A PRO BIO

What A PRO BIO does

A PRO BIO is a French non-profit interprofessional association (association loi 1901) founded in 1994 and headquartered in Saint-André-Lez-Lille, Hauts-de-France. It serves as the sole regional interprofessional body dedicated to the organic agriculture sector in Hauts-de-France, operating at the intersection of organic producers, transformers, distributors, collective caterers, public institutions, and citizens. The organization supports the full lifecycle of organic sector development: helping professionals launch certified organic projects, access financing (Fonds Avenir Bio, AIDAB, Cap Fil agri), structure supply chains, and reach markets; assisting collective catering structures with EGAlim, Climat et Résilience, and AGEC regulatory compliance including drafting organic-inclusive public procurement tenders; and educating citizens and schoolchildren on organic labels, seasonality, and sustainable food.

The organization delivers its work through a portfolio of interconnected programs rather than a technology platform: the Territoire BIO Engagé certification label (coordinated regionally with 58 labeled communes in Hauts-de-France and 400+ nationally), the CRCB (Communauté Restauration Collective Bio) collaborative community launched in 2024, the Coopérabio annual catering event, the Bio Réflexe consumer awareness campaign, the Annuaire des fournisseurs bio supplier directory, the biannual Forum des financeurs, and a catalog of 32 pedagogical animations for schools. A PRO BIO does not develop proprietary technology; its value rests on institutional coordination, regulatory mandate (regional observer for organic agriculture/ORAB), and content expertise accumulated over 30 years.

Revenue derives from two principal streams: recurring membership fees from approximately 70 organic sector professionals, and public institutional funding from Region Hauts-de-France, DRAAF, water agencies (Artois-Picardie, Seine-Normandie), and departmental councils (Aisne, Nord, Oise, Pas-de-Calais, Somme). The association employs 19 staff organized into three pôles (Territoires & transition alimentaire, Entreprises & filières, Communication) and operates free of charge to members and the public. As a non-profit, A PRO BIO has no shareholders, no parent company, and is governed by a conseil d'administration.

Name

A PRO BIO

Legal name

A PRO BIO

Website

https://aprobio.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

A PRO BIO is a 30-year-old French non-profit interprofessional association based in Hauts-de-France that promotes organic agriculture by supporting producers, advising collective caterers on EGAlim compliance, and educating citizens and schools, funded by membership fees and regional public grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Food Advocacy and Organic Agriculture Association Services

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

Keywords

• Organic agriculture advocacy
• Collective catering support
• Agricultural interprofessional association
• Organic supply chain coordination
• Territorial food project advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-andré-de-cubzac

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: A PRO BIO generates revenue through annual membership fees from organic sector professionals (producers, transformers, distributors, restaurants) who join the association. Members gain access to advisory services, networking events, and the supplier directory.
2. Public institutional funding: The association receives operational and project funding from public institutional partners including Region Hauts-de-France, DRAAF, water agencies (Artois-Picardie, Seine-Normandie), and departmental councils (Aisne, Nord, Oise, Pas-de-Calais, Somme).

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

A PRO BIO is a non-profit interprofessional association that develops and promotes organic agriculture and food systems in Hauts-de-France, France. It supports organic sector professionals (producers, transformers, distributors, restaurateurs) with project-launch, financing, sector-structuring and market-access services; helps collective catering structures comply with EGAlim, Climat et Résilience and AGEC through training, procurement drafting and supplier sourcing; coordinates the Territoire BIO Engag\u00e9 certification label and the CRCB community network for collective catering; and runs awareness programs for schools, employees and citizens.

