What Educational Center Sommeri does

Bildungsstätte Sommeri is a Swiss non-profit association (Verein) founded in 1919, headquartered in Sommeri in the canton of Thurgau. It operates one of the largest integrated facilities for people with cognitive disabilities in the canton, delivering vocational training (PrA and EBA programs), residential living across internal dormitories and external apartments, and protected employment (Geschützte Arbeitsplätze) in industry, gastronomy, garden, facility maintenance, and laundry. The organization serves approximately 270 individuals at any time — 119 residential places, 155 sheltered employment positions, 10 vocational training slots, and 32 day-structure places — supported by roughly 150 specialized professional staff sharing about 100 full-time equivalents.

The operating model rests on four interconnected divisions: berufliche Integration (vocational integration), Wohnen (residential living), Arbeiten (protected employment), and Dienstleistungen (commercial services for businesses). The commercial arm runs as a verlängerte Werkbank (extended workbench) for Eastern Swiss companies, providing assembly, confectioning, packaging, fully automatic shrink wrapping, food filling in Bio-certified cleanrooms at the Hefenhofen production site, lettershop/mailing services, and laundry processing — backed by 200–300 pallet storage capacity. The COMEDYexpress inclusive theater ensemble, founded in 2003, adds a cultural-programming dimension. The organization holds ISO 9001:2015, Bio, and HACCP certifications.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid mix: per-project service contracts with businesses, IV (Invalidenversicherung) disability insurance funding, cantonal and municipal support from Thurgau and the municipality of Sommeri, and membership fees and donations from over 600 association members. Pricing is negotiated per project rather than published. Go-to-market is direct sales to industrial, trade, food, and consumer-goods companies in Eastern Switzerland, supplemented by referrals from IV offices and disability services. The organization is the largest employer in the municipality of Sommeri and is currently renovating its main facility from 2024 through approximately mid-2027.

Name

Educational Center Sommeri

Legal name

Bildungsstätte Sommeri

Website

https://bs-sommeri.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Swiss non-profit sheltered workshop and care facility in Canton Thurgau providing vocational training, residential living, and protected employment for approximately 270 people with cognitive disabilities, while delivering industrial assembly, packaging, food filling, and lettershop services to Eastern Swiss businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability and Vocational Rehabilitation Services

NAICS

Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities (6232), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities (62321), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

Keywords

• Sheltered employment services
• Vocational disability training
• Residential disability care
• Contract packaging services
• Food contract filling

Headquarters

HQ city

Sommeri

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Service Contracts with Businesses: Fee-for-service contracts with businesses from the first labor market (free economy) for assembly, packaging, confectioning, food filling, laundry, and other manual work performed by employees with disabilities in protected workshop settings.
2. IV (Disability Insurance) Funding: Funding from the Swiss disability insurance (Invalidenversicherung / IV) for vocational training (PrA, EBA programs), sheltered employment positions, day structure programs, and support services for people with cognitive disabilities.
3. Cantonal and Municipal Support: Support from the canton of Thurgau and the municipality of Sommeri for operating as a residential and vocational facility for people with disabilities.
4. Membership and Donations: Revenue from over 600 association members paying annual fees (CHF 20–50), plus voluntary donations and patron contributions supporting the charitable mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bildungsstätte Sommeri is a non-profit social enterprise that provides vocational training, residential living, and sheltered employment for people with cognitive disabilities in Canton Thurgau, Switzerland. It operates 119 residential places, 155 protected employment positions, and PrA/EBA vocational programs, while also delivering contracted industrial services (assembly, packaging, food filling in certified cleanrooms, lettershop) to businesses in Eastern Switzerland.

Product overview

Bildungsstätte Sommeri is a comprehensive care and education facility for people with cognitive disabilities, operating as an integrated platform with multiple interconnected service divisions. The organization offers PrA and EBA vocational training programs (PrA und EBA), residential living options (Wohnen) with 119 places across dormitory and group home settings, and protected employment (Geschützte Arbeitsplätze) with 155 positions across industry, workshops, gastronomy, and support services. Additional offerings include commercial services such as industrial manufacturing, confectioning/packaging, food filling, lettershop operations, and the inclusive theater ensemble COMEDYexpress. Professional support services include job coaching, Aufbautraining rehabilitation programs, and Passarellen bridge programs for labor market integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• COMEDYexpress: Integrative theater ensemble with actors who have intellectual disabilities. Founded in 2003 by theater pedagogue Peter Wenk, it is one of Switzerland's most successful integrative theater ensembles. The ensemble performs unconventional, humorous, and quirky plays under professional direction.

