What Association Castelroc does

Association Castelroc (legal name: Association Castelroc en Arifadès) is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 2016 by Laurent Barrès and headquartered in Saint-Antonin-de-Lacalm, Occitanie, France. The organization restores and animates the Château de La Roque, a 13th-century castle c. 1220 located at 477m altitude in the upper Dadou valley on the edge of the Parc Régional du Haut Languedoc. Its core activity combines volunteer-driven medieval restoration using period-appropriate techniques (stone masonry, carpentry, forge, medieval painting) with immersive public visits, heritage-education programs, and social/professional insertion initiatives.

The product portfolio centers on three core offerings: the Château de La Roque site (open seasonally with entry contributions of €4–6, family/group rates, on-site Taverne du Dragon Repu and boutique); the Chantier École program of multi-day volunteer work camps (€144 for 8 days, €185 for 12 days, including accommodation and meals); and the Assiégés serious board game co-developed with Game Partners and distributed via Philibertnet (retail €19.95) and wholesale (€14.04 at 12-unit minimums). Add-on modules include stone-carving, forge, and medieval-painting workshops, the DECLIC school partnership program with Collège Honoré de Balzac, and corporate seminar/team-building packages.

The business model is multi-stream and donation-led. Revenue combines voluntary visitor contributions, paid volunteer stages, game sales, corporate seminars, and tax-deductible donations (66% individual / 60% corporate deductions) channeled via HelloAsso and Assoconnect, supplemented by institutional grants from DRAC Occitanie, Conseil Départemental du Tarn, ACI insertion funding, and Union Rempart network support. The association runs with a 6-person core staff augmented by 645 volunteers in 2021 contributing 8,800 hours of work, and is governed as an independent association with no parent company, subsidiaries, or equity funding.

Name

Association Castelroc

Legal name

Association Castelroc en Arifadès

Website

https://castelroc.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Association Castelroc is a French non-profit association that restores and animates a 13th-century Occitan castle (Château de La Roque) through volunteer-driven medieval construction camps, heritage-education workshops, corporate seminars, and the Assiégés serious board game.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-Antonin-de-Lacalm

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Visitor Contributions: Visitors pay recommended minimum contributions upon entry to the site, with reduced rates for children, families, and groups. Additional revenue comes from on-site purchases at the Taverne du Dragon Repu (drinks, snacks) and the boutique (books, objects, game sales).
2. Game Sales (Assiégés): The association sells the Assiégés serious game at €19.95 TTC per unit through its website (via distributor Philibertnet), at the on-site boutique, and offers wholesale pricing at €14.04 TTC (30% discount) for distributors with a minimum order of 12 boxes.
3. Volunteer Stage Fees: Multi-day volunteer work/stage programs charge participation fees ranging from €144 to €185, typically including accommodation and meals. Single-day volunteer sessions are free (participants bring their own picnic).
4. Donations and Sponsorship: The association receives tax-deductible donations from individuals (66% tax deduction up to 20% of taxable income) and companies (60% corporate tax deduction up to 0.5% of turnover). Specific campaigns cover education popular, heritage restoration, volunteer accommodation, and insertion programs.
5. Corporate Seminars and Team Building: The association offers corporate seminar and team-building packages at the medieval site, providing companies with an atypical incentive, training, or team-building experience.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Association Castelroc operates and preserves the 13th-century Château de La Roque through immersive living-history programming. Its core offerings consist of public site visits, multi-day volunteer work camps (Chantier École) where participants learn traditional crafts, corporate team-building seminars, school-based educational programs, and the Assiégés serious board game. The association combines heritage restoration, experiential tourism, social integration, and education using period-appropriate medieval construction techniques and costumed interpretation.

