La Caverne
La Caverne (SAS Cycloponics) converts abandoned underground parking in French cities into organic mushroom farms and business incubator space, producing 100+ tonnes annually across 7 sites in Paris, Bordeaux, and Lyon, and sells site-conversion consulting to social-housing landlords.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersLa Chapelle, France
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What La Caverne does
La Caverne, the consumer-facing brand of French company SAS Cycloponics (founded 2016, headquartered at 74 rue de La Chapelle, 75018 Paris), transforms abandoned underground parking infrastructure into productive urban mushroom farms and business incubator space. The company operates 7 active sites across three metropolitan areas — Paris (La Caverne), Bordeaux (La Cave Agricole, two sites in Floirac and Lormont), and Lyon (La Tanière des Gones, two sites in the 8th arrondissement and Villeurbanne) — totaling 25,000 m² of converted underground space and producing over 100 tonnes of organic mushrooms annually across three varieties (Champignons de Paris, Pleurotes, Shiitaké). All products carry dual Agriculture Biologique France and EU organic certifications. Distribution is hyper-local, with 80% of mushrooms delivered by bicycle or electric vehicle.
The underlying technology is intentionally low-tech and low-energy controlled-environment agriculture, exploiting the stable temperature, humidity, and natural protection of subterranean environments rather than vertical farming racks or advanced automation. Cycloponics complements its mushroom production with a Pépinières d'Entreprise business incubator that leases portions of its underground sites to 65+ startups, artisans, associations, and small businesses at 30% below prevailing market rents, creating 150+ indirect jobs. The company also sells an Études & Conseil consulting line to social-housing landlords (bailleurs sociaux) and private parking owners, offering feasibility studies, regulatory and urban planning support (permis de construire, déclarations préalables), construction management, and operational site management — having served 7 parking owner clients since 2016.
Cycloponics is a private, founder-controlled SAS with Théophile Champagnat as Directeur de la Publication, share capital of €16,500, and no disclosed institutional funding. Core go-to-market is direct B2B sales to restaurants for mushroom volume, direct consumer/retail channels for local end-users, direct rental to incubator tenants, and direct enterprise sales to social-housing providers for consulting and site-conversion mandates. The model is bootstrapped, with growth tied to partnerships with major French social housing organizations (ICF Habitat, Elogie-SIEMP, RIVP, Aquitanis, Domofrance, SACVL, VILOGIA, CDC) and the Parisculteurs urban farming initiative.
La Caverne firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- La Caverne
- Legal name
- SAS CYCLOPONICS
- Website
- https://lacaverne.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- La Caverne (SAS Cycloponics) converts abandoned underground parking in French cities into organic mushroom farms and business incubator space, producing 100+ tonnes annually across 7 sites in Paris, Bordeaux, and Lyon, and sells site-conversion consulting to social-housing landlords.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
La Caverne industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Urban Agriculture / Mushroom Production
- NAICS
- Mushroom Production (111411)
- SIC
- Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mushroom & Fungi Production (Indoor/Protected) (AFAGAHAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Mushroom Farming (Button, Oyster, Shiitake) (AFAGADAJ)
Keywords
Where La Caverne is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- La Chapelle
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
La Caverne business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Mushroom Production and Sales: Production and sale of organic mushrooms (Champignons de Paris, Pleurotes, Shiitaké) grown in underground farms to restaurants and local consumers
- Business Incubator/Rental: Leasing underground spaces to 65+ businesses, startups, artisans, associations creating diverse activity zones
- Consulting and Advisory Services: Feasibility studies, technical and regulatory assessments, administrative procedures, construction management, and site operation services for parking owners
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
La Caverne product offering
Product offeringCore offering
La Caverne (Cycloponics) cultivates organic mushrooms—Champignons de Paris, Pleurotes, and Shiitaké—in repurposed underground parking garages across France, producing 100+ tonnes annually. It also runs a business incubator hosting 65+ startups, artisans, and associations in the same underground spaces, and offers consulting services to social housing providers and parking owners for transforming vacant underground real estate into productive urban farms.
Product overview
La Caverne (Cycloponics) operates a unified offering combining underground urban mushroom farming with business incubator services. The core products are three organic mushroom varieties—Champignons de Paris, Pleurotes, and Shiitaké—cultivated across three branded sub-sites: La Caverne (Paris), La Cave Agricole (Bordeaux), and La Tanière des Gones (Lyon). These farms share a common low-tech, sustainable approach, converting abandoned underground parking into productive agricultural space. The Pépinières d'Entreprise module runs alongside the farms, hosting 65+ businesses in the same underground spaces. An Études & Conseil consulting service extends the company's expertise to other property owners seeking to develop similar underground urban farming projects.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Champignons de Paris Organic Paris mushrooms (white button mushrooms) cultivated underground and sold to restaurants and local consumers for maximum freshness.
- Pleurotes Organic oyster mushrooms grown in underground urban farms, offering locally produced specialty mushrooms to restaurants and consumers.
- Shiitak\u00e9 Organic shiitake mushrooms cultivated in underground urban farms, providing locally grown specialty mushrooms for restaurants and consumers.
