LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS

What LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS does

Le Paysan Urbain Grand Paris is a French association loi 1901 (non-profit) operating a network of urban agroecological farms across Paris, Marseille, and Lyon (Saint-Priest). Founded in 2016 by Benoît Liotard and Gérard Munier as an experimental micro-farm in Romainville, the organization has expanded to four operational sites: the 6,700 m² Charonne farm in Paris's 20th arrondissement (660 m² bioclimatic greenhouse plus 2,000+ m² of gardens), the 330 m² Sorbier greenhouse inside a Paris social housing residence, the 2,000+ m² Marseille farm within the Cloître park (Fondation des Apprentis d'Auteuil), and the 2-hectare Lyon farm operated by the IDEO association. Core production technology relies on bioclimatic greenhouses, Fortier-method intensive organic market gardening on permanent raised beds, organic seeds and substrates, zero synthetic pesticides, and natural light cultivation — enabling production of micro-pousses, edible flowers, vegetables, fruit, cut flowers, seedlings, and native Mediterranean plants.

The business model blends commercial sales with social mission: micro-pousses and edible flowers are sold B2B to chefs and caterers (Charlotte Hamel in Paris, Romane Finot in Lyon, dedicated email in Marseille), while organic vegetables move through on-farm boutiques, click-and-collect, weekly baskets, and cooperative shops. Additional revenue streams include an owned Shopify e-commerce store, corporate team-building and venue rental at the Pavillon de l'écologie urbaine (clients include Omie&Cie, Akuo Energy, Gécina, SEB Group, Oree), pedagogical workshops for schools and associations, garden design and maintenance services, and the Végétal Local-certified Nèrta nursery (60+ native plant species, 42 labeled). Pricing is predominantly unit-based for retail and bespoke-quotation for B2B services.

The organization operates as a state-conventioned Insertion par l'Activité Économique (IAE) workshop, employing roughly 100 people network-wide, of whom approximately 70 are on insertion contracts (CDDI) supporting job seekers, RSA beneficiaries, and other vulnerable populations back to employment. The Marseille site also runs the Ecole ETRE (École de la Transition Écologique) training youth aged 16–25 in green-economy trades. Revenue is diversified across B2B, retail, corporate events, educational services, and foundation grants from institutional funders (ANRU, Région Île-de-France, France Active, Fondation Carrefour, Fondation Crédit Mutuel Alliance, Malakoff Humanis, SNCF Foundation, Société Générale Foundation, AG2R La Mondiale, SUEZ Foundation, ENGIE FAPE, CDC Biodiversité). No parent company, equity investors, or funding rounds are disclosed.

Name

LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS

Legal name

Le Paysan Urbain

Website

https://lepaysanurbain.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Le Paysan Urbain Grand Paris is a French non-profit network of urban agroecological farms in Paris, Marseille, and Lyon producing organic microgreens, vegetables, and native plants via bioclimatic greenhouses. It serves chefs, consumers, schools, and corporations while employing ~70 people in professional insertion pathways.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Agriculture

NAICS

Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141), Other Food Crops Grown Under Cover (111419), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Greenhouse Herb & Microgreens Production (Culinary Herbs, Microgreens) (AFAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Organic Greenhouse & Protected Crop Farming (High Tunnels, Greenhouses) (AFAGAKAD)

Keywords

• Urban agriculture
• Microgreen production
• Social insertion
• Agroecological farming
• Educational workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris, Île-de-France

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product sales – micro-pousses and edible flowers: Sale of freshly harvested micro-pousses (cut and rinsed, ready-to-use) and edible flowers to restaurant professionals and caterers in ultra-short local circuits. Also sold at farm boutiques and via online store.
2. Organic vegetable and fruit sales: Sale of seasonal organic vegetables and fruits produced at the Lyon farm via direct on-farm sales, click & collect, weekly baskets, and to local cooperative shops and restaurants.
3. Plants, seedlings, and bouquets: Sale of vegetable, aromatic, and floral seedlings for urban gardening (balconies, shared gardens, schools, associations). Also cut flowers for self-picking (auto-cueillette) and pre-made bouquets.
4. Local plant nursery (Nèrta): Sale of locally-grown native plants adapted to the Mediterranean climate. Seeds harvested locally, over 60 species, 42 Végétal Local certified. Service includes wild seed collection in Bouches-du-Rhône.
5. Corporate events and team building: Revenue from hosting company cohesion days, seminars, and team-building events at the Paris farm. Includes venue rental (pavilion, garden) and activity packages. Contact: [email protected].
6. Pedagogical and animation services: Educational workshops and animations for schools, daycare centers, social associations, and companies. Also garden maintenance and design services for partners (social landlords, schools, associations). Lyon: [email protected].
7. Garden maintenance and landscaping services: Maintenance and design services for green spaces for various partners including social landlords, schools, and associations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Le Paysan Urbain operates a network of three agroecological urban farms in Paris, Marseille, and Lyon that produce and sell microgreens (micro-pousses), edible flowers, organic vegetables and fruits, plants/seedlings, cut flowers, herbs, and tisanes under bioclimatic greenhouses using natural light and organic methods. The organization also delivers corporate team-building events and seminars, pedagogical workshops for schools and associations, garden design and maintenance services, and operates the ETRE ecological transition school in Marseille. The social mission of providing insertion employment (IAE framework) to people in professional transition is embedded in the production model.

