Les Agribains

What Les Agribains does

Les Agribains is a French nonprofit association (loi 1901) founded in 2019 in Toulouse, operating in urban agriculture and permaculture. The organization designs, builds, and animates edible gardens in urban environments, principally serving early childhood centers (crèches), primary schools, residential buildings, collective garden groups, and senior care facilities across the Toulouse metropolitan area. Its flagship product is the "Agribac" — a modular raised garden bed constructed from recycled wooden pallets using lasagna-layer permaculture techniques — co-built with beneficiaries during participatory workshops. The association also operates a plant nursery producing dwarf fruit trees and seedlings, offers garden animation programs, and sells complementary products (solitary bee houses, wood chips) through an e-commerce boutique.

The association operates with a lean team of 2 paid employees supplemented by 15 volunteers and 9 contractors, supported by a 62-member community (38 individuals, 24 institutional structures as of 2025). Revenue is generated through a mix of public and private subsidies (€21,270 secured in 2024), tax-deductible donations (€1,200 in 2024), individual memberships from €1, e-commerce boutique sales, and renewable annual service packages ("forfaits") for institutional clients. By 2025, the association had installed 82 Agribacs covering 220 m² of cultivable surface, conducted 380+ animations reaching 1,470+ participants, and cultivated 144 plant varieties across managed spaces.

The organization's competitive position is anchored in its participatory co-construction methodology, deep community embedding across Toulouse neighborhoods, and validated pedagogical approach for early childhood and school audiences. It is backed by a network of municipal and regional government partners (Mairie de Toulouse, Région Occitanie, DREAL Occitanie), corporate foundations (Fondation Crédit Mutuel), and educational networks (CROUS Toulouse, GRAINE Occitanie, Eveil et Nature). Strategic priorities include launching a new Agribac Fruitier variant, deploying a mobile trailer for pop-up animations via Solaride partnership, replicating the model beyond Toulouse through an "essaimage" project, and expanding into senior care and student housing verticals.

Name

Les Agribains

Legal name

Les Agribains

Website

https://lesagribains.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Les Agribains is a Toulouse-based nonprofit association (founded 2019) that designs, builds, and animates urban permaculture gardens using its flagship "Agribac" recycled-pallet raised beds, serving crèches, schools, residential buildings, and senior care facilities across the Toulouse metropolitan area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Agriculture Services

NAICS

Landscaping Services (561730), Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)

akta.pro primary industry

Vegetable & Herb Garden Installation and Maintenance (HSAIAFAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Raised Garden Beds & Planter Box Installation (HSAIAFAK), Native, Pollinator & Drought-Tolerant Garden Installations (HSAIAFAL)

Keywords

• Urban agriculture
• Permaculture services
• Raised garden beds
• Community gardening
• Ecological transition

Headquarters

HQ city

Toulouse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Memberships: Annual memberships available from €1, giving members voting rights at the General Assembly, access to resources and newsletter, participation in associative events, and the ability to influence the association's strategic direction.
2. Donations: One-time or recurring tax-deductible donations (66% tax deduction in France). Donations fund school greening projects, animations, and local production. Example: a €50 donation costs the donor only €17 after tax relief.
3. Public and Private Subsidies: Grants and subsidies from institutional partners including DREAL Occitanie, Mairie de Toulouse, Région Occitanie, Fondation Crédit Mutuel, FDVA, and CAF 31. In 2024, €21,270 in subsidies plus €1,200 in donations were secured.
4. E-commerce Boutique Sales: Sale of gardening and ecological products including Agribacs, wood chips, compost, bee houses (€15), and other artisanal items. Materials delivery service on Greater Toulouse area. Revenue reinvested into workshops and local agricultural transition projects.
5. Annual Service Packages for Institutions: Renewable annual forfaits (packages) for structures (crèches, schools, organizations) that include installation of Agribac(s), animations, coaching, and maintenance. Allows structures to benefit from ongoing greening services without long-term commitment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Les Agribains is a French nonprofit association that designs, builds, and animates urban agriculture installations called Agribacs — raised garden beds made from recycled wooden pallets. The organization offers four categories of garden animation services (Éveils for young children, Écoles for schools, Collectifs for community groups, Résidentiels for residential complexes), seedling/nursery (Pépinières) services, and ancillary products including beehouses, wood-chip mulch, and sensory tables.

