Association Biovallée

What Association Biovallée does

Association Biovallée is a French non-profit association (loi 1901), founded in 2012 and headquartered in Eurre, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, that mobilizes enterprises, associations, local authorities, and residents of the Drôme valley around ecological and social transition. Its core function is coordination: it does not sell a product or license technology, but rather federates a four-stakeholder community across the three intercommunalities of Val de Drôme, Crestois et Pays de Saillans, and Diois, running programs in agroecology, energy autonomy, sustainable tourism, water/soil/biodiversity, industrial and territorial ecology, and a 'Pôle des Savoirs' (knowledge center). Operational tools include a collaborative platform at plateforme.biovallee.net, a near-monthly newsletter ('Le Lien'), an annual encounters event (~100 participants), quarterly visites inspirantes at member organizations, and the 'Agir en Biovallée' markets that surface 30+ recurring transition solutions.

The business model is community-funded and institutional-grant-supported rather than commercial. Recurring revenue comes from individual memberships (from €5), structure memberships (€50–€300 based on revenue/budget/population), per-capita contributions of €1/inhabitant from the three intercommunalities, tax-deductible donations via 1% pour la Planète accreditation, and search-engine donations through Lilo. Episodic revenue comes from institutional funding, notably the French government's Programme d'Investissements d'Avenir (PIA) Territoire d'Innovation program with Banque des Territoires as a key financial partner. The organization has a small paid staff of around 4–5 employees (with a new EIT position being recruited) and a volunteer board of ~10–15 administrators; recent leadership turnover includes the end of Karine Melzer's 8-year presidency in April 2025 and a new bureau elected in June 2025.

The association's strategic positioning rests on a registered Biovallée® trademark, its Territoire d'Innovation label, and an unusually broad coalition including local SMEs (Groupe GPA, Dwatts), cooperatives (L'Avant-poste SCIC), associations (Écologie au Quotidien, Klub Terre), and an ecohébergeurs community of eight named tourism providers. Its stated differentiators are network density, a documented content library of 40+ solution sheets and 4,000+ trees planted across 60+ communes since 2022, and an innovative governance model that includes representation of the Drôme river in decision-making. The organization is governed as an independent association with no parent company, no PE/VC ownership, and no public revenue disclosures.

Name

Association Biovallée

Legal name

Association Biovallée

Website

https://biovallee.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Association Biovallée is a French non-profit that coordinates enterprises, municipalities, associations, and residents across three Drôme-valley intercommunalities to drive ecological and social transition through membership, events, and Territoire d'Innovation-funded programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Territorial Ecological Transition Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI), Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH), Ecosystem Services & Natural Capital Programs (Water, Biodiversity Credits, PES) (IMAMAJAK)

Keywords

• Ecological transition coordination
• Territorial sustainability network
• Environmental association services
• Community transition programs
• Sustainable development initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Eurre

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: The association collects membership fees from individuals (from 5 euros), enterprises, associations, and municipalities. Fees for structures range from 50 to 300 euros based on revenue, budget, or population. The three intercommunalities of Val de Drôme, Crestois et Pays de Saillans, and Diois contribute at one euro per inhabitant.
2. Institutional funding and project grants: The association receives support through the Territoire d'Innovation program (PIA), regional funding, and grants from partners such as the Banque des Territoires and the French government. The EIT project manager position was created specifically through business leader engagement.
3. Donations (1% for the Planet): The association is accredited 1% pour la Planète, allowing member companies to make tax-deductible donations. It also participates in the Lilo search engine donation program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Association Biovallée is a non-profit territorial association that mobilizes and federates enterprises, associations, local authorities and residents of the Drôme valley around ecological and social transition projects. It sells annual memberships (€5 individuals; €50–€300 scaled for organizations; €1/inhabitant for intercommunalities), facilitates networking and project co-construction through events and a collaborative platform, and supports concrete transition initiatives in agroecology, energy autonomy, sustainable tourism, industrial ecology, and youth/education.

Product overview

Association Biovallée operates as a non-profit territorial coordination body, not a traditional product company. The organization functions as an umbrella association that mobilizes stakeholders (enterprises, associations, local authorities, and residents) to drive ecological and social transition in the Drôme valley. Its core offering consists of coordination services, networking facilitation, and project support rather than commercial products. The primary platform identified is the collaborative platform at plateforme.biovallee.net which enables members to share initiatives and opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Biovallée Collaborative Platform (plateforme.biovallee.net)

