LE BIAU JARDIN

What LE BIAU JARDIN does

Le Biau Jardin is a French Société Coopérative d'Intérêt Collectif (SCIC) operating organic market gardening on a 20-hectare estate in Gerzat (Puy-de-Dôme), with 13 hectares in active vegetable cultivation, a 2,200 m² glass greenhouse, and traditional agroecological methods including companion planting, crop rotation, beneficial-insect pest control, rain water recovery, and cold storage chambers. Founded in 1997 as a Jardins de Cocagne-affiliated insertion project and reorganized as a SCIC in 2007, the cooperative simultaneously pursues three missions — organic production, social-professional insertion (conventioned as an Entreprise d'Insertion and agrééé ESUS), and cooperative governance with more than 200 cooperators holding 100% of capital under a one-person-one-vote principle.

The company monetizes primarily through weekly organic vegetable basket subscriptions (Grand Panier at €18.50/week and Petit Panier at €13/week, with optional fruit, egg, and bread add-ons) delivered to over 40 deposit points across Puy-de-Dôme on Thursdays and Fridays, supplemented by an on-farm shop (épicerie à la ferme) aggregating more than 50 regional producers, a Biau Drive online ordering platform, and a Demi-Gros wholesale channel serving restaurants and caterers (with indirect access to collective catering via SCIC Auvergne Bio Distribution and to retailers/processors via AUVABIO, founded in 2018).

Operations are supported by approximately 13 permanent employees plus 16 insertion-pathway (CDDI) workers, coordinated across market gardening, delivery, and farm-shop functions. The firm's customer base is primarily long-tail individual subscribers (over 1,000 baskets prepared weekly, >90% delivered to deposit points) with a secondary professional restaurateur/caterer segment; revenue and funding rounds are not publicly disclosed, and growth is signaled through infrastructure reinvestment (2019 new greenhouse, 2021 farm-reunification property acquisition) and ecosystem partnerships rather than top-line metrics.

Name

LE BIAU JARDIN

Legal name

LE BIAU JARDIN

Website

https://lebiaujardin.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Le Biau Jardin is a French SCIC cooperative that produces and delivers weekly organic vegetable baskets to over 1,000 subscribers across 40+ deposit points in Puy-de-Dôme, while operating an on-farm shop, Biau Drive, and wholesale channel, and providing professional-integration pathways to disadvantaged workers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Market Gardening

NAICS

Vegetable and Melon Farming (1112), Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers (4244)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Stakeholder Grocery Cooperatives (CRAHALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Natural/Organic Food Co-ops & Community Natural Grocers (CRAHAEAJ), Farmer Cooperatives & Co-op Retail (AFABAJAB), Natural, Organic & Health Foods Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAAAK)

Keywords

• Organic vegetable baskets
• Market gardening cooperative
• Farm shop retail
• Social insertion employment
• Wholesale produce supply

Headquarters

HQ city

GERZAT

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Weekly basket subscriptions (paniers bio): Customers subscribe to weekly deliveries of organic vegetable baskets (petit or grand panier), with optional add-ons (fruits, eggs, bread). Billed monthly via direct debit or check. This is the primary revenue stream.
2. On-farm shop (epicerie à la ferme): Farm shop selling hundreds of references of organic, local, fair-trade products from over 50 regional producers. Open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Includes bulk (vrac), meat, dairy, honey, syrups, beers, and grocery products.
3. Biau Drive: Online ordering and drive-through service (biaudrive.fr) for farm products.
4. Demi-gros (half-wholesale): Wholesale supply of fresh organic produce to professional restaurateurs and caterers. Weekly delivery on Clermont-Ferrand or via basket routes. For collective catering, products are distributed through Auvergne Bio Distribution platform.
5. Donations: The cooperative accepts donations as a recognized 'Entreprise Solidaire d'Utilité Sociale' (ESUS). Donations support the social mission of professional integration.
6. Cooperative shares (parts sociales): The SCIC issues cooperative shares (1 share = €77) allowing individuals to become associates (coopérateurs). Over 200 cooperators currently hold 100% of the cooperative's capital. This is described as a placement rather than a donation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Le Biau Jardin is an organic market-gardening cooperative that cultivates roughly 13 ha of organic vegetables in Gerzat (Puy-de-Dôme) and distributes them primarily through weekly basket subscriptions delivered to 40+ deposit points across the Clermont-Ferrand agglomeration. The cooperative supplements baskets with an on-farm shop (Épicerie à la Ferme) carrying 500+ organic, local, and fair-trade references from 50+ regional producers, an online drive pickup service (Biau Drive), and a wholesale channel (Demi-Gros) supplying restaurants and caterers. As an Entreprise d'Insertion, the cooperative also employs people in social-professional integration pathways as a core part of its mission.

Product overview

Le Biau Jardin operates a multi-channel direct-to-consumer model built around weekly vegetable basket subscriptions (Paniers Bio), an on-farm shop (Epicerie à la Ferme), an online drive platform (Biau Drive), and a professional wholesale service (Demi-Gros). The core offering is the vegetable basket subscription in two sizes (Grand and Petit) with optional add-ons for fruits, eggs, and bread, supplemented by the farm shop with hundreds of organic/local/fair trade products from over 50 local producers. The company also maintains a recipes section to encourage product usage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Paniers Bio (Organic Vegetable Baskets) Weekly subscription delivery of seasonal organic vegetables in two sizes (Grand Panier at €18.50/week and Petit Panier at €13/week) with optional add-ons for fruits, eggs, and bread; delivered to over 40 deposit points across Puy-de-Dôme for individual consumers and families.
• Épicerie à la Ferme (On-Farm Shop) Physical farm shop at Le Moulin du Roy in Gerzat open Wednesday to Friday, selling hundreds of organic, local, and fair-trade product references (bulk goods, meat, dairy, honey, syrups, beers, cosmetics, household products) sourced from 50+ Auvergne producers, with basket pickup also available on site.
• Biau Drive Online ordering platform (biaudrive.fr) enabling subscribers and customers to place orders for farm products and collect them via drive-through pickup at the farm in Gerzat.
• Demi-Gros (Wholesale Supply to Professionals) Wholesale supply of fresh, organic vegetables to professional restaurateurs and caterers in the Clermont-Ferrand area, with weekly price lists (mercuriales), regular volumes, and dedicated contact channel ([email protected]).