Products and services

• PrA and EBA Vocational Training Two-year IV-recognized vocational training programs across areas including housekeeping, gardening, industry, building maintenance, logistics, kitchen, cleaning, laundry, and restaurant services, designed for people with cognitive disabilities.
• Residential Living (Wohnen) Residential living with 119 places (124 including apprentices), including internal dormitory living, apartment-style housing near the main building, and external group homes in neighboring communities. All residents have single rooms with round-the-clock support.
• Protected Employment (Geschützte Arbeitsplätze) 155 protected employment positions (including 30 day structure places without wages) plus 10 training positions across industry, workshops, garden, facility maintenance, gastronomy, and laundry areas in Sommeri and Hefenhofen.
• Industrial Manufacturing Services Comprehensive industrial and commercial services including assembly and disassembly, confectioning and packaging, food filling and packaging in Bio-certified cleanrooms, display building and stocking, and lettershop services. Operated at facilities in Sommeri and Hefenhofen with 200-300 pallet storage capacity.
• COMEDYexpress Inclusive Theater Inclusive theater ensemble featuring actors with intellectual disabilities performing unconventional, humorous plays under professional direction of Peter Wenk and Ambrosia Weisser. Performs at public events, private celebrations, and corporate functions throughout Switzerland.
• Job Coaching Coaching services for people with health or cognitive disabilities working in or seeking employment in the primary labor market. Includes job search support, application preparation, interview coaching, and workplace integration assistance.
• Aufbautraining (Build-up Training) Vocational rehabilitation program under Art. 14a IVG for people with health impairments, designed to gradually reintroduce them to work routines and increase work capacity to at least 50% of a full position.
• Passarellen Bridge Program Bridge program with inclusion employment positions that accompanies employees transitioning from supported employment to the primary labor market, with job coach support and inclusion employment contracts.
• Lettershop Services Direct marketing services including folding, assembling, sticking, punching, gluing, packaging, addressing, and mass mailing operations for two and three-dimensional products.
• Association Membership and Donations Non-profit association with over 600 members offering support through membership fees, patronage contributions, and donations to benefit residents in financial hardship, vacations, leisure, education, development, and infrastructure.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 meals prepared daily in the on-site gastronomy kitchen
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• COMEDYexpress (Inclusive Theater)coreOthers · 1 January 2003The COMEDYexpress inclusive theater ensemble, founded in 2003 by theater pedagogue Peter Wenk, operates as a flagship inclusive arts program of the Bildungsstätte Sommeri. Actors with intellectual disabilities perform under professional direction of Peter Wenk and Ambrosia Weisser. The ensemble performs at public events, corporate functions, private celebrations, and local events, promoting the integration of people with disabilities and enriching Swiss cultural life. The ensemble is one of Switzerland's most successful inclusive theater ensembles.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Stiftung Brändi: Swiss non-profit foundation operating sheltered workshops, residential services, and vocational training for people with disabilities in Central Switzerland. Closest comparable to BS Sommeri's multi-service disability platform model.
• Werkheim Uster: Swiss non-profit providing sheltered workplaces, residential accommodation, and vocational integration for people with cognitive disabilities. Direct comparable in the Werkstatt/Wohnen category.
• Heimgarten Stiftung: Swiss foundation providing residential care and sheltered employment for people with disabilities. Operates a similar Werkstatt-plus-Wohnen model to BS Sommeri.
• Stiftung MBF: Swiss foundation providing vocational training, sheltered employment, and housing for people with disabilities in the Bern region. Comparable service portfolio and mission to BS Sommeri.
• Stiftung RgZ: Zurich-based foundation offering sheltered employment, vocational training, and residential services for people with disabilities. Comparable in scale and service breadth to BS Sommeri.
• Stiftung Vivendra: Foundation in Eastern Switzerland offering residential, vocational training, and sheltered employment for people with cognitive disabilities. Direct geographic and service overlap with BS Sommeri.
• Stiftung Buochs: Stiftung in Nidwalden offering residential, vocational training, and sheltered workshop services for people with cognitive disabilities. Directly comparable Swiss sheltered workshop model.
• Stiftung Bühl: Foundation in Wädenswil offering residential, vocational, and day-structure services for people with disabilities. Comparable integrated service delivery model.

Others

• insieme Schweiz: Swiss national umbrella association for parents and supporters of people with intellectual disabilities. Provides referrals and advocacy that funnel beneficiaries to institutions like BS Sommeri.

Broad incumbents

• Lebenshilfe Werkstätten: Large German federation operating sheltered workshops (Werkstätten) and residential services for people with disabilities. Broader geographic scope than BS Sommeri but operates the same sheltered workshop / residential model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bs.sommeri

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Educational Center Sommeri