Groot Eiland
Groot Eiland is a Brussels-based social economy nonprofit providing vocational training, work experience, job coaching, and labor care to Brussels residents distant from the labor market, operating four social enterprise projects (restaurants, urban farming, bio market, woodworking) as training environments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersSint-jans-molenbeek, Belgium
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Groot Eiland does
Groot Eiland is a Brussels-based social economy nonprofit founded in 1985 that provides integrated employment services to residents of the Brussels region who are distant from the labor market. Its service offering spans four stages of the employment pathway: vocational training, work experience placement, job coaching, and arbeidszorg (labor care). The organization serves two primary constituencies: job seekers facing barriers to employment (lack of qualifications, work experience, or other obstacles) and Brussels-area employers seeking diverse talent pools and social responsibility outcomes.
The organization operates a portfolio of four social enterprise projects that double as practical training environments: Restaurants & Catering (hospitality training via operating restaurant and catering services), Stadslandbouw en Landscaping (urban farming including CSA self-pick operations in Jette and Ganshoren and a flower farm), Bio Market & Gifts (organic market and gift shop), and Schrijnwerkerij (woodworking). Employees in the spotlight (Bilguissou, Ridouan, Khadija) illustrate the participant pipeline running through these projects. Beneficiary onboarding is structured through separate intake pathways for job seekers and employers.
Groot Eiland's revenue model is that of a social economy nonprofit: services are provided free of charge to job seekers, with operating funding sourced from government subsidies and donations. The social enterprises (catering, bio market, CSA memberships) generate some commercial revenue that is reinvested into the training mission. The organization is a private entity with no parent company, no funding rounds, and no M&A activity disclosed. Distribution is direct via physical project sites and dedicated programs in Brussels.
Groot Eiland firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Groot Eiland
- Legal name
- Groot Eiland
- Website
- https://ateliergrooteiland.be
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Groot Eiland is a Brussels-based social economy nonprofit providing vocational training, work experience, job coaching, and labor care to Brussels residents distant from the labor market, operating four social enterprise projects (restaurants, urban farming, bio market, woodworking) as training environments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Groot Eiland industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Workforce Development Services
- NAICS
- Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Workforce Development & Inclusive Employment (Job Training, Placement) (BPAGALAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Employment & Job Readiness Support Services (BPAGAEAJ), Experiential Learning & Internships/Co-ops (EDALABAG)
Keywords
Where Groot Eiland is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sint-jans-molenbeek
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Groot Eiland business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Groot Eiland product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Groot Eiland delivers integrated work-integration services for Brussels residents who are distant from the labor market, combining vocational training (opleiding), on-the-job work experience, job coaching, and labor care (arbeidszorg). Participants gain real work experience through four operational social enterprise projects: Restaurants & Catering, Urban Farming & Landscaping, Bio Market & Gifts, and Woodwork (Schrijnwerkerij). Services are provided free of charge to job seekers and partially funded through government subsidies and donations.
Product overview
Groot Eiland is a social economy organization offering a portfolio of work integration projects including Restaurants & Catering, Urban Farming & Landscaping, Bio Market & Gifts, and Woodwork (Schrijnwerkerij). These projects provide training, work experience, job coaching, and employment support to talented Brussels residents who are distant from the labor market. The organization functions as a unified social enterprise with multiple operational divisions rather than a single product platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Restaurants & Catering: Social economy project providing restaurant and catering services, including training in hospitality.
- Stadslandbouw en landscaping
- Bio market & Gifts
- Schrijnwerkerij
Products and services
- Restaurants & Catering Restaurant and catering operations that function as a work-integration social economy project, providing hospitality training and work experience for Brussels residents distant from the labor market. Includes venues such as Taverne Ter Linden in Jette and BelO sandwich bar.
- Stadslandbouw en Landscaping (Urban Farming) Urban farming and landscaping services that serve as a work-integration social economy project, including community-supported agriculture (CSA) self-pick farms CourJette (vegetables) and FleurAkker (flowers) in Jette, and year-round vegetable operations by Theo in Ganshoren.
- Bio Market & Gifts Organic market and gift products project offering sustainable, healthy, and ecologically grown produce to the community while providing work experience and training to participants.
