LAMS

What LAMS does

LAMS (Laboratoire d'Analyses Microbiologiques des Sols) is a privately held French soil microbiology laboratory founded in 1990 by Claude and Lydia Bourguignon and joined in 2008 by their son Emmanuel, operating from Marey-sur-Tille in the Côte-d'Or. The firm specializes in ecological soil analysis that combines physical, chemical, and biological parameters — most distinctively routine soil fauna counting, which it describes as the only laboratory in France offering this capability routinely — alongside nematode counting, compost analysis, and full soil profile studies. Its analytical services are paired with on-site consulting engagements in which the consultants personally visit parcels, sample soils at surface and depth, and deliver management recommendations.

The business serves five primary customer segments: wine producers (its anchor segment, including long-tenured relationships with estates such as Domaine Dujac, Champagne Jacques Selosse, and Domaine Huet), farmers practicing or transitioning to regenerative methods (direct seeding under cover, BRF), sports facilities (golf courses, Top 14 rugby and Ligue 2 football stadiums via the Turfplac partnership), territorial communities and environmental organizations, and individual home gardeners via postal sample analysis. The lab is also a certified training center (n°26-21-01619-21) running capped sessions of 25 participants on soil biology and agricultural management, and the Bourguignon family publishes books on soil science and sustainable agriculture.

The commercial model is professional-services based: quote-based soil analyses, fee-based training, and unit-priced book sales (€6.99–25). The team is intentionally small at five people (three consultants, one laboratory technician, one secretary), there is no software platform, no AI/ML capabilities, no external investors, and no parent company. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; revenue signals come only from scale commentary (9,000+ cumulative analyses, presence in 20+ countries) and book/training pricing. The company's go-to-market is sales-led, relying on direct relationships, established industry reputation in the wine world, earned media, and published authority rather than digital marketing or paid acquisition.

Name

LAMS

Legal name

Laboratoire d'Analyses Microbiologiques des Sols

Website

https://lams-21.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

LAMS is a privately held French soil microbiology laboratory founded in 1990 by the Bourguignon family, specializing in ecological soil analysis (physical, chemical, biological) and on-site consulting for wine producers, farmers, sports facilities, and territorial communities across 20+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Soil Analysis and Consulting Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFACABAJ

Crop Rotation & Whole-Farm Cropping Systems Design

Agriculture & Food Production/Agricultural Services (Custom Farming, Agronomy, Veterinary)/Crop Consulting & Agronomy Services (Soil Health, Nutrient Planning, Yield Consulting)

SECONDARYAFAGAMAB

Conservation Agriculture (Erosion Control, Contour/Strip Cropping, Mulching)

Agriculture & Food Production/Crop Farming/Sustainable Farming Practices

SECONDARYIMAIAIAD

Turf Care (Fertilization, Aeration & Weed/Pest Control)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Industrial Services & Facility Operations/Landscaping, Groundskeeping & Snow Removal

Keywords

• Soil microbiology analysis
• Agricultural consulting services
• Viticulture soil management
• Soil health diagnostics
• Sustainable agriculture training

Headquarters

HQ city

Marey-sur-tille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Soil Analysis Services: Comprehensive soil analysis services including on-site profile visits, physical/chemical/biological laboratory analysis, and detailed reports with recommendations. Includes soil profile analysis, fauna counting, compost analysis, nematode counting, and postal sample analysis
2. Training Programs: Approved training center (n°26-21-01619-21) offering theoretical and practical courses on soil functioning, agricultural management, cover crops, and no-till under cover. Open to farmers, wine producers, technicians, teachers, and general public. Maximum 25 participants per session
3. Publications and Books: Sale of books authored by the Bourguignon family on soil care, agriculture, and environmental topics. Publications include 'Prendre soin de son sol' (25€), 'Pourquoi ne faisons-nous rien pendant que la maison brûle?' (12€), and 'Le sol, la terre et les champs' (9€)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LAMS is a soil microbiology analysis laboratory that provides comprehensive ecological soil diagnostics combining physical, chemical, and biological parameters for vineyards, farms, sports facilities, and territorial communities. Its core offerings include complete soil profile analysis with on-site visits, routine soil fauna counting (a unique capability), compost analysis, nematode analysis for vineyard planting decisions, and remote postal sample analysis. The laboratory complements these analytical services with specialized consulting for viticulture terroir management and sports turf, plus an approved training program on soil biology and sustainable agricultural practices.

