Abbaye de Boulaur

What Abbaye de Boulaur does

Abbaye de Boulaur is a Cistercian monastic community of 25 sisters (average age ~45) operating from a 900-year-old monastery in Boulaur, Gers, France, under the Diocese of Auch. Its activities span four interconnected lines: (1) artisanal food production on an organic farm with Jersey and Brown Alpine cattle, including raw-milk farmhouse cheeses (Saint Germier, La Brouette Cistercienne), farmhouse yogurt, terrines and galantines, cornelian-cherry jams, organic flours (wheat, buckwheat, petit épeautre), pasta, and Or & Mousse organic beers brewed from estate grains; (2) monastic hospitality in a ~20-room guesthouse hosting ~6,000 retreat seekers, families, students, scouts, priests, and seminarians annually; (3) guided heritage tours of the abbey church (14th-century frescoes), 17th-century cloister, and chapter house; and (4) donations and IFI tax-deductible giving routed through HelloAsso, Fondation des Monastères, and Fondation Magnificat.

The underlying "technology" is traditional Cistercian Ora et Labora execution — organic dairy, an in-house cheese dairy (raw-milk vats added December 2021), and contracted artisan partners (Jean Brasse and Dulion for beer, Ferme REY for stone-milled flour, L'Odyssée d'Engrain for pasta) — packaged through a 150m² on-site shop opened in 2022, an online store via HelloAsso, and selective reseller partnerships (Divine Box, Artisanat Monastique de Toulouse, Abbaye du Barroux, Bienvenue à la Ferme, Samatan market). Distribution is augmented by national and religious media exposure (M6, TF1, France Inter, La Croix, Famille Chrétienne) and events such as the Journées Européennes du Patrimoine and on-site concerts.

The business model is direct-to-consumer across product, hospitality, and donation channels, with a publicly stated ambition under the Grange 21 initiative to multiply revenue by 4 within five years and to raise cheese output from 3 to 15 tonnes annually. The operation is structured as a Catholic religious institution under the Cistercian Order (OCIST), legally Abbaye Sainte Marie de Boulaur, with no external equity, no funding rounds, and no commercial parent; financing for capital projects is sourced from French Republic, Région Occitanie, FEADER/LEADER, Crédit Agricole, and Dartagnans crowdfunding. Two daughter communities — Abbaye de Rieunette (1998, six sisters) and Abbaye Notre-Dame des Neiges (2022-2023, eight sisters from Boulaur) — extend the congregation's footprint while operating independently.

Name

Abbaye de Boulaur

Legal name

Abbaye Sainte Marie de Boulaur

Website

https://boulaur.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Abbaye de Boulaur is a Cistercian monastery in Gers, France, where 25 sisters operate an organic farm producing artisanal cheeses, beers, flours, and pasta, and run a guesthouse hosting retreat-seekers, students, families, and clergy, with sales via on-site shop, e-commerce, and partner retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulaur

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Agricultural Product Sales: Sale of artisanal products manufactured on-site from the abbey's organic farm: raw milk cheese (Saint Germier, Brouette Cistercienne), farmhouse yogurt, terrines and galantines (pork, chicken liver), confitures, organic beers (Or & Mousse), and flours (wheat, buckwheat, spelt). Products sold through monastery shop, online store, and partner retailers.
2. Hospitality Services: Guesthouse accommodation hosting approximately 20 rooms for retreat seekers, students, families, youth groups, scouts, and religious visitors. Meals included. Also independent houses available in the village for families or groups. Phone hotline for bookings available daily.
3. Guided Tours: Free guided visits of the abbey including the church with 14th century frescoes, 17th century cloister, chapter house, and the Belle Dame statue. Tours available daily except Tuesday at 11h and 16h.
4. Donations: Donations accepted through HelloAsso platform with fiscal receipt capability (French tax deduction). IFI (Impôt sur la Fortune Immobilière) donations via Fondation des Monastères. Also donations accepted via Magnificat foundation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Abbaye de Boulaur is a Cistercian monastery that produces and sells artisanal organic food products (raw milk cheeses, organic beers, farmhouse yogurts, terrines, jams, flours, and pasta) from its on-site farm, while also operating a monastic guesthouse for spiritual retreats and offering guided tours of its 12th-century heritage site. The community of 25 nuns operates under the Rule of Saint Benedict (Ora et Labora) and is self-sustaining through sales of these products and hospitality services.

