Ressource de Réinsertion Le Phare

What Ressource de Réinsertion Le Phare does

Ressource de Réinsertion Le Phare is a non-profit social economy enterprise founded in 1998 and headquartered in Port-Cartier, Quebec, that operates in the recycling, recovery, and reuse sector. Its stated mission is to create quality jobs for persons with functional limitations, with more than 80% of its 60+ employee workforce falling into that category. The organization began in lumber processing, then pivoted to recycling in 2005 after the regional lumber crisis, opening a sorting center (Centre de prétriage) in Port-Cartier. Since then it has progressively expanded into ecocenters for waste collection, a physical reuse store selling donated and recycled goods (furniture, electronics, clothing, household items), wood grinding and chipping services via a Morbark 3600 machine, truck weighing services, and retail of processed recycled wood (mulch, pallets, bags) and recycled fabric products through a Shopify e-commerce platform. The organization holds Quebec's "entreprise adaptée" (adapted enterprise) accreditation, granted in 2002, and was the first company on the Côte-Nord to install a biomass boiler in 2014.

The business model combines several discrete revenue streams: retail sales of reused goods, recycling and waste service fees from the sorting center and ecocenters, sale of processed wood mulch in tiered quantities, sales of recycled fabric and wood products, and unit-priced truck weighing at CAD $23 plus taxes. Pricing across the retail lines is uniformly low-ticket (CAD $5 to CAD $100 per item), and distribution is omnichannel regional — physical stores in Port-Cartier and Rivière-Pentecôte supported by a Shopify storefront. Customer reach is concentrated in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, with no disclosed enterprise customers, B2B contracts, or external investors. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and led by General Manager Mélanie Dorion.

Operationally the business is labor-intensive and asset-based rather than technology-driven, with a 2020 acquisition of the former J.R. Vigneault building at 164 Bd du Portage des Mousses providing the current reuse store location and a basis for e-commerce fulfillment. Disclosed annual revenue exceeds CAD $1,500,000 against payroll above CAD $1,800,000, indicating tight margins consistent with a social economy model where revenue must largely cover the wage costs of an integrated workforce with functional limitations.

Name

Ressource de Réinsertion Le Phare

Legal name

Ressource de Réinsertion Le Phare

Website

https://ressourcelephare.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ressource de Réinsertion Le Phare is a non-profit social economy enterprise founded in 1998 in Port-Cartier, Quebec, that operates sorting centers, ecocenters, and a reuse store on the Côte-Nord, employing persons with functional limitations across recycling, recovery, and reuse activities with annual revenue exceeding CAD $1.5 million.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Economy Recycling & Reuse Services

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Waste Collection (5621)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Reuse & Resale / Recommerce Operations (EUAIANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Asset Recovery, Surplus & Decommissioning Services (EUAIANAD), Material Reuse & Upcycling Services (Non-recycling Transformation) (EUAIANAJ)

Keywords

• Social reintegration services
• Recycling waste management
• Reuse retail store
• Wood grinding services
• Ecocenter operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Port-Cartier

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales of Reused Goods: Operates a reuse store selling secondhand items including furniture, electronics, clothing, toys, books, and seasonal items. Revenue generated through direct retail sales to consumers in the Côte-Nord region.
2. Recycling and Waste Management Services: Operates a pre-sorting center (Centre de prétriage) and ecocenters providing waste sorting and recycling services. Generates revenue through service fees and material processing.
3. Wood Processing and Mulch Sales: Processes wood through grinding/chipping operations using Morbark 3600 equipment. Sells wood mulch products in various quantities (bags, truck boxes, wheelbarrows) at different price points.
4. Truck Weighing Services: Operates a truck scale (balance camion) available weekdays 10h00-16h00 for a fee of $23.00 + taxes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Ressource de Réinsertion Le Phare operates an integrated recycling, recovery, and reuse social economy enterprise on the Côte-Nord region of Quebec. Its core offerings include a pre-sorting center in Port-Cartier, ecocenters for waste collection, a reuse store selling donated and recycled goods (furniture, electronics, clothing, household items), wood grinding services using a Morbark 3600 chipper, and a truck weighing scale service. All operations are designed to create quality employment for persons with functional limitations.