- Schrijnwerkerij (Woodwork) Woodworking services providing craftsmanship training and employment opportunities in the Brussels region as a work-integration social economy project.
Companies that use Groot Eiland
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Groot Eiland technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Groot Eiland partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Groot Eiland competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- SAW-B (Solidarité des Alternatives Wallonnes et Bruxelloises): Belgian social economy support organization promoting and federating social enterprises including WISEs across Brussels and Wallonia. Not a direct operator like Groot Eiland but an enabling/ecosystem peer that shapes funding and policy for the same work-integration model.
Broad incumbents
- Actiris: Brussels-Capital public employment service mandated to match job seekers with employers and run training programs. Overlaps with Groot Eiland's employment-support and training remit, but as a public-sector incumbent serving the full Brussels labor market rather than a specialized social economy operator.
- Bruxelles Formation: Brussels public training body delivering vocational training and career guidance to job seekers in the region. Overlaps with Groot Eiland's vocational training offering but as a broader incumbent with full-sector curriculum coverage.
Direct peers
- Les Petits Riens: Belgian social economy organization operating second-hand shops and work-integration projects in Brussels, employing people far from the labor market. Directly comparable mission (training + real-work environment) and Brussels-centric footprint.
- Interface3: Brussels-based social economy organization providing IT/digital training and work integration programs for women far from the labor market. Directly comparable work-integration social enterprise model targeting disadvantaged job seekers in Brussels.
- Mission Locale de Bruxelles: Brussels-based youth employment and inclusion organization providing training, job coaching, and social support to young job seekers. Comparable target population (labor-market distant) and comparable Brussels-only operating model.
- De Kringwinkel: Belgian network of social economy thrift shops providing work experience and training to disadvantaged job seekers through retail/reuse operations. Closely comparable WISE (work integration social enterprise) model with multiple operational projects.
Regional players
- VDAB: Flemish public employment and vocational training agency. Overlaps with Groot Eiland's job coaching and training remit, but Flemish-only geography and larger public-sector scale.
- CPAS Molenbeek-Saint-Jean / OCMW Sint-Jans-Molenbeek: Local public welfare center in the same commune (Sint-Jans-Molenbeek) where Groot Eiland is headquartered. Provides social assistance, employment activation, and referral pathways for the same target population. Strong regional overlap and potential referral partner/competitor for inclusion programs.
- Tremplin 96: Walloon social economy umbrella/operator running work-integration enterprises in neighboring French-speaking Belgium. Same WISE model as Groot Eiland (real-work training environments for disadvantaged job seekers) but primarily Wallonia rather than Brussels.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Groot Eiland social profiles
Digital presenceGroot Eiland financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Groot Eiland leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Groot Eiland funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Groot Eiland M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Groot Eiland
What does Groot Eiland do?
Groot Eiland delivers integrated work-integration services for Brussels residents who are distant from the labor market, combining vocational training (opleiding), on-the-job work experience, job coaching, and labor care (arbeidszorg). Participants gain real work experience through four operational social enterprise projects: Restaurants & Catering, Urban Farming & Landscaping, Bio Market & Gifts, and Woodwork (Schrijnwerkerij). Services are provided free of charge to job seekers and partially funded through government subsidies and donations.
Is Groot Eiland a public or private company?
Groot Eiland is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Groot Eiland founded?
Groot Eiland was founded in 1985. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Groot Eiland based?
Groot Eiland is headquartered in Sint-jans-molenbeek, Belgium, in the Europe region.
Who are Groot Eiland's main competitors?
SAW-B (Solidarité des Alternatives Wallonnes et Bruxelloises) is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Actiris and Bruxelles Formation. Direct peers are Les Petits Riens, Interface3, Mission Locale de Bruxelles and De Kringwinkel. Regional players are VDAB, CPAS Molenbeek-Saint-Jean / OCMW Sint-Jans-Molenbeek and Tremplin 96.
Does Groot Eiland have an API?
No public API is recorded for Groot Eiland.
What industry is Groot Eiland in?
Groot Eiland's product category is Workforce Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGALAB, Workforce Development & Inclusive Employment (Job Training, Placement), with a secondary code of BPAGAEAJ, Employment & Job Readiness Support Services. Its NAICS code is 624310 and its SIC code is 8300.