Fondation Les Castors

What Fondation Les Castors does

Fondation Les Castors is a Swiss non-profit foundation (stiftung) established in 1973 in Porrentruy by three mothers — Paulette Citherlet, Daisy Loetcher, and Madeleine Steulet — to provide a place in society for their children with disabilities. It operates as a recognized cantonal medico-social institution serving 342 beneficiaries across the Republic and Canton of Jura with 280 collaborators. The foundation delivers an integrated continuum of care through three establishments: Ateliers Protégés Jurassiens (APJ), providing sheltered employment and vocational training across eight workshops (packaging/subcontracting, mechanics, laundry/sewing, carpentry, bakery/cafeteria, printing/binding, organic agriculture, and artisan pasta) for 216 workers; Foyer de Porrentruy, offering 59 residential places across five living units (Rue de l'Eglise, GAM 21, Château, La Mandchourie, and protected apartments) for adults with moderate disabilities who can work; and Foyer Les Fontenattes in Boncourt, providing 57–59 high-dependency residential places for adults with severe intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, and/or autism spectrum disorder, plus the day-care and temporary-respite CJAT service.

The foundation's business model is institutional rather than commercial. Revenue is generated almost entirely through cantonal government contracts, social-insurance reimbursements, and per-capita disability subsidies administered via the Service de l'Action Sociale under the JUNORAH orientation framework. There is no public pricing or commercial sales motion; beneficiary admissions are initiated by cantonal social workers, families, and institutional gatekeepers. Ancillary commercial revenue comes from the sale of workshop-produced goods (artisan pasta, wooden pens, printed agendas, personalized clothing) through the shop-apj.ch e-commerce platform, and from L'Echangeur, a neighborhood bistrot in Porrentruy. The technology stack is a standard third-party CMS (Artionet / IceCube2.Net) and a basic e-commerce front end — there are no proprietary technology components, AI/ML systems, or data products.

Strategically, the foundation has pursued a steady, multi-decade program of facility expansion and service-line deepening, most recently with the April 2025 opening of Résidence du Château, the 2020 launch of Résidence GAM 21, and the 2018 launch of Atelier Pasta. The 50th anniversary in 2023 (Guest of Honor at the 57th Jura Fair, Festival du Mont-Renaud, dedicated 50ans.lescastors.ch microsite) functioned as a major brand-repositioning event. The foundation is governed by a board led by President Jean Crevoisier, has no parent company, no private equity or venture capital exposure, and is not a candidate for traditional M&A; its strategic horizon is defined by cantonal policy and demographic demand.

Name

Fondation Les Castors

Legal name

Fondation Les Castors

Website

https://lescastors.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fondation Les Castors is a Swiss non-profit foundation operating since 1973 in Canton Jura, providing sheltered employment, residential care, and day services to 342 adults with disabilities across three establishments (APJ workshops, Foyer de Porrentruy, Foyer Les Fontenattes) with 280 staff, funded primarily through cantonal government contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Services and Social Care

NAICS

Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities (62321), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities (6232), Nursing and Residential Care Facilities (623)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialized Assisted Living for Developmental/Intellectual Disabilities (Adult) (HLADABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Respite Care for Adults with Disabilities / Special Needs (HSABAGAI), Interagency Coordination & Case Management (VR, DD, Medicaid Waivers) (EDAKANAM)

Keywords

• Sheltered employment services
• Disability residential care
• Sheltered workshop programs
• Vocational training services
• Social inclusion services

Headquarters

HQ city

Porrentruy

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Government-funded care and support services: The foundation operates as a subsidized social institution financed through cantonal government contracts, social insurance reimbursements, and per-capita subsidies for disability services in the Republic and Canton of Jura. Revenue is recurring and institutional in nature, not commercial.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fondation Les Castors operates three establishments providing social and medical-social services to adults with disabilities in the Canton of Jura, Switzerland. Ateliers Protégés Jurassiens (APJ) run sheltered workshops with 216 workers across packaging, mechanics, laundry, carpentry, bakery, printing, agriculture, and artisan pasta production. Foyer de Porrentruy offers 67 residential places across five residences for semi-autonomous adults. Foyer Les Fontenattes in Boncourt provides 59 residential places for high-dependency individuals with severe intellectual disabilities and autism.

Product overview

Fondation Les Castors operates as a social care organization with a three-establishment structure. The core offerings consist of Ateliers Protégés Jurassiens (APJ), providing sheltered workshop employment for 216 workers with disabilities across multiple production ateliers; Foyer de Porrentruy, offering 59 residential places for semi-autonomous adults who can work; and Foyer Les Fontenattes, providing 57 residential places for individuals requiring more intensive support. Additional services include day care centers (CJAT), professional training programs, and an online shop selling handcrafted products from the workshops. The organization serves approximately 342 beneficiaries with 280 collaborators across the Jura canton in Switzerland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Atelier Pasta: Artisan pasta workshop creating diverse handmade pastas made with durum wheat semolina and fresh eggs from Jura, established in 2018
• Atelier Agriculture BIO
• La boutique des Ateliers Prote ge s Jurassiens

