that competes on the book-publishing axis but across many subject categories.
• Nature & Découvertes: Large French ecological and outdoor-lifestyle retailer with adjacent publishing — competes more broadly than Terre Vivante and serves as an incumbent reference point for the ecological lifestyle category.

Direct peers

• Détente Jardin: French gardening magazine (part of Uni-Édition/Mondevert) — directly competing for the same home gardener subscriber audience with seasonal editorial content.
• Kokopelli: French organic seed supplier and publisher of ecological gardening literature — overlaps directly with Terre Vivante on seed retail and on content relating to organic gardening and seed preservation.
• Éditions Ulmer: French book publisher focused on gardening, permaculture, nature, and ecology — directly comparable to Éditions Terre Vivante in niche ecological lifestyle publishing.
• Rustica: Major French gardening magazine publisher offering both subscriptions and adjacent editorial content — a direct competitor to Les 4 Saisons in the home/garden magazine category.
• La Ferme de Sainte-Marthe: French organic seed producer listed as a supplier in Terre Vivante's boutique; competes in the same organic seeds retail category.
• Éditions La Plage: French publisher specializing in ecological, alternative, and natural living books — sharing the same core publishing audience and values-driven positioning as Terre Vivante.
• Mon Jardin & ma Maison: French home/garden consumer magazine competing for readership and advertising share with Les 4 Saisons in the same gardening enthusiast segment.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYeeFG-TwnJddJ4DfXnGw3g
• Facebookfacebook.com/ScopTerrevivante
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/terre-vivante-publicit%C3%A9
• Instagraminstagram.com/scopterrevivante
• Pinterestpinterest.fr/terrevivante
• Xx.com/terrevivantepub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 TERRE VIVANTE