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 1,000 baskets prepared per week
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AUVABIOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Le Biau Jardin participated in creating AUVABIO in 2018, a group of organic market gardeners and fruit growers in Auvergne. This group enables broader distribution of vegetables to retailers and processors, and participated in the Budget Éco-Citoyen project to make local organic produce accessible to the widest number.
• SCIC Auvergne Bio DistributioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2008Le Biau Jardin became an associate and supplier of Auvergne Bio Distribution, a SCIC that handles logistics to supply organic products to school canteens and company restaurants across Auvergne.
• Ville de GerzatcoreOthersThe City of Gerzat is a key institutional partner, hosting the farm at lieu-dit Le Moulin du Roy on its territory. The city logo appears on the partners page, indicating ongoing municipal support for the cooperative project.
• Clermont Auvergne MétropolecoreOthersThe metropolitan authority of Clermont-Ferrand supports the cooperative, appearing on the official partners page. The partnership involves regional development and support for local food systems.
• Département du Puy-de-DômecoreOthersThe department council of Puy-de-Dôme is listed as a partner, supporting the social and agricultural mission of the cooperative.
• Région Auvergne-Rhône-AlpescoreOthersThe Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regional Council is an institutional backer of the cooperative, supporting its investment and development plans.
• État / DIRECCTE Auvergne-Rhône-AlpescoreOthersThe French State (through DIRECCTE) provides support for the insertion enterprise mission, formalizing the company's convention as an Entreprise d'Insertion.
• Bio63minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBio63 is the regional branch of the organic farming association (FNAB) for Puy-de-Dôme. The partnership connects Le Biau Jardin to the broader organic farming network in the region.
• SCOP (Société Coopérative de Production)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs a SCIC (Société Coopérative d'Intérêt Collectif), Le Biau Jardin is affiliated with the SCOP grouping, the French federation of cooperative companies, reinforcing its cooperative identity.
• Fédération des Entreprises d'InsertionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated with the regional federation of insertion enterprises, connecting the company to the broader social insertion through employment sector.
• Jardins de CocagneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe project was originally affiliated with the national network of 'Jardins de Cocagne' when it started in 1997 as an insertion market gardening project.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Chom'Actif: Clermont-Ferrand association of unemployed people from which Le Biau Jardin originated in 1997 and which still hosts one of its basket deposit points. Historically the founding organization; today an ecosystem partner rather than a competitor but illustrative of the local solidarity-employment network in which Le Biau Jardin operates.
• Fédération des Entreprises d'Insertion: National federation representing insertion enterprises in France, of which Le Biau Jardin is an affiliated member. Not a direct competitor but a key ecosystem organization that shapes the regulatory and funding environment in which the cooperative operates its social-insertion mission.

Broad incumbents

• La Ruche qui dit Oui: France-wide online marketplace connecting local producers with consumers via scheduled pickup points. Operates a comparable short-circuit, basket-style distribution model but at national scale and without Le Biau Jardin's social-insertion mission.
• Ferme de Sainte-Marthe: Large French organic producer specializing in seeds, plants and produce, selling via direct mail order and garden centers. Comparable organic positioning and direct-to-consumer ethos but operates at significantly larger scale and broader product range.
• Biocoop: France's leading organic retail cooperative chain; several Biocoop stores (Blatin, Lempdes, Aubière) serve as deposit points for Le Biau Jardin baskets. Comparable cooperative governance and organic positioning but operates retail storefronts at national scale rather than subscription delivery.

Direct peers

• Auvergne Bio Distribution: SCIC that handles logistics for supplying organic produce to school canteens and company restaurants across Auvergne; Le Biau Jardin has been an associate and supplier since 2008. Directly comparable cooperative structure serving overlapping institutional customers in the same region.
• Jardins de Cocagne: National network of insertion-market-gardening farms in France, of which Le Biau Jardin was an early member when founded in 1997. Both operate organic vegetable production combined with social-professional insertion pathways and basket distribution, sharing a near-identical operating model.
• AUVABIO: Grouping of organic market gardeners and fruit growers in Auvergne co-created by Le Biau Jardin in 2018 to distribute vegetables to retailers and processors. Closest peer in terms of organic producer aggregation and Auvergne regional footprint.

Regional players

• Day by Day: French zero-waste bulk organic retail franchise; one of its Clermont-Ferrand stores hosts a Le Biau Jardin basket deposit. Operates in adjacent organic/zero-waste territory and serves overlapping local customers but with a different format and product mix.
• L'Eau Vive: Regional organic retail chain in central France; two of its stores (Aubière, Fontgiève) host Le Biau Jardin deposit points. Comparable organic product positioning and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes footprint but with a traditional storefront model rather than subscription baskets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Lebiaujardin1
• Instagraminstagram.com/lebiaujardin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/le-biau-jardin

Compliance3 records

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 LE BIAU JARDIN