Product overview

Les Agribains operates as an urban agriculture and permaculture association offering a portfolio of physical products and services centered around the Agribac raised garden bed system. The core product line includes various Agribac sizes (standard and fruitier variants) constructed from recycled pallets using lasagna layering techniques. Complementary products include the Maison à Abeilles Solitaires (solitary bee house), Table à Patouille (sensory play table), and 80L wood chips for mulching. The service portfolio encompasses garden animation programs across four types (Jardins Éveils for toddlers, Jardins d'Écoles for schools, Jardins Collectifs for neighborhoods, Jardins Résidentiels for residential buildings), a Pépinière for plant production, and material delivery across Greater Toulouse. All offerings align with permaculture principles emphasizing biodiversity, local circular economy, and participatory approaches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 220 m² of cultivable urban surface managed across 82 Agribacs in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NumelibcoreTechnology or IntegrationFree and European open-source digital solution for local authorities, associations, ESS companies, and citizens. Provides Les Agribains' digital infrastructure including their website, member portal, and e-commerce platform (app.lesagribains.org).
• SysécominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsulting firm specializing in collective projects and dynamics for solid, living, and sustainable systems and ecosystems. Provides strategic advisory support to Les Agribains.
• SolaridecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesigns and provides powerful and sustainable soft mobility solutions. Partnered with Les Agribains to create their mobile modular trailer for outreach and sensitization activities across different urban territories.
• MJC Ponts-Jumeaux (Maison des Jeunes et de la Culture des Ponts Jumeaux)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal youth and cultural center serving as a partner venue for garden projects, events, and community activities. Represented on Les Agribains' Council of Administration as a board member.
• CL AE / Toulouse Métropole (Enfance-Jeunesse, Éducation)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeri-school and educational pathway coordination service of Toulouse Métropole, ensuring the best conditions for children's educational success, partnering with Les Agribains for school garden programs.
• Eveil et NatureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNature education organization whose resources are used by Les Agribains, including the 'Passeur de nature' (Nature Guide) training program completed by Lucie Richard with attestation of success.
• GRAINE OccitanieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional Environmental Education Network helping people understand the world, act, and live together. Member network providing resources and collaborative opportunities for environmental education actors.
• Collectif Chemin FaisantminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollective of Toulouse-based environmental and ecological education associations, experts in their respective domains, collaborating on shared projects.
• TERRALBAOthersLocal supplier providing quality compost and soil substrate for Agribac installations. Les Agribains uses TERRALBA's soil mixes in their lasagna-layer garden construction.
• Les AlchimistesOthersComposting service providing local compost for Agribac lasagna-layer construction, supporting circular economy by transforming organic waste into gardening substrate.
• CROUS ToulousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent housing authority partnering with Les Agribains for biodiversity installations (insect hotels, bird boxes, flower meadows) in student residences including Daniel Faucher, Résidence Taur, and Résidence Chapou.
• ARPADEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation Régionale de Prévention et d'Aide face aux Dépendances et Exclusions, partnered with Les Agribains since September 2020 for monthly garden maintenance sessions at their premises.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Fermes d'Avenir: Larger French network supporting agroecology and urban/peri-urban farming projects; comparable in permaculture and educational focus, with broader national scope and influence over the same French grant and policy ecosystem.
• Réseau Cocagne: National French network of organic market gardens used as social-inclusion tools; comparable in combining ecological gardening, social-cohesion outcomes, and reliance on public-sector partnerships, though operating at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Halage: Île-de-France association creating and animating urban gardens in social-inclusion settings; directly comparable as a French nonprofit combining permaculture, social cohesion, and biodiversity outcomes with public-partnership funding.
• La SAUGE (Société d'Agriculture Urbaine Géniale et Engagée): Paris-based association running collective urban gardens and educational animations; directly comparable as a French nonprofit focused on participatory urban agriculture with school and community programming.
• Veni Verdi: French association operating urban and peri-urban agricultural projects with educational and social-inclusion missions; comparable in nonprofit structure, participatory co-construction model, and reliance on municipal partnerships.

Emerging players

• Les Cols Verts: French urban agriculture company building and maintaining edible gardens for businesses, schools and communities; comparable service offering (urban garden installation + animation) though structured as a for-profit social enterprise rather than association.
• Cultivons nos toits: French nonprofit developing rooftop urban farms with social and educational objectives; overlapping on participatory urban agriculture, edible production, and engagement with city authorities, though tilted toward rooftop rather than ground-level installations.
• Agripolis: European urban-farming operator designing and installing rooftop and urban farms with educational programming; comparable in productizing urban-agriculture installations and providing pedagogical animations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lesagribains
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lesagribains
• Instagraminstagram.com/lesagribains
• TikToktiktok.com/@lesagribains

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Les Agribains