Product overview

Ressource de Réinsertion Le Phare is a social economy enterprise that operates a multi-faceted recycling and reuse operation. The core offerings include a pre-sorting center in Port-Cartier, eco-centers for waste collection and recycling, a reuse store selling donated and recycled goods across multiple categories (household items, furniture, electronics, clothing, sports equipment, toys, books, music, video games, construction materials, automotive parts, and more), wood grinding services using a Morbark 3600 chipper, and truck weighing scale services. The organization also sells recycled wood products (mulch, bags, pallets, containers) and recycled fabric products through its Shopify e-commerce platform. The product portfolio spans from core recycling and social reintegration services to retail of reclaimed goods and processed wood materials, all designed to create quality employment for people with functional limitations on the Côte-Nord.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Centre de prétriage de Port-Cartier A pre-sorting center for recyclable materials operated by the organization, providing employment for people with functional limitations in the recycling and recovery sector on the Côte-Nord.
• Écocentres Eco-centers for waste collection and recycling drop-off, including a satellite eco-center at Rivière-Pentecôte in addition to the main Port-Cartier location.
• Magasin de réemploi (Reuse Store) A reuse store selling donated and recycled goods including furniture, electronics, clothing, household items, toys, books, sports equipment, and seasonal items, providing affordable access to goods while supporting social reintegration employment.
• Broyage du bois (Morbark 3600 Wood Grinding Service) Wood grinding and chipping service using a Morbark 3600 machine, processing wood waste into usable materials like mulch.
• Balance camion (Truck Weighing Service) Truck weighing scale service available weekdays from 10h00 to 16h00, charged at $23.00 CAD plus taxes.
• Recycled Wood Products Recycled wood products including wood mulch in various sizes (poubelle $5, boîte camion $20, 10 wheels $60, 12 wheels $80), 1000 litre containers, wood pickup boxes ($25), wood pallets, and wood bags ($8).
• Recycled Fabric Products Recycled fabric products including fabric bags ($7) and packs of recycled textiles ($32).
• Bedding Products (Matelas de couchette) Bunk/couchette mattresses available for purchase at $10.00 CAD, available in-store only.
• Divert Products General leisure and entertainment items sold at $5.00 CAD through the reuse store.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 60 employees, with more than 80% having functional limitations, integrated into the workforce through social economy employment

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Value Village: Large for-profit thrift chain selling secondhand goods across North America; overlaps with Le Phare's reuse retail assortment but operates at chain scale rather than community-enterprise scale.
• Waste Management of Canada: North American waste services incumbent providing collection, sorting, recycling, and disposal — overlaps with Le Phare's sorting center and ecocenter activity but operates a far broader commercial portfolio.
• Recyc-Québec: Provincial agency that oversees Quebec's recycling policy, funds material-recovery infrastructure, and sets diversion targets — Le Phare's sorting center and ecocenters operate within the policy and funding framework Recyc-Québec administers.
• GFL Environmental Services: Major Canadian waste management and recycling services company with broad geographic and service-line coverage — comparable in materials-recovery activity to Le Phare but at national commercial scale rather than regional social-enterprise scale.

Direct peers

• Salvation Army Thrift Stores: Canada-wide thrift retail chain selling donated secondhand goods (furniture, clothing, household items) with proceeds supporting social programs — same donation-to-resale model that drives Le Phare's reuse store.
• Goodwill Industries: Operates thrift/retail reuse stores funded in part by employment programs for people with barriers to work — closely parallels Le Phare's combination of retail reuse and social reintegration employment mission.
• Habitat for Humanity ReStores (Canada): Operates reuse retail stores selling donated furniture, appliances, and building materials to fund affordable housing — directly comparable reuse-retail-plus-social-mission model, even if at larger scale.
• Other Quebec adapted enterprises in recycling/reuse: The Quebec network of ~100 "entreprises adaptées" includes several operating in recycling, sorting, and reuse; while specific peer names vary, this category of accredited adapted enterprises shares Le Phare's regulatory accreditation, social-mission employment model, and material-recovery activity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ressource-de-r%C3%A9insertion-le-phare

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Ressource de Réinsertion Le Phare