Product overview

Le Paysan Urbain operates a network of three urban agro-ecological farms in Paris, Lyon, and Marseille, producing and selling microgreens, edible flowers, vegetable and aromatic plants, cut flowers, herbs, tisanes, and organic vegetables. The company offers complementary services including corporate team building and seminars, educational workshops for schools and associations, and an online shop. The farms also support social inclusion through employment pathways for people facing professional challenges, and operate pedagogical and training programs including the Ecole ETRE in Marseille. Products are sold through local short circuits directly to consumers, retailers, and restaurants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 100 employees across 4 farms, with ~70 in professional insertion paths
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fondation des Apprentis d'Auteuil (Le Cloître)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLe Paysan Urbain Marseille operates within the Cloître park, a property managed by the Fondation des Apprentis d'Auteuil in Marseille's 13th arrondissement. The partnership provides the land and infrastructure for the urban farm, aligning with the foundation's mission to support families and youth in difficulty.
• IDEO (association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLe Paysan Urbain Lyon is operated by the IDEO association, which created the agroecological farm at Saint-Priest in 2022 as part of its social mission. IDEO has been running insertion programs since 2007.
• ACACIA Art (Street Art Atelier)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStreet art partner that decorates and beautifies farm spaces. Referenced on the partners page.
• Akuo EnergyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRenewable energy company that has organized team building events at the Paris farm. Represents a B2B customer and potential GTM partner for sustainability-focused corporate outreach.
• GécinaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerReal estate company that has participated in garden animation and team building activities at the Paris farm.
• Omie&CieminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSustainable food company that has organized team building and ecology workshops at the Paris farm.
• SEB GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFrench manufacturing group (kitchen appliances) that participated in a Serious Game and ecology workshop at the Paris farm.
• OreeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEnvironmental NGO focused on ecological transition that organized team building at the Paris farm.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Topager: Paris-based urban farming company installing and operating rooftop farms for food production and corporate CSR. Directly comparable to LPU's urban agroecology and corporate engagement model, though more focused on rooftop installation than social insertion.
• La Ferme de Gally: Family-run urban farm network in the Paris region offering direct farm sales, workshops, and educational visits. Comparable on urban-farm operations, farm-boutique retail, and pedagogical offerings; less focused on microgreens-to-restaurant and insertion employment.
• Cycloponics: Paris-based company operating underground mushroom and microgreen farms in repurposed parking structures. Comparable on ultra-short-circuit urban agriculture serving restaurants; operates in a controlled-environment rather than natural-light greenhouse model.
• Agripolis: French urban agriculture company designing and operating urban farms on rooftops and in offices for corporate clients. Shares LPU's Paris base, B2B corporate focus, and educational outreach, but is for-profit and lacks the IAE social-insertion dimension.

Broad incumbents

• Agricool: French container-based vertical farming company producing strawberries and herbs for urban retailers. Adjacent in the controlled-environment urban-agriculture space and serves overlapping restaurant and retail clients in Paris.
• Koppert Cress: Netherlands-based specialist producer of microgreens, edible flowers, and specialty cresses for the European restaurant industry. Direct overlap with LPU's core microgreen and edible flower B2B offering, though at industrial scale.
• Infarm: German-based vertical farming company operating modular in-store farms for grocery retailers and restaurants across Europe. Competes on the microgreen and herb end-markets LPU serves, though via industrial controlled-environment agriculture rather than natural-light greenhouses.

Emerging players

• Les Fermes de Marie: Smaller-scale French urban farm initiative producing organic vegetables and herbs in peri-urban settings. Comparable on agroecological methods and direct-to-chef distribution; smaller scale than LPU's three-city network.

Others

• France Active: National network financing social enterprises and insertion-by-economic-activity (IAE) structures across France. Functions as both a capital provider to LPU and a sector peer for comparable social enterprises combining economic activity with insertion employment.

Regional players

• Fermes de Ville: Belgium-based urban farm network producing microgreens and edible flowers for restaurants via short circuits. Strong overlap with LPU's microgreen B2B model and Fortier-style cultivation, though operating in a different regulatory environment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LePaysanUrbain
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/le-paysan-urbain-grand-paris
• Instagraminstagram.com/lepaysanurbainparis

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS