La Relève et La Peste

What La Relève et La Peste does

La Relève et La Peste is an independent French ecological media outlet and publishing house founded in 2015 and headquartered in Bordeaux, operating under the self-description "100% independent" with no shareholders, no advertising, and no bank loans. The company runs a WordPress-based digital platform publishing free articles across categories including climate, nature, politics, local struggles, and alternatives, supplemented by a bi-weekly newsletter reaching approximately 80,000 subscribers and a community petitions engine for environmental advocacy.

The publishing arm, operating under the sub-brand La Relève et La Peste Éditions, sells individual books (e.g., "Eau" at €22) and themed bundles ("Pack Eau + Animal + Océans" at €66; "Pack Eau + Animal + Océans + Forêts" at €88) directly through an e-commerce boutique on its own website. A secondary B2B distribution layer exists via professional accounts for bookstores, local shops, and associations that resell titles on commission. Marketing is predominantly organic, relying on the newsletter and social channels (Instagram, Facebook, X) rather than paid acquisition.

The business model is a long-tail direct-to-consumer publishing operation: free content and community tools build audience, which monetizes through low-velocity but high-margin physical book sales targeted at environmentally conscious French readers. The company employs approximately 9 people, was the subject of a 2024 SLAPP lawsuit from Pierre Fabre Group, and operates exclusively within France.

Name

La Relève et La Peste

Legal name

La Relève et La Peste

Website

https://lareleveetlapeste.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

La Relève et La Peste is an independent French ecological media outlet and publishing house in Bordeaux, self-financed through book sales, serving environmentally conscious readers with free journalism, a bi-weekly newsletter to 80,000 subscribers, and thematic books on nature.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Book sales: Sale of environmental books and book packs covering topics such as water, animals, oceans, and forests. The company sells individual books and themed packs (e.g., Pack Eau + Animal + Océans, Pack Eau + Animal + Océans + Forêts) directly through their online boutique.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

La Relève et La Peste is an independent French media outlet and publishing house that produces ecological journalism (articles on climate, nature, politics, and environmental struggles) and sells environmental books and themed packs (Eau, Animal, Océans, Forêts) through its online boutique. It operates a twice-weekly newsletter reaching 80,000 subscribers and is 100% self-financed through book sales with no advertising, no investors, and no bank loans.

Product overview

La Relève et La Peste is an independent French media outlet and publishing house that operates without shareholders, advertising, or bank loans. Their core product is a digital media platform providing free ecological journalism across categories including climate, nature, politics, and local struggles. The company also operates a publishing division selling books (Eau, Animal, Océans, Forêts) through their boutique, with individual titles (22€) and bundle packages (66€ or 88€). Additional offerings include a twice-weekly newsletter reaching 80,000 subscribers and a professional B2B platform for bookstores to order books for resale.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• La Relève et La Peste Éditions: Publishing house arm of the company that publishes books on environmental topics including 'Eau', 'Animal', 'Océans', and 'Forêts'

Products and services

• Eau (Book) Individual book titled "Eau" (Water) covering water as the origin of all life on Earth and as a rare and threatened resource. Priced at 22.00€, sold directly through the company's e-commerce boutique to environmentally conscious readers.
• Pack Eau + Animal + Océans Bundle package containing books on Water, Animal, and Oceans themes, priced at 66.00€. Sold directly through the online boutique to readers interested in ecology.
• Pack Eau + Animal + Océans + Forêts Comprehensive bundle package containing books on Water, Animal, Oceans, and Forests themes, priced at 88.00€. Sold directly through the online boutique to readers interested in ecology.
• La Relève et La Peste Website and Media Platform An independent French online media platform publishing free articles on ecology, environment, climate, politics, and social struggles. The site offers an environmental petitions platform alongside editorial content covering categories such as climat, nature, politique, luttes locales, alternatives, enquête, and entretien.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Actes Sud: Major French independent book publisher with strong environmental and literary catalog. Comparable as an independent French publishing house, though operating at significantly larger scale across many genres.

Broad incumbents

• Le Monde: Largest French general-interest newspaper with paid digital subscriptions and significant environmental coverage. Broad incumbent in French journalism that overlaps in environmental reporting but operates at much larger scale with advertising revenue.
• Rue89 (owned by Le Monde / Nouvel Obs): French online news outlet known for independent and alternative journalism, now part of larger media groups. Comparable editorial positioning to a citizen-funded alternative outlet, but operates under broader ownership.

Direct peers

• Mediapart: Leading French independent investigative online journal funded entirely by reader subscriptions. Comparable as a French independent, ad-free, reader-funded news outlet, though significantly larger in scale.
• Socialter: French independent magazine focused on social and ecological innovation. Comparable as a French independent periodical covering the intersection of social and environmental issues for engaged citizen readers.
• Reporterre: Daily French independent newspaper focused exclusively on ecological and environmental journalism. Closest direct peer given shared independent, ecology-first editorial positioning and French-language audience.
• Basta!: French independent online media covering social, ecological, and labor issues. Directly comparable as a small, ad-free, citizen-funded independent media outlet serving environmentally conscious French readers.
• Politis: French independent political and ecological magazine funded by subscribers without advertising. Comparable business model of independent journalism self-financed through reader support in the same French market.
• Blast (StreetPress/Thinkerview): French independent investigative media outlet with no advertising and reader-funded revenues. Comparable independent, alternative-media positioning serving engaged French audiences.

Emerging players

• Vert (Vert.eco): French online media outlet dedicated to ecological news and environmental storytelling. Overlaps in ecology-focused French digital journalism but with a different format and ownership structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LaReleveLaPeste
• Facebookfacebook.com/lareleveetlapeste
• Instagraminstagram.com/la_releve_et_la_peste
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/la-releve-et-la-peste

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 La Relève et La Peste