BANQUE ALIMENTAIRE DU BEARN ET DE LA SOULE

What BANQUE ALIMENTAIRE DU BEARN ET DE LA SOULE does

Banque Alimentaire du Béarn et de la Soule (BABS) is a non-profit food bank (association loi 1901) and local chapter of the Fédération Française des Banques Alimentaires (FFBA), operating from a single site at 9 rue du Corps-franc-Pommiès, Billère (Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France). Founded as part of the national food bank network established in 1984 and celebrating its own 40th anniversary in 2025, BABS collects surplus and short-dated food products from food industry companies, large and medium retailers (GMS) and producers, and redistributes them free of charge to people in precarious food situations through a network of 42 partner associations and CCAS running 46 distribution points across Est-Béarn Morlaàs, Haut-Béarn Oloron, Pau agglomeration, Pays des Gaves Orthez, and Pays Basque Intérieur Saint-Palais.

Operationally, BABS relies on a small paid staff of seven supported by a large volunteer base known as 'Gilets Orange'. Its core technology is food logistics: collecting, sorting, storing and redistributing donated products, with the new 'Atelier Juliette' packaging and cutting workshop inaugurated on 19 May 2026 at Billère extending capability into light food processing and valorization of received products. BABS also leverages two national digital platforms coordinated by the FFBA — ClickDon for large-scale industrial product donations (13.3 million meals distributed nationally in 2024) and ProxiDon for geolocation-based proximity donations between local shops and associations (1.8 million meals in 49 departments in 2024, up 16% year-over-year).

The business model is donation-driven rather than revenue-generating: BABS receives in-kind food donations and supplementary cash contributions from individuals and corporations, including via the local MESA corporate patronage platform, and provides its services free of charge to beneficiaries. Visibility and product sourcing are supported by an annual partnership with Stop Hunger at the Tour de France (renewed for a second consecutive year in 2026) and the annual Collecte Nationale in late November. BABS holds the IDEAS label (obtained by the FFBA network in 2021) attesting to governance, financial management and social impact standards.

Name

BANQUE ALIMENTAIRE DU BEARN ET DE LA SOULE

Legal name

Banque Alimentaire du Bearn et de la Soule

Website

https://bapau.banquealimentaire.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Banque Alimentaire du Béarn et de la Soule (BABS) is a French non-profit food bank that collects surplus food from industry and retail and redistributes it free of charge to people in precarious food situations across five sub-territories in Béarn and Soule, via 42 partner associations and 46 distribution points.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Food Aid Services

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

Keywords

• Food bank services
• Charitable food redistribution
• Food waste prevention
• Emergency food assistance
• Humanitarian food collection

Headquarters

HQ city

Billère

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Donations from Food Industry and Retail: The core revenue stream consists of food product donations from industrials, large-scale retailers (GMS), and producers who have surplus or short-dated products that would otherwise be destroyed.
2. Financial Donations from Public and Corporations: Individuals and companies can make monetary donations to support the food bank's operations, including equipment, logistics costs, utilities, and volunteer training.
3. ClickDon Platform (Large-scale Product Donations): ClickDon allows industrial and large-scale donors to signal large quantities of products to give. The Federation ensures equitable distribution among the network of food banks. In 2024, the equivalent of 13.3 million meals was distributed via this platform.
4. ProxiDon (Proximity Donations): ProxiDon enables proximity gifting between local shops and associations via geolocation. In 2024, this service distributed more than 1.8 million meals in 49 departments.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BABS is a local charitable food bank that collects 162 tonnes of surplus food annually from retailers, food industrials, and producers, then redistributes it free of charge through 42 partner associations and CCAS operating 46 distribution points across the Béarn and Soule territories. Operations are supported by hundreds of volunteers ('Gilets Orange') and include on-site processing through the Atelier Juliette workshop. The equivalent of 2.4 million meals is provided each year to 18,100 people in precarious situations.

