VRAC France

What VRAC France does

VRAC France (legally Association Vers un Réseau d'Achat en Commun) is a French non-profit association headquartered in Villeurbanne that operates a federated network of 22 local associations running collective purchasing groups (groupements d'achats, GACs) across 23 territories in France and Belgium. The organization serves more than 10,300 member households through 124 purchasing groups located in priority urban neighborhoods (Quartiers Prioritaires de la Ville) and on university campuses, providing residents of low-income areas and students with access to organic, local, and fair-trade products at cost price through monthly pop-up distributions in partner venues. The primary beneficiaries are households in QPV-designated neighborhoods who lack physical and financial access to quality food.

The core product is L'Épicerie VRAC, a multi-tenant e-commerce platform hosted at epicerie.vrac-asso.org and built and maintained by SCOP Alilo, which enables members to pre-order from a catalogue of roughly 60–85 products (dry goods, oils, legumes, flours, honey, eggs, hygiene, and cleaning supplies) and collect orders at monthly neighborhood distribution points. No proprietary technology or AI capability is described; the platform is a standard order-management system. Distribution relies on partner-hosted venues—social centers, schools, community halls, and public-housing companies (e.g., PCS Albert in Anderlecht, Foyer du Sud in Forest, Centre Belfon in Toulouse)—with no permanent retail storefronts.

VRAC's revenue mechanics are non-commercial: products are sold at cost with no markup, membership dues are sliding-scale (€1–€20, sometimes free for referred QPV residents), and the majority of operating capital is sourced from public grants and institutional foundation funding (Banque des Territoires, Fondation Carasso, Fondation MACIF, AG2R La Mondiale, France Relance, regional and departmental councils, Bruxelles Environnement GoodFood, COCOF). Growth is achieved through community referrals, partner-organization mobilization, and replication of the federation model into new territories, with the national body providing shared tools, methodology, brand, and the central ordering platform.

Name

VRAC France

Legal name

Association Vers un Réseau d'Achat en Commun (VRAC)

Website

https://vrac-asso.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

VRAC France is a French non-profit association that federates 22 local associations running 124 collective purchasing groups serving over 10,300 member households in priority urban neighborhoods and university campuses across France and Belgium, providing access to organic and local products at cost price through monthly community distributions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Food Cooperatives

NAICS

Food and Beverage Retailers (445), All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298)

SIC

Retail-Food Stores (5400)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Co-ops with Online Ordering & Pickup/Delivery (CRAHALAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Buying Clubs & Community Bulk Purchasing Co-ops (CRAHALAE)

Keywords

• Collective food purchasing
• Organic wholesale distribution
• Community cooperative buying
• Food access programs
• Neighborhood buying groups

Headquarters

HQ city

Villeurbanne

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales at Cost: Products are sold at cost price to members. The association adds no markup; prices reflect the wholesale cost plus minimal logistics. This is a cost-recovery model, not a profit-generating one.
2. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees (ranging from free to €20 depending on the local association and member's socioeconomic situation) contribute to operational costs.
3. Public and Private Grants/Funding: Substantial funding comes from institutional and foundation partners (regional councils, European funds, foundations) that subsidize both operations and member pricing, enabling below-market rates for priority audiences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

VRAC France coordinates a federation of 22 local associations running 124 collective purchasing groups (groupements d'achats) in priority urban neighborhoods and university campuses across 23 territories in France and Belgium. Member households pre-order organic, local, and fair-trade food products (60-85 SKUs per catalogue) through the L'Épicerie VRAC online platform and collect them at monthly pop-up distributions hosted at partner social centers and community halls. Products are sourced through short supply chains and sold at wholesale cost with no markup, while membership fees are sliding-scale (free to €20/year) based on socioeconomic status, enabling access for low-income households.

Product overview

VRAC France operates a network of 22 local associative branches across France and Belgium that run group purchasing groups (groupements d'achats en commun, GAC) in priority neighborhoods. The core product is L'Épicerie VRAC, a multi-tenant e-commerce platform hosted at epicerie.vrac-asso.org that enables member households to pre-order products each month from their local GAC. The platform is built and maintained by SCOP Alilo (as noted on the site footer). Each local association runs its own GAC operations independently, organizing order-taking periods, distribution events, and community animations in their territory. The national association (VRAC National) coordinates the network, provides tools and support, and maintains the shared digital platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• L'Épicerie VRAC Online Ordering Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• 780 member households ordering monthly in Brussels (2025), growing from 700 in 2024
• +3 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

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Toulouse MétropolecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerToulouse Métropole is a key institutional funder and supporter of VRAC Toulouse Métropole, providing financial support as part of the city's solidarity and food access policies.
• Fondation 4WingscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVRAC Bruxelles was initiated by Fondation 4Wings, which provided the founding support and strategic direction to launch the first Belgian VRAC association in Brussels.
• Groupe OnecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVRAC Bruxelles was incubated by Groupe One, a Brussels-based organization supporting social entrepreneurship, which provided incubation support during its startup phase.
• La Maison du LogementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Maison du Logement is a local housing partner supporting VRAC Saint-Étienne operations in social housing neighborhoods.
• Saint-Étienne Municipality Social Centers (Centres Sociques)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSocial centers across Saint-Étienne (Centre Belfon, Centre Soupetard, Centre Izards/Bordure Rouge, Centre Rey, Assqot Bagatelle, Régie de Bellefontaine, Garage pour Tous, MDQ Bagatelle) host VRAC distribution points, provide volunteer mobilization, and serve as community anchors for the purchasing groups.
• Cantine Participative Saint-ÉtienneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Cantine Participative Saint-Étienne collaborates with VRAC Saint-Étienne on cooking workshops and community food events, as covered in Le Progrès newspaper coverage.
• CPIE Rhône Pays d'ArlescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVRAC Pays d'Arles is hosted by the CPIE (Centre Permanent d'Initiatives pour l'Environnement) Rhône Pays d'Arles. CPIE brings its environmental and food education expertise and network to the project, which launched in 2022 under this umbrella organization.
• Social Centers and Community Associations (Belgium)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVRAC Bruxelles works with PCS Albert (Anderlecht), La Samaritaine Committee (Marolles), Gaffi asbl (Schaerbeek), PCS Là-Haut (Evere), and other local organizations to host distribution points and mobilize residents in priority neighborhoods.
• Foyer du Sud (Belgium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoyer du Sud (public housing company) and VRAC Bruxelles asbl have partnered on the commune of Forest to occupy and dynamize a building at Square Toinon. This partnership enables VRAC to establish a permanent-ish presence in Forest through an Appel à Manifestation d'Intérêt (AMI) process.
• La Rue asbl (Molenbeek)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Rue asbl is a key local partner for the new Molenbeek GAC, helping VRAC establish presence and recruit members in the neighborhood.
• D'ici et d'Ailleurs (Mental Health Service, Molenbeek)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerD'ici et d'Ailleurs, a community mental health service in Molenbeek, partners with VRAC to support the new Molenbeek groupement and its members.
• RTES (Réseau des collectivités Territoriales pour l'Économie Solidaire)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRTES published about VRAC's expansion to Toulouse, Paris, and Lille in 2018, providing network visibility and peer recognition among local authority solidarity economy practitioners.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AssoVrac
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCl5MZ0SBXTL_XAgETZC8-vg
• Facebookfacebook.com/VRACFrance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vrac-france
• Instagraminstagram.com/vracfrance

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 VRAC France