TERA, un écosystème pour le XXIème siècle

What TERA, un écosystème pour le XXIème siècle does

TERA is a French non-profit association (Loi 1901) designated as a PTCE (Pôle Territorial de Coopération Économique) under the 2014 Social and Solidarity Economy (ESS) framework, headquartered in Tournon d'Agenais, Lot-et-Garonne, in rural southwestern France. Founded in 2014 and operating with approximately five employees, TERA is structured as an ecosystem of six interlocking legal entities that together deliver eco-construction training, organic retail through Terroir & Sens, craft beer production via Microbrasserie Aménité, local agricultural polyactivities, a citizen currency (L'Abeille), philanthropic fund management (SDH-LeFonds), and land stewardship through SCI Le Tilleul.

The organization's core product surface is territorial and community-based rather than technology-based: it serves local inhabitants and mission-aligned members through physical retail, on-site training, farm activities, and structured immersion programs (including 2-week community stays and discovery weekends). Underlying infrastructure is the cooperative legal architecture itself — multiple specialized entities sharing land, capital, and a member base — which allows TERA to channel funds from tax-deductible donations (SDH-LeFonds, HelloAsso), membership dues, retail sales, and service fees into a single territorial-development mission.

TERA's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: prospective members typically engage through discovery weekends or longer immersion programs before converting into paying members, donors, or retail customers. Revenue mechanics are diffuse: membership fees, philanthropic donations (both tax-deductible and non-tax-deductible), low-ticket organic and craft-beer retail sales, eco-construction service fees, and farm output. The customer base is local residents of the Fumel Vallée du Lot catchment, with no enterprise anchor customers; geographic concentration on a single rural territory is the primary scalability constraint rather than customer-type concentration.

Name

TERA, un écosystème pour le XXIème siècle

Legal name

Association TERA

Website

https://tera.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TERA is a French Social and Solidarity Economy cooperative ecosystem (PTCE) comprising six interlocking entities in rural Lot-et-Garonne, serving local inhabitants through organic retail, craft brewing, eco-construction training, a citizen currency, and community-led immersion programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cooperative Economic Ecosystem Services

NAICS

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting (11), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Circular Economy & Sustainable Products (Reuse, Repair, Upcycling) (BPAGALAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Multi-Stakeholder Grocery Cooperatives (CRAHALAD), Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

Keywords

• Cooperative ecosystem
• Ecological transition
• Eco-construction training
• Citizen currency
• Local organic retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Tournon d'Agenais

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees (Adhésions): Annual membership fees to Association TERA, described as essential for sustaining the project and building a citizen movement.
2. Donations and charitable contributions: Tax-deductible and non-tax-deductible donations support the cooperative's functions and operations.
3. Microbrewery Aménité sales: Artisanal beer production from biological and local raw materials (bio malts from Malterie du Vieux Silo, bio hops from Lot-et-Garonne).
4. Epicerie l'Alvéole retail sales: Local 100% BIO products sold through the physical storefront in Tournon d'Agenais bastide.
5. Farming and polyactivity operations: Association Coop du Tilleul develops farm activities including cooking, bakery, market gardening, and hospitality/sensitization.
6. Eco-construction and training services: SCIC Quartier Rural en Transition de Lustrac provides eco-construction training and services through its Centre d'Ecoconstruction, de Ressources et de Formation (CERF).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TERA operates a multi-structure cooperative ecosystem in rural Lot-et-Garonne, France, delivering local food (organic grocery, microbrewery beer, polyactivity farm), eco-construction training and resources, a local citizen currency (L'Abeille), and community engagement programs (discovery weekends, 2-week immersions) supporting sustainable territorial development. Its activities are organized across 6 cooperating legal entities under the PTCE framework recognized in the French ESS law of 2014.

