EPLEFPA Castelnau-le-Lez

What EPLEFPA Castelnau-le-Lez does

EPLEFPA Castelnau-le-Lez is a French public agricultural education establishment located in Castelnau-le-Lez, Occitanie, near Montpellier. It comprises three operational units: the Lycée Professionnel Agricole Honoré de Balzac, the commercial horticultural exploitation Les Serres de la Frondaie, and the apprenticeship training unit of CFA Montpellier Orb-Hérault. The institution delivers nationally certified programs from 3ème EADP through BTS level, spanning horticulture, floristry (CAP Fleuriste), garden-center retail (Bac Pro Technicien Conseil Vente Univers Jardinerie), laboratory quality control (Bac Pro Laboratoire Contrôle Qualité and BTS Bioqualité), bio-industries (Bac Pro PIPAC), and the technological STAV baccalaureate. It serves approximately 340 students, 90 of whom are boarders, and employs 40 teachers plus roughly 39 administrative, technical, and student-life staff.

The core technical asset is Les Serres de la Frondaie, a horticultural greenhouse operation renovated in 2014-2015 by the Conseil Régional d'Occitanie. The facility uses double-glazed rare-gas insulation, wood-fired heating, sub-irrigation, rainwater harvesting, and weather-station-linked computer control. Since November 2005 it has implemented Protection Biologique Intégrée (PBI), substituting beneficial insects (Amblyseius cucumeris, Aphidius ervi, Chrysoperla carnea) for chemical pesticides. Products carry Fleurs de France and Sud de France labels, with Plante Bleue certification in progress and Level 2 environmental certification already obtained. The school website runs on WordPress with WooCommerce powering the click-and-collect online shop and WP Job Manager hosting the apprenticeship job board.

As a state-funded public institution, EPLEFPA Castelnau-le-Lez derives the majority of its operating budget from the French Ministry of Agriculture and the Conseil Régional d'Occitanie, supplemented by the taxe d'apprentissage from partner companies and retail revenue from the greenhouse boutique. Tuition is free for all students. Its go-to-market is structurally constrained: enrollment flows through the national Affelnet system, open days, and mini-stages; apprenticeship placements are intermediated by the school via its job board and partner companies including local florists and bio-industry employers. Strategic priorities articulated by leadership include active pedagogy, sustainable development (anchored in the PBI program), and international cooperation with Chile (since 2009) and Burkina Faso.

Name

EPLEFPA Castelnau-le-Lez

Legal name

Établissement Public Local d'Enseignement et de Formation Professionnelle Agricole de Castelnau-le-Lez (34)

Website

https://hdebalzac.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

EPLEFPA Castelnau-le-Lez is a French public agricultural education establishment in Occitanie delivering state-certified vocational and technological programs from 3ème to BTS level across horticulture, floristry, laboratory quality control, and bio-industries, supported by a commercial greenhouse exploitation and apprenticeship training unit.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Vocational Education

NAICS

Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519), Technical and Trade Schools (61151), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Horticulture, Nursery & Greenhouse Operations (EDAOAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) / Vertical Farming (Indoor LED Farms) (AFAGAHAJ), Biosecurity, Pest & Disease Control for CEA (IPM, Screening, Sanitation) (AFAAAHAK)

Keywords

• Agricultural vocational education
• Horticultural training programs
• Floristry education
• Laboratory quality training
• Apprenticeship training services

Headquarters

HQ city

Castelnau-le-Lez

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: As a French public agricultural education establishment (EPLEFPA), the school receives government funding from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Occitanie Regional Council. Tuition is free for students (lycée public d'État).
2. Taxe d'Apprentissage: Companies contribute a learning tax (taxe d'apprentissage) which supports the school's equipment and pedagogical projects. Code UAI: 0341001D, Siret: 19341001600011.
3. Commercial Sales: The Serres de la Frondaie horticultural exploitation generates revenue through direct sales of plants and flowers to the public. All proceeds fund the operation and investment of the exploitation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

EPLEFPA Castelnau-le-Lez is a public agricultural education establishment that delivers vocational and technological training from 3ème through BTS level in horticulture, floristry, garden center sales, bio-industries, and laboratory quality control. It combines the Lycée professionnel Honoré de Balzac, the Serres de la Frondaie commercial horticultural operation, and the CFA de Montpellier Orb-Hérault apprenticeship unit. Its primary customers are secondary and post-secondary students, with the greenhouse operation also supplying plants directly to retail customers.

Product overview

EPLEFPA Castelnau-le-Lez is a public agricultural education establishment consisting of the Lycée Professionnel Agricole Honoré de Balzac, the horticultural exploitation 'Les Serres de la Frondaie', and the apprenticeship training unit of CFA Montpellier Orb-Hérault. The institution offers vocational and technological programs ranging from 3ème to BTS level, covering horticulture, floristry, garden center sales, bio-industries, laboratory quality control, and agricultural land management. The Serres de la Frondaie greenhouse operation serves as both a pedagogical tool and a commercial unit selling ornamental plants and vegetable seedlings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lycée professionnel agricole Honoré de Balzac Public vocational high school under EPLEFPA Castelnau-le-Lez enrolling around 340 students from 3ème through BTS level, offering programs in horticulture, floristry, garden center sales, bio-industries, and laboratory quality control. Free state-funded tuition with a teaching staff of 40 and 30 administrative/technical staff.
• Serres de la Frondaie Commercial horticultural exploitation of 4,580 m² of greenhouses growing ornamental plants using Protection Biologique Intégrée (PBI), energy-saving glazing, water-saving substrates, and computerized climate control. Plants are sold on-site and via the serres-frondaie.fr online store, and serves as the practical training platform for students.
• Formation par apprentissage (CFA de Montpellier Orb-Hérault) Apprenticeship training delivered via the CFA de Montpellier Orb-Hérault unit under EPLEFPA Castelnau-le-Lez, recruiting apprentices through partnerships with regional horticulture, landscaping, garden center, and agri-business employers and publishing job opportunities for partner companies.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

