FERMES BIO

What FERMES BIO does

FERMES BIO is a French commercialization union, founded in 2014, that coordinates the production, processing, and sale of 100% organic cereals, oilseeds, and legumes on behalf of its member agricultural cooperatives. As of the latest disclosure the union comprises two member cooperatives — COCEBI (founded 1983, based in Nitry, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté) and PROBIOLOR (founded 1991, based in Vézelise, Grand-Est) — following the December 2025 departure of BIOCER. The union represents more than 10% of organic cereals produced and commercialized in France, drawing on roughly 530 farmer-members and over 70,000 tonnes of annual production capacity (PROBIOLOR alone collects 27,000 tonnes). Operations span grain collection, decortication (dehulling), fine sorting (tri fin), and — through the AVENA BIO subsidiary — dedicated oat processing (gruautage, floconnage, flour) at a factory inaugurated in Nitry in October 2024.

The product portfolio covers cereals (wheat, spelt, oats, rye, barley, corn, buckwheat), oilseeds (sunflower, flax, rapeseed, camelina, safflower), and legumes (lentils, beans, peas, chickpeas, quinoa, chia), delivered in bulk, Big Bags (500–1,000 kg), and 5–25 kg sacks for both human food and animal feed buyers. Quality is governed by a multi-certification stack including AB (EU organic), Bio Équitable en France, Biopartenaire, CSA-GTP, and Feed Chain Alliance, with lot-level pesticide release analyses on human-food batches. COCEBI also operates the UBIOS brand, described as the French market leader in certified organic seeds.

FERMES BIO operates as a B2B sales-led entity through a small commercial team (Bastien, Camille, Renaud, Charlotte, and Anna) handling direct customer inquiries on availability, quality, and traceability, supplemented by trade show presence at Natexpo and BIOFACH. Pricing is contract-negotiated, not publicly disclosed, and is structured around multi-year arrangements with volume and quality (e.g., meunière at 98%, prêt à ensacher at 99.9%) specifications. Revenue is generated through a transaction-fee / markup model on grain and processed-product sales rather than direct consumer pricing. Distribution is single-country-dominant (France) with incidental European reach (Germany noted at BIOFACH); there is no app, no public API, and no disclosed digital revenue channel beyond a member extranet.

Name

FERMES BIO

Legal name

Fermes Bio

Website

https://fermesbio.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FERMES BIO is a French commercialization union of 100% organic cereal cooperatives (COCEBI and PROBIOLOR), selling organic grains, oilseeds, legumes, and oat-based flakes and flours to B2B buyers in human food and animal feed.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nitry

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grain and Cereal Sales: FERMES BIO generates revenue through the sale of organic cereals, oilseeds, legumes, and processed products (flakes and flours) collected from member cooperative farmers. Products are sold to food industry buyers for human and animal consumption. The union coordinates commercialization across member cooperatives COCEBI and PROBIOLOR.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

FERMES BIO is a commercialization union that aggregates, processes, and sells 100% organic French-origin cereals, oilseeds, legumes, and processed products (oat flakes and flours) sourced from its member cooperatives COCEBI and PROBIOLOR. The union represents more than 10% of organic cereals commercialized in France, serving food manufacturers and animal feed producers through its AVENA BIO oat processing subsidiary and direct B2B sales team.

