UGESS (Union nationale des Groupements des Epiceries Sociales et Solidaires)

Name

UGESS (Union nationale des Groupements des Epiceries Sociales et Solidaires)

Legal name

Association UGESS – Union Nationale des Groupements des Épiceries Sociales et Solidaires

Website

https://ugess.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Aid Non-profit Federation

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210), Community Food Services (62421), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Agriculture, Food Security & Nutrition Technical Assistance (BPADAEAG), Nutrition Governance, Policy & Coordination (SUN, National Plans) (BPADAJAL)

Keywords

• Social grocery federation
• Food aid advocacy
• Right to food
• Solidarity grocery network
• Anti-food poverty

Headquarters

HQ city

Vénissieux

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: UGESS collects membership fees from affiliated social and solidarity grocery stores and their groupings.
2. Public funding and grants: UGESS advocates for and channels public funding to its member network, including the Crédit National des Epiceries Sociales (CNES) and the fonds Mieux Manger pour Tous. The organization itself receives support from public bodies like the Direction Générale de la Cohésion Sociale (DGCS) for specific projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UGESS is a French national federation that represents social and solidarity grocery stores (épiceries sociales et solidaires) and their territorial groupings. The organization provides advocacy for the right to dignified food access, training tools (Epicali), a point-of-sale software for member stores (Logepi), and channels public funding (such as the Crédit National des Epiceries Sociales and Fonds Mieux Manger pour Tous) to its member network. It also coordinates social projects addressing food insecurity and menstrual poverty.

Product overview

UGESS (Union nationale des Groupements des Epiceries Sociales et Solidaires) is a national union representing social and solidarity grocery stores in France. The organization does not offer a unified software platform but provides internal tools and manages multiple social projects. Key internal tools include Logepi (a point-of-sale cash register software for member stores) and Epicali (a food safety training module). The organization also manages several initiatives including Bio'Vrac pour tous, La collecte Bio solidaire, menstrual poverty programs, and Carav'alim (a food democracy education movement).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Logepi (Point-of-Sale Software) A point-of-sale cash register software designed for social and solidarity grocery stores, enabling easy indicator reporting for habilitation and funding justifications. Made available to member organizations.
• Epicali (Food Safety Training)
• Bio'Vrac pour tous A project promoting bulk organic food access for all, supporting sustainable and zero-waste consumption within the social grocery store network.
• La collecte Bio solidaire A solidarity-based organic food collection initiative supporting social grocery stores and their beneficiaries.
• Lutte contre la précarité menstruelle An initiative addressing menstrual poverty by distributing reusable menstrual products (4,280 menstrual underwear distributed in 2023) through social grocery stores in partnership with GESRA, ARU, and Règles élémentaires.
• Carav'alim A popular education movement for food rights, organizing citizen awareness and advocacy activities on local food access, including citizen banquets in social grocery stores.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully advocated for €2M increase in CNES funding in 2024 budget law
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• GRAPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner in the rural development project for emerging social and solidarity epiceries, contributing to the ecosystem of rural solidarity actors.
• CIVAMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in rural development project, bringing agricultural and rural development expertise to the initiative.
• Villages VivantsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRural development partner contributing to the project for developing solidarity epiceries in rural areas.
• Active Pôle de l'économie solidaireminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the rural development initiative bringing expertise in solidarity economy.
• Bouge ton coqminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRural actor partner in the project for developing social and solidarity epiceries in rurality.
• GESRAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in menstrual poverty project (2023) and rural development project. GESRA (Groupement d'Intérêt Economique Social et Rural d'Approvisionnement) collaborated on distributing 4,280 menstrual underwear and rural development initiatives.
• GESBFCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner in Burgundy-Franche-Comté for rural development of social and solidarity epiceries.
• ARU (Association Régie Urbaine d'Angoulême)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in menstrual poverty project, conducting 'Féminité au naturel' awareness sessions and workshops for women on menstrual health and reusable protections.
• Règles élémentairesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the menstrual poverty project providing expertise on menstrual precarity and reusable protection products.
• Secours CatholiquecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore coalition partner in advocacy for food policy reform and right to food. Collaborated on study of social and solidarity epiceries open to all and mixity of publics. Part of 12-association coalition for 'Municipales 2026' advocacy.
• Action contre la Faim (ACF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey advocacy partner in 12-association coalition calling for food policy reform and right to adequate food. Collaborates on municipal election recommendations and SNANC advocacy.
• AFAUP (Association française d'Agriculture urbaine Professionnelle)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 12-association advocacy coalition for municipal elections 2026, bringing expertise on professional urban agriculture.
• Fédération des Centres sociaux et socioculturels de France (FCSF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 12-association coalition for municipal elections advocacy, representing social and sociocultural centers.
• Emmaüs FranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in the 12-association advocacy group for municipal elections 2026 on food access.
• Fédération française des Diabétiques (FDD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 12-association coalition for food policy advocacy, bringing health perspective on food and diabetes.
• Réseau CivamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in 12-association advocacy for municipal elections, bringing agricultural and small farming network expertise.
• VRAC France (Vers un Réseau d'Achat en Commun)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey coalition partner in advocacy work and shared advocacy on food policy. Also partnered on collective purchasing initiatives and food democracy.
• ALTAA - Alliance pour les Transitions agricoles et alimentairesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in the 12-association advocacy group for agricultural and food transition issues.
• Solidarité PaysansminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in advocacy for agricultural and food policy reform.
• Carav'alimcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMovement for popular education on the right to food, closely linked to UGESS. Part of coalition for municipal elections advocacy and food democracy initiatives.
• Confédération Nationale des Radios AssociativesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for organizing radio debates on food access with candidates ahead of municipal elections 2026.
• Réseau Action ClimatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in coalition for SNANC (National Strategy for Food, Nutrition and Climate) advocacy, bringing climate and environment perspective.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Fédération Française des Banques Alimentaires: The French Federation of Food Banks is the closest direct peer — it is a national nonprofit network distributing food aid across France, with a comparable federation/membership model and reliance on public and donor funding, but focused on free distribution rather than the differentiated-pricing épicerie model UGESS represents.
• ANDES (Association Nationale de Développement des Épiceries Solidaires): ANDES is the other major national federation of social and solidarity grocery stores in France, operating an almost identical épicerie sociale et solidaire model. UGESS and ANDES split the national network between them, making ANDES the most directly comparable competitor for members, funding, and policy influence.
• Réseau Cocagne: Réseau Cocagne is a French national network of 'jardins de Cocagne' social insertion farms that combine organic production with food distribution to vulnerable populations. Highly comparable in mission (quality, sustainable food access for precarious publics) and federation model, and overlaps with UGESS's coalition partners.
• VRAC France: VRAC (Vers un Réseau d'Achat en Commun) is a national association promoting bulk and quality food purchasing groups in low-income neighborhoods. Directly comparable to UGESS on the 'chosen and dignified access to quality food' mission and is itself a UGESS coalition partner.