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 4,000 fruit trees planted across more than 60 communes in the Drôme valley since 2022
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• EcofilaemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 January 2025Ecofilae is a consulting firm conducting studies on water reuse and ecological solutions. They partnered with the association on a study of treated wastewater reuse (RÉUT project) presented in January 2025 with institutional stakeholders.
• Communauté de Communes du Val de Drôme (CCVD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the three intercommunalities of the Biovallée territory. CCVD contributes one euro per inhabitant as a membership support fee to the association and co-signs the shared vision of the Biovallée eco-territory.
• Communauté de Communes du Crestois et Pays de SaillanscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the three intercommunalities of the Biovallée territory. Contributes one euro per inhabitant as a membership support fee to the association.
• Communauté de Communes du DioiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the three intercommunalities of the Biovallée territory (pays diois). Contributes one euro per inhabitant as a membership support fee to the association.
• 1% pour la Planète (1% for the Planet)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA global network of 3500 associations dedicated to environmental protection. Association Biovallée holds accreditation, enabling member companies to make tax-deductible donations to support its work.
• Lilo (search engine donation program)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLilo is a search engine that donates to associations through a 'drops' (gouttes) program. Association Biovallée receives shared revenue from Lilo users who direct their search donations to the association.
• Écologie au QuotidiencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA local association co-founder of the Biovallée project and organizer of the annual Rencontres de Die. Multiple shared projects and governance roles, with Claude Veyret serving as co-founder and administrator.
• L'Avant-poste (SCIC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA cooperative third-place workspace in Die co-founded with Dwatts and citizen collectives. Houses about thirty professionals engaged in ecological transition. The association has used the space for its permanence in Die and board meetings, and shares common reflections on valorizing local transition initiatives.
• DwattsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTerritorial energy operator and co-founder of L'Avant-poste SCIC. An active member of the association, Dwatts provides local renewable energy solutions and participates in shared projects such as the collaborative workspace in Die.
• Fonds Rivières SauvagesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 'Faire alliance avec la rivière Drôme' project led by a citizen collective. The association supports the initiative to recognize the Drôme river's rights and obtain the 'Site Rivières Sauvages' label.
• Corporate Regeneration (formation 'Administratrice Nature')minorOthersAn external organization providing training programs including the 'administratrice nature' (nature board member) program. Céline Poret, board member of Biovallée, participated in this training to develop approaches for representing living nature in association governance.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mouvement Colibris: A French citizen movement for ecological and social transition founded by Pierre Rabhi. Comparable as a national membership-based civil-society organization mobilizing individuals and local actors around concrete transition projects, though operating at a national rather than territorial scale.
• Citoyens en Transition: A French movement that connects citizens' transition initiatives and promotes an 'inner and outer transition' framework. Closely comparable as a community-led network mobilizing citizens and local actors around ecological transition, sharing similar grassroots methodology and values.
• Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT): A Wales-based eco-centre that has operated as a practical demonstration site for sustainable living since 1973. Comparable as a reference site and educational hub for ecological transition, with similar positioning as a recognized model that attracts visitors, researchers, and replication interest.
• Transition Network: A UK-based charity supporting community-led responses to climate change and shrinking resource availability. Highly comparable model — membership/network-based organization coordinating local transition initiatives — and serves as a conceptual peer for Biovallée's territorial approach.
• Pôle d'Excellence Éco-Industries (et Territoriales): A French cluster/ecosystem dedicated to eco-industries and industrial ecology (EIT) — directly comparable to Biovallée's industrial-ecology mission under Pierre Georgin and the association's broader EIT engagement with partners like Ecofilae.
• Global Ecovillage Network (GEN): A global network of intentional communities and ecovillages promoting sustainable living. Comparable as a federating network coordinating local transition initiatives across multiple stakeholders, with similar emphasis on community-led governance and replicable models.

Broad incumbents

• ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability: A global network of more than 2,500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable development. Comparable in coordinating subnational ecological-transition action and convening local authorities, but serves governments rather than civil-society associations.
• ADEME (Agence de la transition écologique): France's national ecological transition agency under the Ministry of Ecological Transition. Comparable as a funder and convener of French territorial transition initiatives, but operating at a national scale with public-sector authority rather than as a membership-based association.
• France Nature Environnement: The French federation of regional and departmental nature-protection associations. Comparable as a national umbrella coordinating grassroots environmental organizations, but focused primarily on advocacy and biodiversity protection rather than integrated territorial transition.

Emerging players

• Green Cross France et Territoires: The French branch of Green Cross International, focused on sustainable development, peace, and environmental governance. Comparable as a French non-profit addressing environment-and-society intersections, but with a more international/national advocacy posture rather than a single-territory anchoring.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Biovallee
• YouTubeyoutube.com/Biovallee
• Facebookfacebook.com/BiovalleeAssociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-biovallee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Association Biovallée