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

• Université STAPS de MontpelliermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 March 2026Partnership with the university for the tambre (traditional Occitanie sport) project. Students benefit from university academic support and the school contributes to promoting traditional sports and Olympic values.
• Comité National Olympique et Sportif Français (CNOSF)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Supporting the Olympic Classes initiative with the lycée, promoting Olympic values and traditional sports like tambre.
• UNSS (Union Nationale du Sport Scolaire)minorOthers · 1 January 2026National school sports union organizing competitions for school teams including the volleyball team that competed at the national MAAF beach-volley championship.
• CROS OccitanieminorOthers · 1 January 2026Regional Olympic and Sports Committee supporting the Olympic Classes project.
• CFA de Montpellier Orb-HéraultcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EPLEFPA includes the CFA (Centre de Formation des Apprentis) of Montpellier Orb-Hérault, enabling apprenticeship training programs alongside traditional schooling.
• Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Souveraineté AlimentairecoreOthersThe school operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture. The ministry sets educational standards, recruits staff, and provides funding.
• Conseil Régional d'OccitaniecoreOthersThe regional council financed the extensive renovation of the lycée and greenhouses (2013-2014) and provides ongoing funding for operations, scholarships, and meals.
• Guillaume DechavanneminorOthersEngaged figure supporting the promotion of school sports as part of the Olympic Classes initiative.
• DRAAF OccitaniecoreOthersDirection Régionale de l'Alimentation, de l'Agriculture et de la Forêt supports the school's educational projects, cultural activities, and artistic residencies.
• DRAC OccitaniecoreOthersDirection Régionale des Affaires Culturelles supports artistic and cultural projects including artist residencies at the school.
• ONF (Office National des Forêts)minorOthersForestry office provides educational forest outings for STAV students to learn about forest management from professional forest rangers.
• MHSC Volleyball (Montpellier Hérault Sport Club)minorOthersProfessional volleyball club visited the school as part of the Olympic Classes project, with players including Olympic medalists.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• École Du Breuil (City of Paris horticultural school): A French public horticultural lycée offering CAP, Bac Pro, and BTS programs in horticulture, landscaping, and floristry. Directly comparable in mission and curriculum to Honoré de Balzac, with the additional dimension of running its own municipal arboretum and production greenhouses for training.
• EPLEFPA de l'Hérault / Montpellier (other public agricultural lycées in Occitanie): Other French public agricultural education establishments (EPLEFPA) operating under the same Ministry of Agriculture framework, offering overlapping CAP/Bac Pro/BTS programs in horticulture, agronomy, and laboratory quality. They share the same funding model, governance constraints, and competitive dynamics for student recruitment in the Occitanie region.

Others

• DRAAF Occitanie: The Direction Régionale de l'Alimentation, de l'Agriculture et de la Forêt is the regional state authority overseeing agricultural education and supporting the school's cultural, educational, and artistic projects. Relevant as the regulatory and funding counterpart that sets strategic direction.
• Chambre d'Agriculture de l'Hérault: The departmental chamber of agriculture supporting farm and agribusiness development in Hérault. Comparable as a regional agricultural ecosystem player that liaises with the school on apprenticeship placements, curriculum input, and territorial projects.

Broad incumbents

• Institut Agro Montpellier (formerly Montpellier SupAgro): The flagship French public higher-education and research institution for agriculture, agronomy, and food science, headquartered in Montpellier. It is comparable as the broader incumbent agricultural-education provider in the same catchment, though it serves a higher academic tier (engineering degrees, MSc, PhD) rather than vocational CAP/Bac Pro.
• AgroParisTech: France's leading grande école for agricultural sciences, life sciences, and environmental engineering. Comparable as a national public agricultural-education incumbent under the same Ministry of Agriculture, but at the engineering-degree tier rather than vocational training.
• Truffaut: One of France's largest garden-center and plant-retail chains and a frequent employer of Bac Pro Technicien Conseil Vente Univers Jardinerie graduates from Honoré de Balzac. Comparable as a downstream channel for the school's horticulture graduates and as a benchmark for the commercial plant-retail market the Serres de la Frondaie serves.
• Jardiland: Major French garden-center chain employing vocational horticulture and garden-retail graduates. Comparable as both a downstream employer for Honoré de Balzac alumni and a reference competitor in plant retail that competes indirectly with Serres de la Frondaie for local plant-purchasing customers.

Regional players

• Pépinières Naudet: A medium-sized French nursery specializing in landscape and ornamental plant production. Comparable as a regional competitor and potential employer for Honoré de Balzac horticulture graduates, operating in the same Occitanie/PACA geography.

Emerging players

• Meilland Richardier: A leading French rose and ornamental-plant breeder-producer operating commercial greenhouses in southern France. Comparable as a regional horticultural production business using advanced greenhouse techniques, with potential overlap in sustainable production methods and as an apprenticeship/employment partner.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Frondaie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eplefpa-castelnau-le-lez

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 EPLEFPA Castelnau-le-Lez