Product overview

TERA is a PTCE (Pôle Territorial de Coopération Économique) - a multi-structure cooperative ecosystem comprising 6 legal entities focused on sustainable territorial development in rural Lot-et-Garonne, France. The ecosystem includes Association TERA (coordination and governance), SCIC Quartier Rural en Transition de Lustrac (eco-construction and rural development), Association Coop du Tilleul (local food and agriculture with microbrewery and grocery), L'Abeille Monnaie Citoyenne (local citizen currency), SDH Foundation Fund (philanthropic funding), and SCI Le Tilleul (land management). Key offerings include artisanal beers from Microbrasserie Aménité, organic local products from Épicerie L'Alvéole, eco-construction services via the CERF, and the L'Abeille local currency.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Alvéole (Épicerie): Local epicery offering 100% BIO and local products in Tournon d'Agenais
• Aménité (Microbrasserie)
• Quartier Rural en Transition de Lustrac
• L'Abeille Monnaie Citoyenne
• École de la Transition Écologique ÊTRE

Products and services

• Microbrasserie Aménité (artisanal beers)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• En Jeux DurablesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Since 2025, TERA is a member of the En Jeux Durables collective, which brings together structures for Environmental Education in Lot-et-Garonne.
• Archipel 47coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Since 2023, TERA is part of the Archipel 47 consortium, a grouping of structures living in Lot-et-Garonne working around 'transitions'. The collective aims to highlight innovative, rooted, and robust alternatives to weave other ways of being in the territory.
• Fondation de FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Since 2020, TERA has been recognized as 'Acteur Clé De Changement' by Fondation de France. As part of the 'Inventer Demain' program, TERA is one of 22 structures working for systemic change in territories and at the national level.
• Association Zoein et Fondation ZoeincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018TERA has been a partner since 2018 with Zoein's association and foundation. The PTCE belongs to a network of territories experimenting with an innovative model: the Revenu de Transition Ecologique (Ecological Transition Income).
• La Maison ForteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFramework agreement signed on July 24 between TERA and La Maison Forte at the Quartier Rural en Transition de Lustrac. This commitment concretizes the will to develop durable cooperation in service of the transitions of the territory.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• La Nef: French ethical and cooperative bank financing social and ecological projects. Comparable as an ESS-registered cooperative offering financing infrastructure to the same ecosystem of transition actors TERA mobilizes.
• Enercoop: French cooperative utility supplying renewable electricity to consumers and producers. Comparable to TERA as a national-scale cooperative rooted in the ESS/PTCE legal framework serving an ecological-transition mission.
• Biocoop: France's leading network of organic retail cooperatives with national scale. Shares TERA's 100% BIO sourcing and cooperative DNA, but operates at national retail scale versus TERA's single rural store.

Direct peers

• Terre de Liens: National French cooperative federation acquiring farmland for organic and peasant agriculture through citizen share capital. Comparable to TERA's SCI Le Tilleul land-holding structure and its multi-stakeholder cooperative approach to rural land stewardship.
• La Louve: Paris-based cooperative supermarket inspired by Park Slope Food Coop, organized around member labor and local sourcing. Directly comparable to TERA's Epicerie l'Alvéole in its cooperative retail and local/biological product positioning.
• Association La Maison Forte: Transition-oriented French organization with a recent framework agreement with TERA at the Quartier Rural en Transition de Lustrac. Operates complementary eco-construction and territorial-transition activities in the same regional ecosystem.
• Les Amanins: French eco-village in Drôme combining organic farming, eco-construction training, and pedagogical activities on a single rural site. Closely mirrors TERA's multi-activity transition ecosystem with a comparable residential/educational immersion model.
• Zoein (Association & Fondation): Network of French territories experimenting with the Revenu de Transition Écologique model and TERA's direct partner since 2018. Operates adjacent transition territories with the same ecological-income and territorial-development framework.

Regional players

• Archipel 47: Consortium of Lot-et-Garonne transition structures of which TERA is a member since 2023. Direct territorial peer operating in the same rural Nouvelle-Aquitaine geography with overlapping ecological-transition activities.

Emerging players

• Mouvement Colibris: French movement for ecological and citizen transition that supports the creation of local transition initiatives. Comparable as a national umbrella for citizen-led ecological-transition projects, though not operating a single territorial site like TERA.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/teralecosysteme
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tera-ecosysteme

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about TERA, un écosystème pour le XXIème siècle