- \u00c9tudes & Conseil (Consulting Services) Consulting services for property owners including feasibility studies, technical and regulatory assessments, administrative procedures, construction management, and site operation services for underground urban farming projects.
- P\u00e9pini\u00e8res d'Entreprise (Business Incubator) Affordable commercial space rental in converted underground parking, hosting 65+ startups, artisans, and associations across 7 sites at 30% below market rates.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100+ tonnes of organic mushrooms produced annually
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use La Caverne
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
La Caverne technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
La Caverne partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- AquitaniscoreSocial housing provider (bailleur social) in Bordeaux region. Partnership for 3000m² caves at Floirac transformed into underground agricultural production.
- DomofrancecoreSocial housing provider in Bordeaux region. Partnership for 3000m² parking at Lormont transformed into underground agricultural production.
- SACVLcoreSocial housing provider in Lyon. Partner for underground urban farming operations at La Tanière des Gones.
- VILOGIAcoreSocial housing provider in Lyon. Partner for underground urban farming operations at La Tanière des Gones.
- CDC (Caisse des Dépôts)coreFrench public financial institution. Partner for underground urban farming operations at La Tanière des Gones in Lyon.
- ICF HabitatcoreSocial housing provider in Paris. Partner for La Caverne underground farm site in Paris.
- Elogie-SIEMPcoreSocial housing provider in Paris. Partner for La Caverne underground farm site.
- RIVPcoreSocial housing provider (Régie Immobilière de la Ville de Paris). Partner for La Caverne underground farm site.
- ParisculteurscoreParis urban farming initiative/program. Strategic partner for urban agriculture development in Paris.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
La Caverne competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- MyForest Foods: US company producing mycelium-based food products. Comparable on specialty mushroom-adjacent category and food-service/distribution focus for novel fungi products.
- Les Nouvelles Fermes: French urban aquaponics operator combining fish and vegetable production in controlled environments. Comparable as a French-market urban agriculture peer pursuing sustainable, hyperlocal food production.
Broad incumbents
- Plenty: US vertical farming operator focused on leafy greens at scale using high-tech indoor farms. Comparable as an urban, indoor controlled-environment agriculture player competing for the same ESG-aligned capital and retailer attention.
- Bonduelle: Large European processed and fresh vegetable group with a mushroom/canned mushroom line. Comparable as a much larger incumbent supplying European foodservice and retail with mushroom and vegetable products.
- Gotham Greens: US urban greenhouse operator building rooftop and city-adjacent greenhouses supplying supermarkets and restaurants. Comparable on urban-located, controlled-environment agriculture and B2B foodservice distribution.
- Infarm: German in-store and urban vertical farming operator that distributed modular growing units across European grocery and restaurant networks. Comparable on indoor urban farming and B2B food-service distribution model.
- AeroFarms: US indoor vertical farming company using aeroponic controlled-environment agriculture. Comparable as a large-scale indoor farming competitor pursuing B2B retail and foodservice channels.
- Bowery Farming: US indoor vertical farming company serving retailers and restaurants with locally grown produce. Comparable as a capital-backed urban agriculture brand competing for shelf space and foodservice contracts.
Direct peers
- Smallhold: US-based urban mushroom farming network operating distributed microfarm installations in underutilized building space, including restaurants and supermarkets. Highly comparable on product (specialty mushrooms), distribution model (hyperlocal), and repurposing of urban infrastructure.
- Agricool: French urban farming startup using containerized controlled-environment agriculture in cities to grow produce. Directly comparable as a French-market urban agriculture operator pursuing hyperlocal distribution.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
La Caverne social profiles
Digital presenceLa Caverne compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
La Caverne financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
La Caverne leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
La Caverne funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
La Caverne 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 La Caverne
What does La Caverne do?
La Caverne (Cycloponics) cultivates organic mushrooms—Champignons de Paris, Pleurotes, and Shiitaké—in repurposed underground parking garages across France, producing 100+ tonnes annually. It also runs a business incubator hosting 65+ startups, artisans, and associations in the same underground spaces, and offers consulting services to social housing providers and parking owners for transforming vacant underground real estate into productive urban farms.
Is La Caverne a public or private company?
La Caverne is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was La Caverne founded?
La Caverne was founded in 2016.
Where is La Caverne based?
La Caverne is headquartered in La Chapelle, France, in the Europe region.
How does La Caverne make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Mushroom Production and Sales are the primary driver. The others are business Incubator/Rental and consulting and Advisory Services.
Who are La Caverne's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are MyForest Foods and Les Nouvelles Fermes. Broad incumbents are Plenty, Bonduelle, Gotham Greens, Infarm, AeroFarms and Bowery Farming. Direct peers are Smallhold and Agricool.
Does La Caverne have an API?
No public API is recorded for La Caverne.
What industry is La Caverne in?
La Caverne's product category is Urban Agriculture / Mushroom Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAGAHAK, Mushroom & Fungi Production (Indoor/Protected), with a secondary code of AFAGADAJ, Mushroom Farming (Button, Oyster, Shiitake). Its NAICS code is 111411 and its SIC code is 2833.