Product overview

A PRO BIO operates as a single, unified association providing a portfolio of interconnected services rather than a traditional product-platform architecture. The organization's core offerings include: (1) Territoires BIO Engagé certification program - the primary official recognition for committed municipalities in Hauts-de-France; (2) CRCB collaborative community - fostering organic collective catering through webinars and working groups; (3) Coopérabio annual flagship event; (4) Bio Réflexe regional communication campaign; (5) Annuaire des fournisseurs bio supplier directory; (6) Forum des financeurs biannual financing event; (7) Professional support services for collective catering including regulatory compliance, training, and sourcing; (8) Professional bio sector support for project launching, financing, and sector structuring; and (9) Awareness/education programs across schools, leisure centers, businesses, and communities. These services work together to advance organic agriculture adoption across the Hauts-de-France region through certification, community building, professional support, and public education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Territoire BIO Engag\u00e9 National certification label that recognises municipalities and territories committing to organic agriculture. A PRO BIO coordinates deployment in Hauts-de-France and rewards collective catering actions and agricultural practices meeting defined thresholds.
• CRCB (Communaut\u00e9 Restauration Collective Bio) Collaborative community network animated by A PRO BIO that brings together territories, technical advisors, collective catering buyers, suppliers and relay persons to encourage organic product introduction in collective catering.
• Coop\u00e9rabio annual event Annual event dedicated to collective catering professionals in Hauts-de-France, gathering chefs, buyers, diners, suppliers, service providers and elected officials to exchange on introducing organic products in collective catering. Features the 'Bio des Chefs' culinary challenge, plenary sessions and workshops.
• Forum des financeurs Biannual event organized by A PRO BIO connecting public and private project financiers in the Hauts-de-France bio sector with project leaders and organic businesses.
• Annuaire des fournisseurs bio Online searchable directory of organic producers, transformers and distributors in Hauts-de-France for collective catering buyers, enabling direct B2B connections between organic suppliers and collective catering purchasers.
• Bio R\u00e9flexe campaign (Hauts-de-France deployment) Regional communication campaign deployed in Hauts-de-France in Spring 2024 to raise consumer awareness about organic agriculture and support organic product consumption. Initiated by Agence Bio in 2023 and operated by A PRO BIO at the regional level.
• Collective catering support services Comprehensive support for collective catering including regulatory compliance guidance (EGAlim, Climate and Resilience law, AGEC law), public procurement drafting, supplier sourcing, kitchen team training, and accompaniment for vegetarian meals, organic meat and food waste reduction.
• Professional bio sector support Support services for bio sector professionals including project launching assistance, financing support (Fonds Avenir Bio, AIDAB, Cap Fil agri), sector structuring, finding market outlets and networking opportunities.
• Awareness animations and training programs Educational programs covering organic agriculture, seasonality, food waste prevention and sustainable nutrition through interactive games, workshops and customised training for school children (maternal to secondary), leisure centres, students, employees, citizens and care assistants. A catalogue of 32 animation formats is available.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70 organic sector professionals supported as members in 2024
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Agence BIOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Agence BIO initiated the national Bio Réflexe communication campaign in 2023 and delegated its regional deployment to interprofessional bodies including A PRO BIO, which ran the first Hauts-de-France campaign in spring 2024. A PRO BIO also supports members in accessing the Fonds Avenir Bio financing managed by Agence BIO.
• INTERBIO Nouvelle-AquitainecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012INTERBIO Nouvelle-Aquitaine originally created the Territoire BIO Engagé label in 2012. A PRO BIO was licensed to coordinate and deploy this label in Hauts-de-France, expanding the scheme from a single region to a multi-regional initiative now covering 6+ French regions.
• Departement du NordmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartement du Nord partnered with A PRO BIO to co-implement the Ici, Je Mange Local label, which incentivizes collective catering establishments to increase local and organic product sourcing. A PRO BIO specifically supports higher-tier certification levels requiring organic products.
• Métropole Européenne de Lille (MEL)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMEL co-created the Ici, Je Mange Local label with Departement du Nord, Chambre d'Agriculture, and DRAAF, in which A PRO BIO participates as the organic sector specialist for organic-inclusive certification tiers.
• Chambre d'Agriculture du Nord-Pas de CalaismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-partner in the Ici, Je Mange Local label initiative, working alongside A PRO BIO to bridge agricultural producers and collective catering buyers in the region.
• DRAAF Hauts-de-FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDRAAF Hauts-de-France partnered with A PRO BIO to produce the Tutos CROC (Consommer responsable? Oui mais Comment?) video series showcasing budget-friendly organic recipes for students, supported by the Programme National pour l'Alimentation. DRAAF also partners on the Plan Bio 2023-2027.
• So Watt!minorOthersA PRO BIO's headquarters is located at the So Watt! coworking facility in Saint-André-Lez-Lille. So Watt! provides the physical office space and community environment for the organization's 19 employees.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Un Plus Bio: National association coordinating the introduction of organic products in collective catering across France through its Bio & Local label and network. Direct competitor/peer with A PRO BIO on the collective catering bio integration mandate (EGAlim compliance), focusing on the same buyers (catering professionals and public institutions) as a major part of its mandate.
• Cluster Bio Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: Regional organic sector cluster in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes that coordinates organic producers, transformers, distributors and public buyers. Operates a similar interprofessional model to A PRO BIO with comparable services in financing, market development and collective catering support for the bio sector.
• INTERBIO Nouvelle-Aquitaine: Regional interprofessional association for the organic sector in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, originator of the Territoire BIO Engagé label. Same mandate structure as A PRO BIO (organic sector coordination, label deployment, collective catering support) and serves as the licensing counterpart that granted A PRO BIO the right to deploy TBE in Hauts-de-France.
• Bio en Grand Est: Regional federation for organic agriculture in the Grand Est region of France, providing advisory, training and supply chain structuring for organic professionals. Closely comparable to A PRO BIO in operating scope (Hauts-de-France neighbour with identical French regional association structure and member-driven services).
• Bio Centre: Regional organic agriculture association in Centre-Val de Loire coordinating organic producers, processors, distributors and catering buyers. Same interprofessional model as A PRO BIO with parallel services including collective catering advisory, supplier directories, and Territoire BIO Engagé deployment in their region.

Broad incumbents

• Biocoop: France's leading organic retail cooperative network with hundreds of storefronts nationwide, including in Hauts-de-France where A PRO BIO highlights it as a flagship organic point of sale on its consumer-facing map. Tangential peer (private commercial operator vs non-profit association), but adjacent in the French bio consumer ecosystem A PRO BIO promotes.
• FNAB (Fédération Nationale d'Agriculture Biologique): National federation of organic farmers in France organizing the regional FRAB/Groupement Bio associations. Operates one organizational layer above A PRO BIO in the French organic agriculture sector governance structure and engages in related policy advocacy (e.g., opposition to suppression of Agence BIO).
• Agence BIO: National public-interest agency for the development and promotion of organic agriculture in France. Operates the Bio Réflexe campaign (delegated to A PRO BIO regionally) and manages the Fonds Avenir Bio financing facility that A PRO BIO directs members toward, making it the parent-institutional counterpart in the French bio sector value chain.

Others

• Réseau CIVAM: National federation of Centres d'Initiatives pour Valoriser l'Agriculture et le Milieu rural, working on sustainable agriculture, rural development and food system transitions across France. Operates adjacent to A PRO BIO's mission of sustainable food system development, with overlapping citizen education and farmer-support activities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCqaSD-ZC17oeMonJT5jiasg
• Facebookfacebook.com/aprobio.hdf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-aprobio
• Instagraminstagram.com/aprobiohdf/?locale=en_US%2Cen_US%2Cen_US%2Cen_GB

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 A PRO BIO