Bateau Genève

What Bateau Genève does

Association pour le Bateau Genève is a Geneva-based non-profit association founded in 1974 that operates the historic 1896 paddle steamer "Genève" moored at Quai Gustave-Ador on Lake Geneva. Its core product is a daily social reception service running Monday to Friday from 7:30 to 11:00, providing free breakfasts to 150-200 people in precarious situations and hosting pasta parties every other Sunday, alongside a socio-professional insertion program placing 30 trainees per year across boat maintenance, Buvette operations, and social-reception preparation.

The organization runs La Buvette, a seasonal café-restaurant open to the public from late April to late September (Wed-Sat from 17h), with terrace capacity of 50-80 guests and a curated live-music program; this is staffed in part by insertion trainees and serves as the social-enterprise financing arm for the association. Year-round revenue and community engagement are further generated through Locations Privées (private event rentals from CHF 500 to CHF 2,000, minimum 35 guests, full-boat capacity up to 300 persons) and Service Traiteur catering services, with bookings processed via online forms and table reservations handled through resapirate.ch.

Funding combines Buvette sales, private event revenue, recurring membership fees, individual donations (via CCP 12-11482-9), and public subsidies including support from the Ville de Genève. The organization embeds itself in Geneva's social-services ecosystem through the Collectif d'associations pour l'urgence sociale (CausE), produces cultural content under the Journal de bord, Radio Pirate, and Passeport du Bateau brands, and operates with no proprietary technology systems — relying instead on standard hospitality equipment, the 1896 vessel infrastructure, and basic digital distribution (Facebook, Instagram, website booking forms). Maintenance, governance, and outreach are handled by a small team of approximately 14 staff plus a volunteer committee, with Etienne Quillet referenced as the association's administrator.

Name

Bateau Genève

Legal name

Association pour le Bateau Genève

Website

https://bateaugeneve.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bateau Genève is a Geneva-based non-profit operating the 1896 paddle steamer "Genève" as a social reception center serving 150-200 free daily breakfasts, a seasonal Buvette café-restaurant, and year-round private event rentals with catering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Social Reception and Heritage Hospitality Services

NAICS

Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Charters & Yacht Experiences (Crewed, Bareboat, Day Charters) (THAJAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Gulet & Traditional Wooden Yacht Cruises (THAEADAE)

Keywords

• Social reception services
• Socio-professional insertion
• Café-restaurant operations
• Private event hosting
• Heritage venue management

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Buvette café-restaurant: Seasonal café-restaurant open to public from May to end of September. Serves food and beverages, hosts live music events. Operates Wednesday to Saturday from 17h. Managed with professional restaurant staff and insertion trainees.
2. Private event rentals: Year-round private event booking service. Events include birthdays, corporate dinners, weddings. Minimum 35 persons for partial privatization. Full boat rental available in off-season. Catering services provided by in-house chef and insertion trainees.
3. Public subsidies and private donations: Association is financed through private donations, Buvette revenue, and public subsidies. Donation page available on website. Bank account provided for transfers (CCP: 12-11482-9). Membership fees also collected.
4. Membership fees: Annual membership fees for supporters joining the Bateau family. Contact and adhesion form available on website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Association pour le Bateau Genève operates a historic 1896 paddle steamer moored on Lake Geneva, providing daily free breakfasts and social reception to 150–200 people in precarious situations, socio-professional insertion internships for around 30 trainees per year, a seasonal public café-restaurant (La Buvette, late April to late September) with cultural programming, and year-round private venue rentals and catering (Service Traiteur) for events of 35–300 guests.

Product overview

Bateau Genève operates as a unified social enterprise combining multiple interconnected services on a historic two-deck salon boat launched in 1896. The core offering is the Accueil Social program providing daily free breakfasts and social support, complemented by socio-professional insertion internships. The Buvette café-restaurant runs seasonally (May-September), serving both as a public gathering space and as a training ground for insertion trainees. The Service Traiteur and Locations Privées offerings provide year-round private event hosting with catering, generating revenue to support the social mission. Publications like 'Le Passeport du Bateau' document the association's heritage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• La Buvette: Seasonal café-restaurant open from May to September, offering food, drinks, and entertainment on one of the most beautiful terraces of Lake Geneva's harbor.
• Buvette