Product overview

Abbaye de Boulaur operates as a Cistercian monastery combined with an artisanal food production enterprise and hospitality services. The product portfolio centers on farm products transformed on-site: raw milk farmhouse cheeses (La Brouette Cistercienne, Saint Germier), farm yogurt, artisanal terrines and galantines, homemade jams including cornouille, organic flours (wheat, buckwheat, petit épeautre), and craft beers (Or & Mousse). Hospitality services include a 20-room monastic guesthouse and guided abbey tours. The monastery follows the Rule of Saint Benedict with Ora et Labora (prayer and work) as its foundation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• La Brouette Cistercienne: Artisanal farmhouse cheese (tomme) made from raw cow's milk from the abbey's organic farm, aged 2-5 months, sold as 'Saint Germier' or 'La Brouette'
• Or & Mousse
• Cornouille
• Saint Germier

Products and services

• La Brouette Cistercienne Farmhouse raw milk cheese (tomme de vache) made by the nuns from the milk of Jersey and Brown Alpine cows grazing in Gers pastures. Aged 2 to 5 months.
• Saint Germier cheese Traditional tome cheese aged between 2 and 5 months, made from farm-produced milk of Jersey and Brown Alpine cows on the abbey's organic farm.
• Yaourt fermier (Farmhouse yogurt) Unmixed farmhouse yogurt made from pasteurized milk from abbey cows raised outdoors on fresh grass.
• Terrines et Galantines Artisanal terrines and galantines made by the nuns including pure pork varieties (with piment d'Espelette, pepper, mushrooms, pruneaux, olives), foie de volaille varieties (plain, with Armagnac, with mushrooms), and pork galantines.
• Confitures de l'Abbaye (Abbey jams) Homemade jams made from fruits and vegetables from the abbey's garden, including cornouille (cornelian cherry) jam with its characteristic tart flavor reminiscent of currant and raspberry.
• Farines bio de l'Abbaye (Organic flours) Organic flours including semi-complete wheat flour, gluten-free buckwheat flour, and petit épeautre flour. Stone-milled and packaged at the monastery.
• Pâtes bio au blé anciens (Organic ancient wheat pasta) Organic pasta made from ancient semi-complete wheat cereals grown in abbey fields, produced by L'Odyssée d'Engrain in Castelnau-Magnoac and packaged at the monastery.
• Or & Mousse Bières (Organic Abbey Beers) Organic artisanal beers (blonde and blanche) brewed from cereals harvested at the abbey including wheat, buckwheat, triticale, and spelt. Produced in collaboration with local brewers Jean Brasse and Dulion.
• Hôtellerie monastique (Monastic guesthouse) Monastic guesthouse with approximately 20 rooms welcoming students, families, women alone, groups, religious, priests, and seminarians for spiritual retreat. Meals included. Priority given to young people, families with children, and clergy.
• Visites guidées de l'Abbaye (Guided tours) Guided tours of the abbey including the church with 14th-century frescoes, 17th-century cloister, chapter house, and the 'Belle Dame' statue. Tours available daily except Tuesday at 11h and 16h.

Quantifiable outcome

• Growth from 25m2 shop (1985) to 150m2 store (2022) with target of 50,000 customers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jean Brasse and DulioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwo brewers collaborating with the abbey to produce Or & Mousse organic beers from the monastery's cereal harvest.
• Ferme REYcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal farm in Simorre (32) milling the abbey's grain into flour using traditional stone-grinding methods.
• Odyssée d'EngraincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProducer in Castelnau-Magnoac (65) manufacturing pasta from the abbey's ancient wheat varieties.
• Bienvenue à la FermeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgricultural network providing visibility and distribution support for farm products.
• Notre-Dame des NeigescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister abbey in Ardèche where 8 nuns from Boulaur established a new community. Both abbeys support each other in the Cistercian mission.
• Abbaye de RieunettecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDaughter house founded in 1998 in the diocese of Carcassonne, with 6 sisters continuing the Cistercian mission.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Chimay (Abbaye de Scourmont):
• Abbaye d'Orval: A Trappist monastery in Belgium producing Orval cheese and Orval Trappist beer. Regional peer with similar monastic artisanal production model but located in Belgium rather than France.
• Abbaye de Maredsous: A Benedictine abbey in Belgium producing Maredsous cheese and Maredsous beer. Regional peer operating similar monastic artisanal production and direct-to-consumer retail model in Belgium.

Direct peers

• Abbaye de Sept-Fons: A Cistercian-Trappist abbey in Allier, France, producing and selling artisanal products including chocolates, soaps, and other goods online. Direct peer with similar French monastery artisanal production and e-commerce distribution.
• Abbaye de Tamié: A Benedictine abbey in Savoie, France, famous for its Tome de Tamié cheese and other artisanal dairy products. Direct peer with similar French monastery artisanal cheese production and direct-to-consumer sales model under monastic governance.
• Abbaye de Cîteaux: The mother house of the Cistercian order, located in Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux, France. Direct peer as it operates artisanal production including Cîteaux cheese and operates under the same Cistercian governance structure as Boulaur.
• Abbaye d'Igny: A Cistercian abbey in Marne, France, producing and selling artisanal food products including cheeses and honeys. Direct peer with similar French Cistercian monastic artisanal production and direct-to-consumer retail.
• Abbaye du Barroux: A Cistercian monastery in Provence, France producing and selling artisanal products including beer, jams, chocolates, and cosmetics. Direct peer as they already distribute Boulaur's Or & Mousse beers and share the same monastic artisanal production and direct-to-consumer retail model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/abbaye.boulaur

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Abbaye de Boulaur