Product overview

LAMS is a specialized soil microbiology laboratory offering a portfolio of analytical and advisory services centered on ecological soil analysis. The core offering consists of exhaustive soil profile analyses (physical, chemical, and biological), fauna counting, nematode counting, compost analysis, garden analysis, and remote sample analysis. These are complemented by specialized consulting services for viticulture (terroir research, vineyard planting, soil management), sports turf management, and broad agriculture. LAMS also operates as a certified training center (n°26-21-01619-21) offering courses on soil biology. The Bourguignon family publishes books on soil science and sustainable agriculture through external publishers. There is no unified software platform; the offering is entirely service- and expertise-based.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Complete Soil Profile Analysis (Analyse complète d'un profil de sol)
• Soil Fauna Counting (Comptage de la faune)
• Chemical and Biological Compost Analysis
• Nematode Counting (Comptage nématodes)
• Garden Soil Analysis for Individuals (Analyse de jardin pour particuliers)
• Mail-In Soil Sample Analysis (Analyse d'échantillon envoyé par la poste)
• Viticulture Soil Management Consulting (Conseil en gestion des sols viticoles)
• Sports Turf Soil Management Consulting (Conseil en gestion des sols d'espaces sportifs)
• Approved Training Center on Soil Biology (Formations sur la biologie du sol)
• Book: Prendre soin de son sol — Emmanuel Bourguignon
• Book: Pourquoi ne faisons-nous rien pendant que la maison brûle? — Lydia & Claude Bourguignon
• Manifesto: Lydia, Claude & Emmanuel (Manifeste pour une agriculture durable)

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduction in fertilizer use through soil nutrient reserve knowledge
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TurfplaccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration since 2010 with Turfplac for sports turf soil management. Turfplac works for Top 14 rugby stadiums, Ligue 2 football stadiums, golf courses, and small municipalities. Unique collaboration in France combining Turfplac's turf maintenance expertise with LAMS's soil analysis to improve grass quality while reducing fertilizer and chemical use, reducing water consumption, and lowering carbon footprint of sports turf

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Pattern Ag: US-based soil microbiome analytics company serving row-crop agriculture. Comparable to LAMS in measuring biological soil properties to inform farmer decision-making, with a tech-driven delivery model that contrasts with LAMS's bespoke consulting.
• EarthOptics: US soil sensing and analytics company using ground-penetrating radar and remote sensing for soil health assessment. Comparable to LAMS as an emerging soil diagnostics provider for agriculture, though using a different (sensor-based) technology stack.

Direct peers

• Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI): UK-based independent sports turf consultancy and testing facility. Comparable to LAMS specifically in the sports-turf soil advisory segment (Top 14 rugby, Ligue 2 football stadiums via Turfplac), with overlapping turf diagnostics capability.
• Trace Genomics: US soil genomics company providing microbiome and pathogen analysis for agriculture. Comparable to LAMS in measuring biological soil parameters, but uses high-throughput sequencing rather than LAMS's manual fauna-counting methodology.
• Biome Makers: California-based soil microbiome analytics company offering DNA-based soil health diagnostics. Direct peer to LAMS because both sell biological soil-health assessments to agriculture customers, although Biome Makers productises via a SaaS/sequencing platform rather than on-site consulting.

Others

• INRAE: France's national research institute for agriculture, food, and environment. Comparable to LAMS as a French authority on soil science, though INRAE is publicly funded and focuses on research rather than commercial diagnostics.
• Arvalis – Institut du Végétal: French applied agricultural research institute focused on arable crops. Comparable to LAMS as a French agronomic knowledge provider to farmers, though structured as a non-profit research institute rather than a commercial soil laboratory.

Broad incumbents

• Eurofins Agro Testing: Division of Eurofins Scientific offering soil, compost, and plant tissue analysis across Europe. Comparable to LAMS as a commercial soil testing laboratory but with a much broader portfolio (chemistry, microbiology, contaminants) and global scale.
• Bureau Veritas Agri-Food: Bureau Veritas provides agricultural testing and certification services including soil analysis. Comparable to LAMS in offering soil diagnostics but with a much wider compliance and testing portfolio.
• SGS Agriculture & Food: SGS's agricultural services include soil testing and agronomic advisory. Comparable to LAMS as a soil-testing service provider but SGS operates at global scale across many industries rather than specialising in biological soil diagnostics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LydiaClaudeBourguignon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lams

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 LAMS