Product overview

Association Castelroc operates a medieval heritage preservation project at the Château de La Roque, combining cultural tourism, volunteer work camps, and educational programs. The core offering centers on immersive 13th-century castle experiences where visitors participate in hands-on traditional crafts. The product portfolio includes open-site visits with craft demonstrations (stone masonry, forge, carpentry), multi-day volunteer work camps under the Chantier École program, and the educational Assiégés serious game for learning medieval fortress defense. Additional offerings encompass medieval painting workshops, corporate seminars, and the DECLIC educational partnership with schools. The Taverne du Dragon Repu provides refreshments using a local currency system. All activities are designed to preserve and animate the 800-year-old Occitanie castle while promoting citizenship, social inclusion, and heritage education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• L'Ost de Castelroc: The medieval company of Castelroc, consisting of costumed volunteers who bring the 13th century to life at the site.

Quantifiable outcome

• 645 volunteers contributing 8,800 hours of work in 2021, equivalent to 841 days of construction
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DRAC Occitanie (Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional cultural affairs authority that supports heritage preservation projects. DRAC Occitanie provides institutional recognition and support for the association's restoration activities at the Château de La Roque, working alongside the SRA (Service Régional d'Archéologie) to ensure compliance with heritage protection standards.
• SRA Occitanie (Service Régional d'Archéologie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe regional archaeology service provides scientific oversight and guidance for archaeological work at the site, including building archaeology studies and excavation activities.
• CDAT (Conseil Départemental d'Archéologie du Tarn)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe departmental archaeology council collaborates with the association on building archaeology studies, providing expertise for the preservation and understanding of the site's historical structures.
• Union RempartcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCastelroc joined the Union Rempart network in 2019, which spans over 180 local and regional associations across France and maintains partnerships with more than 50 organizations in 30 countries. The network provides training, volunteer placement, and institutional support. Approximately 10,000 citizens engage through Rempart each year.
• Fondation du PatrimoinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Heritage Foundation is a major national organization dedicated to supporting the preservation of French heritage. It provides funding, visibility, and legitimacy to heritage restoration projects like Castelroc.
• Conseil Départemental du TarncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe departmental council of the Tarn provides institutional support and funding for local heritage and cultural initiatives, including Castelroc's restoration and educational programs.
• CAUE du Tarn (Conseil d'Architecture, d'Urbanisme et de l'Environnement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAUE coordinates the national 'Les Enfants du Patrimoine' event and partners with Castelroc to offer free heritage education activities for school children during the European Heritage Days, serving as the lead organizer and connecting Castelroc with the regional cultural network.
• UDAP (Unité Départementale de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe departmental architecture and heritage unit works closely with the association to preserve the site and maintain its original identity, ensuring restoration work complies with heritage regulations.
• Patrimoines et HumanismeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThis association partners with Castelroc to organize volunteer work days for Centers for Asylum Seekers, supporting social integration through heritage restoration activities.
• Game PartnerscoreTechnology or IntegrationGame Partners collaborated with Castelroc volunteers to design and develop the 'Assiégés' serious game — a medieval fortress defense board game marketed to educators and heritage enthusiasts. Game Partners handles distribution and wholesale sales of the game.
• Scouts de FranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScouts de France volunteers provided significant early momentum to the castle rehabilitation project starting in 2016, contributing substantial volunteer labor to the restoration effort.
• Centre TarnminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe local tourism development agency promotes Castelroc as a tourist destination within the Centre Tarn region, linking the site with the broader regional tourism ecosystem.
• Tarn Occitanie (Regional Council)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe regional council of Occitanie provides institutional support and funding for cultural and heritage projects across the Tarn department.
• Préfet du TarncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe prefect of the Tarn department represents the national government and provides official recognition and support for the association's heritage and social integration activities.
• La Dépêche du Midi (La Dépêche 81)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional newspaper covering Castelroc events and activities, providing press visibility and earned media coverage for the association.
• France 3 OccitanieminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional public television broadcaster covering Castelroc's activities and events, providing media visibility across the Occitanie region.
• RCF Pays TarnaisminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal Catholic radio station covering regional news including Castelroc's activities and events.
• Tarn BénévolatminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal volunteer organization that recognizes and promotes volunteer-driven associations in the Tarn department, including Castelroc.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/chateaucastelroc
• Instagraminstagram.com/castelroc_chateau
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-castelroc

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 Association Castelroc