LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersParis, Île-de-France, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
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.
LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS firmographics
Firmographics- 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
LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS industry classification
Industry- 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
Where LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris, Île-de-France
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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].
- 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].
- Garden maintenance and landscaping services: Maintenance and design services for green spaces for various partners including social landlords, schools, and associations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Direct farm sales and boutique |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Composted soil bags (Paris farm) |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Corporate team building and seminars |
| Other | Monthly | Recruitment positions at the farm |
Go-to-market motion5 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels9 records
LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Fondation des Apprentis d'Auteuil (Le Cloître)coreLe 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)coreLe 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)minorStreet art partner that decorates and beautifies farm spaces. Referenced on the partners page.
- Akuo EnergyminorRenewable 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.
- GécinaminorReal estate company that has participated in garden animation and team building activities at the Paris farm.
- Omie&CieminorSustainable food company that has organized team building and ecology workshops at the Paris farm.
- SEB GroupminorFrench manufacturing group (kitchen appliances) that participated in a Serious Game and ecology workshop at the Paris farm.
- OreeminorEnvironmental NGO focused on ecological transition that organized team building at the Paris farm.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights6 records
LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS social profiles
Digital presenceLE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&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
What does LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS do?
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.
Is LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS a public or private company?
LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS founded?
LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS based?
LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS is headquartered in Paris, Île-de-France, France, in the Europe region.
How does LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Product sales – micro-pousses and edible flowers are the primary driver. The others are organic vegetable and fruit sales, plants, seedlings, and bouquets, local plant nursery (Nèrta), corporate events and team building, pedagogical and animation services and garden maintenance and landscaping services.
Who are LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Topager, La Ferme de Gally, Cycloponics and Agripolis. Broad incumbents are Agricool, Koppert Cress and Infarm. Les Fermes de Marie is listed as an emerging player. France Active is listed as an others. Fermes de Ville is listed as a regional player.
Does LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS have an API?
No public API is recorded for LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS.
What industry is LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS in?
LE PAYSAN URBAIN GRAND PARIS's product category is Urban Agriculture. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAGAHAC, Greenhouse Herb & Microgreens Production (Culinary Herbs, Microgreens), with a secondary code of BPAGAGAI, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems. Its NAICS code is 11141 and its SIC code is 100.