Product overview

BANQUE ALIMENTAIRE DU BEARN ET DE LA SOULE (BABS) est une association du réseau des Banques Alimentaires de France, opérant comme une organisation caritative d'aide alimentaire. Elle n'est pas une entreprise technologique mais une structure logistique sociale. L'offre de services repose sur la collecte gratuite de denrées alimentaires (162 tonnes/an), leur redistribution via 46 points de distribution menés par 42 associations et CCAS partenaires, et l'accompagnement de personnes en précarité (18 100 bénéficiaires, soit 2,4 millions de repas/an). Les opérations incluent un Atelier Juliette de conditionnement et découpe inauguré en mai 2026 à Billère. La BABS utilise des plateformes numériques ClickDon et ProxiDon pour optimiser la récupération et la répartition des dons alimentaires.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food collection (Collecte de denrées alimentaires) Free collection of 162 tonnes of food per year from retailers (GMS), food industrials, and producers, including surplus, over-produced, and short-dated products.
• Territorial food distribution (Distribution alimentaire territoriale) Free-of-charge redistribution of collected food across Est-Béarn Morlaàs, Haut-Béarn Oloron, Pau agglomeration, Pays des Gaves Orthez, and Pays Basque Intérieur Saint-Palais, via 46 distribution points operated by 42 partner associations and CCAS.
• Emergency food aid (Aide alimentaire d'urgence) Provision of the equivalent of 2.4 million meals per year to 18,100 people in precarious situations through partner associations and CCAS.
• ClickDon platform Digital platform allowing industrial and large-scale retailers to signal large quantities of food products to donate; the FFBA federation ensures equitable distribution across the 79-bank network. In 2024, 13.3 million meals were distributed via this platform nationally.
• ProxiDon proximity donation service Geolocation-based service connecting local shops directly with nearby associations for proximity food donations; in 2024 it distributed more than 1.8 million meals across 49 departments, a 16% increase over 2023.
• La Collecte Nationale (National Collection) Annual nationwide food collection held the last weekend of November in hypermarkets and supermarkets across France, mobilizing volunteers and public donations of food products.
• Atelier Juliette — packaging and cutting workshop On-site facility at the Billère warehouse dedicated to processing and valorizing certain food products received by BABS, enabling improved food quality and waste reduction. Inaugurated on 19 May 2026 and named in tribute to Juliette, the former doyenne volunteer.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18,100 people in precarious situations helped annually, equivalent to 2.4 million meals
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Stop Hunger / A.S.O.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 July 2026Stop Hunger, at the initiative of A.S.O. (Amaury Sport Organisation), delivers food products to the food bank at the departure of the Tour de France from Pau on July 9. This is the second consecutive year of this partnership, providing visibility and product donations.
• ProxiDoncoreTechnology or IntegrationProxiDon is a geolocation-based platform that connects local shops with nearby associations for proximity food donations. In 2024, it distributed more than 1.8 million meals in 49 departments, a 16% increase over 2023.
• ClickDoncoreTechnology or IntegrationClickDon is a platform for large-scale product donations from industrial and large retail donors. The Federation coordinates equitable distribution among the 79 food banks. In 2024, the equivalent of 13.3 million meals was distributed via this platform.
• Grandes et Moyennes Surfaces (GMS) / Large RetailcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLarge and medium-sized retail stores donate food products, including fresh products with short shelf life and dry goods, throughout the year under partnership agreements for regular collection rounds.
• Industriels et Producteurs (Industrial and Producer Donors)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood industry companies and producers donate surplus products (overproduction, labeling errors, etc.). Tax deductions of up to 60% of the donation value apply within limits of 0.5% of annual turnover.
• Fédération Française des Banques Alimentaires (FFBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBABS is a member of the national French food bank network (79 food banks), which coordinates national collection campaigns, ClickDon platform, advocacy, and shared standards (e.g., IDEAS label since 2021). The network serves 2.4 million people via 6,044 associations.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: Largest US food bank network; operates a comparable surplus-food-collection-and-redistribution model at national scale. Useful as a strategic benchmark for digital platform and corporate partnership development.
• Food Banks Canada / Banques alimentaires Canada: National Canadian food bank network using a similar provincial-chapter model. Comparable in mission, structure, and reliance on retail/manufacturer surplus donations, useful for benchmarking.
• Croix-Rouge Française: French Red Cross chapter; operates food distribution ( épiceries sociales) and broader humanitarian aid. Comparable food-aid mission but embedded in a much larger health and emergency-response portfolio.
• Fédération Française des Banques Alimentaires: The national umbrella federation of which BABS is a chapter; operates ClickDon, ProxiDon, the Collecte Nationale, and national advocacy. Not a direct competitor but the platform/incumbent that defines BABS's operating environment.
• Secours Populaire Français: Large French nonprofit providing food aid alongside broader social services (clothing, housing support, legal aid). Overlaps with BABS on food-insecure beneficiaries but operates a wider portfolio.

Others

• European Food Banks Federation (FEBA): European umbrella federation of food banks including FFBA. Not a direct peer but the supranational coordinating body whose policy and EU funding decisions directly shape BABS's operating context.

Direct peers

• Restos du Cœur: Major French food aid nonprofit providing free meals and groceries to people in poverty. Operates a similar beneficiary-facing food distribution mission in France, with comparable target population and volunteer-driven model.
• Banque Alimentaire de Paris et d'Île-de-France: Another local chapter of the FFBA network operating the same surplus-food collection and redistribution model in the Paris/Île-de-France region. Directly comparable in mission, structure, and revenue model, just at larger scale.
• Banque Alimentaire du Rhône: Sister FFBA chapter in the Rhône (Lyon) region running an identical collection-from-industry, redistribution-through-partners model. Directly comparable structure, governance, and revenue model, with overlapping digital platform usage.

Emerging players

• SOLAAL: French association facilitating donations from the agricultural sector to food banks including the FFBA network. Acts as an upstream supply intermediary — comparable in mission alignment and partially overlapping donor base with BABS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/BanquesAlimentaires
• Facebookfacebook.com/banquealimentaire640
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/banquealimentaire640
• Instagraminstagram.com/banquealimentaire640

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 BANQUE ALIMENTAIRE DU BEARN ET DE LA SOULE