Broad incumbents

• Secours Populaire Français: A major French nonprofit providing food, clothing, and broader social assistance to people in precarity. Overlaps with UGESS's beneficiary base and is part of the same coalition ecosystem, but operates at much larger scale with a broader welfare mandate.
• Emmaüs France: Emmaüs France is a major federation combating poverty and exclusion through social economy activities including food access. It is a UGESS coalition partner in the 12-association Municipales 2026 effort, and shares the federation-of-associations model but with a much broader social mission.
• Croix-Rouge française: The French Red Cross runs épiceries sociales and broader food aid programs alongside health and emergency services. It is a broad incumbent that intersects with UGESS's network through shared territory operations and shared public funding pools.
• Action contre la Faim: ACF is a large international NGO addressing hunger and food insecurity, with a growing France-focused advocacy and programs portfolio. A core UGESS coalition partner and a broad incumbent shaping the same national food policy agenda UGESS influences.
• Restos du Cœur: Les Restaurants du Cœur is a much larger, established French food aid organization distributing free meals and food across the country. It is a broad incumbent in the same food aid space but operates a free-distribution model rather than the chosen/dignified épicerie model UGESS advocates.
• Secours Catholique: Secours Catholique is one of France's largest anti-poverty associations, providing food and broader support to vulnerable populations. A core UGESS coalition partner that has co-authored studies on the open-to-all épicerie model, with overlapping beneficiary populations and advocacy agenda.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ugess_reseau
• Facebookfacebook.com/UgessReseau
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ugess

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 UGESS (Union nationale des Groupements des Epiceries Sociales et Solidaires)