Products and services

• La Buvette (Seasonal Café-Restaurant) Seasonal public café-restaurant open approximately 25 April to 25 September, Wednesday to Saturday from 17h, serving food, drinks, and live music programming on the boat's terraces. Serves as both a public hospitality venue and a workplace for socio-professional insertion trainees.
• Locations Privées (Private Venue Rentals) Year-round private event rental of the historic boat for birthdays, apéros, corporate dinners, weddings, and custom events. Partial privatization requires a minimum of 35 guests; full boat rental (up to 300 guests) is available in off-season, with pricing ranging CHF 1,300–2,000 excluding VAT depending on day of week.
• Service Traiteur (Catering) In-house catering service for private events (cocktails, buffets, full meals) prepared by the chef alongside socio-professional insertion trainees. Available year-round, priced by separate quote depending on event needs and is offered with or without venue rental.
• Accueil Social et Petits-déjeuners (Social Reception & Free Breakfasts) Free morning social reception service open Monday to Friday from 7:30 to 11:00, providing free breakfasts and hot meals to 150–200 people in precarious situations each weekday. Complemented by pasta parties every other Sunday from 17:00 to 19:30. Free to beneficiaries; no formal enrollment required.
• Stages d'Insertion Socio-professionnelle (Socio-Professional Insertion Internships) Annual socio-professional reinsertion internship program placing around 30 trainees per year in boat maintenance, ECO renovation projects, summer Buvette operations, and social reception preparation. Aims to provide professional reintegration pathways for people in social difficulty.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150-200 people receive free breakfast daily
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Collectif d'associations pour l'urgence sociale (CausE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Bateau Genève is part of this collective of associations working on social emergency response in Geneva. Together they coordinated efforts such as housing homeless people in hotels during COVID-19 crisis.
• Ville de Genève (City of Geneva)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Passeport du Bateau 50th anniversary publication was produced with support from the Ville de Genève.
• Association pour le Patrimoine Industriel (API)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Venue partner for 50th anniversary exhibition from April 18 to August 9, 2024, located at 25 rue du Vuache. The exhibition showcased the social, cultural, and heritage history of the association.
• SOS Méditerranée SuisseminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership for September 2021 event: exhibition followed by karaoké evening organized at the Bateau.
• Geneva PrideminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership for T-dansant event on September 12, 2021 featuring Greta Gratos, with COVID certificate required.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Fondation Leenaards: Geneva charitable foundation supporting social, cultural, and scientific projects in the region. Comparable in geography and funding ecosystem to the public and private donors supporting the Bateau's social mission.
• Le Cargo: Geneva cultural venue hosting concerts, exhibitions, and community events. Adjacent to Bateau Genève's cultural programming and event hosting function, though operates from a fixed building rather than a vessel.
• ProSpecieRara: Swiss heritage non-profit preserving rare breeds and plants. Comparable to Bateau Genève in its Swiss heritage preservation mission and non-profit charitable structure.
• Hôtel Beau-Rivage Genève: Historic Geneva luxury hotel offering private events and dining on Lake Geneva. Comparable to Bateau Genève in its historic Geneva waterfront positioning and premium private event offering.
• SOS Méditerranée Suisse: Swiss maritime-humanitarian organization that has partnered with Bateau Genève for events. Adjacent given shared maritime theme and Geneva non-profit ecosystem, though mission focus differs.

Broad incumbents

• Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le lac Léman (CGN): Major lake cruise operator that originally owned the Bateau Genève and decommissioned it in 1973. Operates multiple historic passenger ships on Lake Geneva serving similar tourism and private event use cases, though at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Caritas Genève: Major Geneva social services organization addressing food insecurity, social exclusion, and professional insertion. Overlaps with the Bateau's social reception, breakfast services, and insertion training offerings.
• La Barje: Geneva-based association running a community space with socio-professional insertion programs. Comparable to Bateau Genève in its hybrid social-business model serving precarity populations in Geneva.
• Les Bains des Pâquis: Geneva lakeside social and cultural institution offering food, community programs, and sauna/harbor activities. Highly comparable to Bateau Genève in combining a waterfront venue, community engagement, and seasonal public-facing hospitality on Lake Geneva.

Regional players

• Cyclorama Genève: Geneva-based venue for private events, conferences, and cultural programming. Comparable to Bateau Genève in its private event hosting and cultural programming use cases, though operates from a different venue format.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bateau_geneve
• Facebookfacebook.com/bateaugeneve
• Instagraminstagram.com/bateau_geneve_officiel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bateau-gen-ve

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Bateau Genève