Products and services

• Ateliers Protégés Jurassiens (APJ) Sheltered workshops providing adapted work for adults with disabilities across multiple production ateliers including packaging, mechanics, laundry, carpentry, bakery, printing, agriculture, and artisan pasta production. Operates with 216 workers.
• Foyer de Porrentruy Residential facility with 67 housing places across five residences (Rue de l'Eglise, GAM 21, Château, La Mandchourie, and protected apartments) for adults with mental and/or physical disabilities who possess sufficient autonomy to live in non-medicalized residential settings. Located in Porrentruy and Delémont.
• Foyer Les Fontenattes Residential facility with 59 places for adults with severe intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, and/or autism spectrum disorders who require constant personalized support and cannot work in sheltered workshops. Located in Boncourt across La Résidence Les Vergers (7 pavilions + main building) and La Résidence du Crêt des Pierres, with a day center in Porrentruy.
• Atelier Pasta - Artisanales Pâtes Artisanal pasta department producing dried and fresh egg pasta in various shapes, made with durum wheat semolina and fresh Jura eggs. Products are sold to consumers through the shop-apj.ch online shop.
• Centre de Jour et d'Accueil Temporaire (CJAT) Day and temporary reception center complementing care services for persons with marked intellectual disabilities at the Ateliers Protégés Jurassiens, providing 6 day-care places in Porrentruy.
• Shop en ligne (Boutique APJ) Online shop (shop-apj.ch) selling handcrafted products manufactured by the protected workshops, including personalized children's clothing sets, wooden pens, artisan pasta, custom agendas, and other workshop outputs.
• Accueil de jour Delémont Day care service located in Delémont for workers who cannot work full-time in production workshops, as well as external persons seeking day activities.
• Formations professionnelles Professional training programs offered within the protected workshops to develop skills and employment readiness for people with disabilities.
• Atelier Agriculture BIO Organic farming and market gardening production on an 18-hectare domain producing fruits, vegetables, meat, honey, and eggs.
• L'Echangeur bistrot Neighborhood bistrot in Porrentruy opened in January 2001 as a social meeting place for residents and the local community.
• Loisirs, Art, Créativité (LAC) Personal development program offering creative, cultural, and entertainment activities for beneficiaries, originally launched as ADP in 1997 and renamed Loisirs, Art, Créativité (LAC) in March 2010.

Quantifiable outcome

• 342 persons with disabilities welcomed and supported across the foundation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• CEJEF Division Santé-Social-ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 October 2023Collaboration with the CEJEF (Centre d'enseignement du Jura) Division Santé-Social-Arts for joint theatrical sketches presented during the 50th anniversary celebrations at the Jura Fair and Festival du Mont-Renaud.
• Pro Infirmis JuraminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2023Joint choral performance with Pro Infirmis Jura during the 50th anniversary festival (Festival du Mont-Renaud, September 2023).
• Service de l'Action Sociale — République et Canton du JuracoreOthersThe foundation operates as a cantonal institution under the governance of the Jura cantonal social services. Admissions are processed through the official JUNORAH disability orientation system. The cantonal government provides operating subsidies and legitimizes the foundation's role in the regional disability services ecosystem.
• HCA (Hockey Club Ajoie)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisits by HCA hockey players to the Foyer de Porrentruy and attendance by foundation beneficiaries at HCA matches, demonstrating community integration activities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Fondation de l'Hermitage: Swiss foundation offering residential care, workshops, and inclusion programs for people with disabilities, primarily in French-speaking Switzerland. Comparable mission and service profile, with partial geographic overlap in the Romandie region.

Broad incumbents

• Pro Infirmis: Switzerland's largest disability advocacy and service organization providing housing, work, and advisory services. Operates in the same disability ecosystem and has a formal partnership (Pro Infirmis Jura) with Les Castors.
• INSOS Schweiz: National umbrella association for Swiss social institutions serving people with disabilities. Comparable sector and policy context, but acts as an industry body rather than a direct service operator.

Direct peers

• Stiftung MBF: Swiss foundation operating sheltered workshops and residential accommodation for people with disabilities in Central Switzerland. Comparable service mix and government-funded operating model to Les Castors.
• Stiftung Tannenhof: Graubünden-based foundation running residential homes and occupational workshops for adults with disabilities, financed through cantonal disability contracts. Comparable integrated medico-social model.
• Stiftung RgZ: Chur-based foundation providing residential care, day structures, and occupational activities for adults with disabilities in Graubünden. Directly comparable to Les Castors in service portfolio and cantonal dependency.
• Stiftung Solina: Swiss foundation with sheltered workshops, residential housing, and supported employment for people with mental and physical disabilities. Comparable operating model and beneficiary population to Les Castors.
• Stiftung Wohnheim Sonnenhof: Foundation in Arbon (Thurgau) running residential homes and ateliers protégés for adults with disabilities. Comparable integration of sheltered employment and residential care under cantonal funding.
• Brühlgut Stiftung: Swiss foundation in Winterthur offering sheltered workshops (Brühlgut Werkstätten) combined with residential and day programs for adults with disabilities. Closely comparable operating model to Fondation Les Castors across employment, housing, and integration services.
• Stiftung Kühlewil: Foundation near Bern providing sheltered employment workshops and residential living for adults with intellectual and physical disabilities. Directly comparable in combining ateliers protégés with residential care under cantonal contracts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@50ansFondationLesCastors/playlists
• Facebookfacebook.com/christophe.meyer.92
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fondation-les-castors
• Instagraminstagram.com/50ans_fondation_les_castors

Compliance1 record

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 Fondation Les Castors