Product overview

FERMES BIO is a commercialization union of organic cereal cooperatives representing over 10% of France's organic cereal production. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of organic agricultural products through its member cooperatives COCEBI, PROBIOLOR, and AVENA BIO subsidiary. Core offerings include cereals (wheat, oats, barley, rye, corn, buckwheat, spelt), oilseeds (sunflower, flax, rapeseed, camelina), legumes (lentils, beans, chickpeas, peas, quinoa), and processed products (oat flakes, flours). AVENA BIO operates a dedicated oat processing factory producing flakes and flours. Products serve both human and animal nutrition markets, with distribution in bulk, big bags, and 25kg sac formats. All products are 100% French, 100% organic, and carry fair trade labels (Bio Équitable en France, Biopartenaires).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organic Cereals Organic cereals including wheat (tender, biscuit, ancient, force, Khorasan), durum wheat, spelt, emmer, oats (white, dehulled), rye, barley (brewing), corn, and buckwheat (dehullable). Sold bulk for human food applications.
• Organic Oilseeds Organic oilseeds including camelina, safflower, rapeseed, brown and golden flax, and sunflower (oleic, linoleic). Sold bulk for human food applications.
• Organic Legumes and Other Seeds Organic legumes and seeds including chia, beans (white, flageolet, red), lentils (green, black, pink, blonde, coral, small), popcorn corn, millet, peas (green, split, yellow), chickpeas, and quinoa. Sold for human food applications.
• Organic Flakes and Flours Oat flakes (including gluten-free variants), oat flour, cereal flakes, legume flakes, and legume flour. Available in bulk, big bags, or 25kg bags with custom formats available on request. Produced by AVENA BIO subsidiary.
• Organic Animal Feed Organic cereals and protein crops for animal feed including wheat, oats, barley, triticale, sorghum, peas, and fava beans. Certified under CSA-GTP and Feed Chain Alliance certifications.
• UBIOS Certified Organic Seeds Certified organic seed brand operated by COCEBI cooperative, recognized as the French market leader in organic seeds. The brand represents the union's seed product line.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• BIOCERminorOthers · 3 December 2025Former member cooperative of FERMES BIO (230 farmer members in Hauts-de-France, Normandie, Centre-Val de Loire) that decided to leave the union at the end of 2025 campaign to develop its own processing activity. Commercial commitments to partners will be maintained and collaboration will continue under different forms.
• OVH SASminorOthersWeb hosting provider for the fermesbio.fr website. Located at 2 rue Kellermann, BP80157, 59053 Roubaix Cedex 1, France.
• Mairie de NitryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal government of Nitry that provided financial support (part of 340,500 euros in regional and municipal aid) for the construction of COCEBI's new eco-friendly headquarters building.
• Région Bourgogne-Franche-ComtéminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional council that supported the COCEBI headquarters construction project with European funding (FEDER-FSE programme) as an eco-demo building, contributing 340,500 euros covering over 40% of the ecological surcoût.
• Local authorities (various)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment authorities that accompanied and supported the development of the Avena Bio factory project for 100% organic oat flakes production.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Agrial: French multi-sector agricultural cooperative active in grains, dairy, vegetables, beverages, and meat. Comparable to FERMES BIO as a French farmer-owned cooperative serving B2B food customers, though with a much broader portfolio that includes but is not limited to organic.
• Cargill: Global agribusiness with extensive grain origination, trading, and ingredient processing operations including dedicated organic and specialty grain programs. Comparable to FERMES BIO in grain commercialization activities, though vastly larger in scale and serving a much broader global customer base.
• Terrena: French agricultural cooperative in western France active in grains, livestock, and food production. Comparable to FERMES BIO as a French farmer cooperative with grain commercialization activities, though broader and not exclusively organic.
• Axereal: Large French agricultural cooperative with grain collection, malting, and ingredient processing activities serving food and beverage industries. Comparable to FERMES BIO as a French grain commercialization union, with overlapping customer base though broader portfolio and larger scale.
• InVivo: French agricultural cooperative union coordinating activities across multiple French farmer cooperatives in grains, wine, retail, and agriculture services. Directly comparable to FERMES BIO as a French federation of agricultural cooperatives, though with a much broader and non-exclusively-organic scope.
• Vivescia: Major French grain cooperative with grain collection, commercialization, and processing operations across cereals, oilseeds, and pulses. Comparable to FERMES BIO as a French farmer-owned cooperative union commercializing grains, though much larger in scale and not exclusively organic.

Regional players

• Naturland: International organic farming association headquartered in Germany with strong European membership in organic arable farming. Comparable to FERMES BIO as a Germany-based organic farmer organization serving similar grain and oilseed product categories across European markets.
• Bioland: Germany's leading organic farming association, aggregating organic farmers and providing certification and market access for organic produce including grains. Comparable to FERMES BIO as a German counterpart organizing 100% organic farmer-members for commercialization, though based in a different country.

Direct peers

• Quaker Oats: Global oat-focused brand producing oat flakes, flours, and oat-based ingredients for retail and food industry customers. Directly comparable to AVENA BIO's oat flake and flour processing activities, though at a much larger scale and not exclusively organic.
• Bob's Red Mill: US-based manufacturer of organic whole grain products including flours, oats, cereals, and baking ingredients. Direct product overlap with AVENA BIO's organic flakes and flours portfolio, making it a comparable specialty organic grain processor, though based in North America.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fermes-bio

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 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 FERMES BIO