L'Hermitage

What L'Hermitage does

L'Hermitage is a rural innovation tiers-lieu (third place) headquartered in Autrêches, France, at the crossroads of the Aisne and Oise departments approximately 1h30 from Paris. The organization operates a 30-hectare campus comprising 21 buildings repurposed from a former hospital/industrial site, with capacity for 60-85 overnight guests plus an associative café (La Mère Mitage), a fablab for citizen hacking, aquaponics installations maintained by hosted enterprise VEGETO, a managed forest commons, and a micro-farm (Les Jardins de l'Hermitage). Founded as a collective in 2016 and operational since 2017, the entity is structured as a multi-stakeholder ecosystem comprising an association (APPH), a cooperative land society (SCIC Foncière de l'Hermitage with 100+ sociétaires), and two wholly-owned mission-driven subsidiaries for hospitality (L'Hermitage Séjours Inspirants) and consulting (L'Hermitage Impact & Transitions).

The business operates four thematic verticals: agro-ecology, citizen hacking, eco-renovation, and living-together. Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of (i) seminar and retreat bookings (60-85 beds, 37 activities, chef-prepared bio/local vegetarian cuisine), (ii) the associative café serving 12€ cantine meals Tuesday-Friday, (iii) Hermitage Impact & Transitions consulting for local authorities and social entrepreneurs, (iv) sale of social shares in the SCIC Foncière, and (v) tax-deductible donations. Pricing for workshops ranges from €50 to €150 per session. Distribution leverages direct on-site hospitality, a mobile workshop service (Gaston le Camion), and digital channels (social media across five platforms). The site is part of the international 3Zéro alliance led by NGO ACTED and benefits from public funding through Région Hauts-de-France, ANCT, FEDER, LEADER, France Relance, and Next Generation EU.

Since 2017, L'Hermitage has welcomed over 300 groups, hosted more than 100 sociétaires, and cultivated a partner network including ACTED, Apprentis d'Auteuil, Concordia, Enercoop, Cargonautes, La Fabrique Nomade, and Nicomak. Customer segments span organizations seeking team-building retreats, local authorities and rural development actors, social entrepreneurs, and local residents. The cooperative governance model and alignment with the 3Zéro movement (zero exclusion, zero carbon, zero poverty) position L'Hermitage as a hybrid social enterprise blending commercial hospitality and consulting revenues with public subsidies, donations, and community ownership.

Name

L'Hermitage

Legal name

Association de Préfiguration du Projet Hermitage (APPH)

Website

https://hermitagelelab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

L'Hermitage is a French rural innovation tiers-lieu in Autrêches operating a 30-hectare cooperative campus that hosts team-building retreats, a fablab, an associative café, aquaponics, and consulting for local authorities, serving groups, social entrepreneurs, and rural communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Innovation Hub

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry (115)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Agritourism Eco-Lodges & Farm Nature Stays (THAAAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Farm Stays & Agritourism Lodges (THAMADAH), Conservation & Research Lodges (Citizen Science, Field Stations with Guests) (THAAAHAJ), Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

Keywords

• Rural innovation hub
• Corporate retreat venue
• Community workshop space
• Agro-ecology programs
• Rural development consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Autrêches

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Séjours Inspirants (Inspirational Stays): Hospitality services including accommodation (60-85 beds depending on season), full-board with bio/local/seasonal vegetarian cuisine prepared by a chef, meeting rooms, and 37 team-building activities. This is a primary revenue stream for the tiers-lieu.
2. Café Cantine / Restaurant: Café associatif open to public with cantine service serving bio, local, seasonal meals at 12€ per person, Tuesday to Friday. Also hosts events like karaoké evenings and themed evenings.
3. Hermitage Impact & Transitions Consulting: Bureau d'études providing customized support for emerging actors and project carriers in rural territories, helping them understand and appropriate transitions. Revenue from consulting services to local authorities and social entrepreneurs.
4. Social Shares (Parts Sociales): Sale of social shares of the SCIC Foncière de l'Hermitage cooperative. Campaign 2024-2025 offers 500 shares at 100€ each, providing capital for site development while creating a community of stakeholders.
5. Donations: Tax-deductible donations (66% tax deduction in France) financing workshops and activities in ecology, cooperation, democracy, and solidarity. Donation amounts range from 50€ to 150€ for specific initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

L'Hermitage operates a 30-hectare rural innovation tiers-lieu (third place) in Autrêches, France, offering hospitality services (accommodation for 60-85 guests, chef-prepared bio/local vegetarian catering), an associative café (La Mère Mitage), a fablab, an agro-ecological micro-farm, aquaponics installations, and a managed forest commons. The site hosts inspirational stays, team-building seminars, and workshops while also providing consulting services (Hermitage Impact & Transitions) to local authorities and social entrepreneurs across France.

Product overview

L'Hermitage is a rural innovation third-place (tiers-lieu) organized as a multi-entity ecosystem comprising four main structures: (1) L'Hermitage Séjours Inspirants provides event and seminar hosting with accommodations and team-building activities; (2) Hermitage Expérimentations operates the associative cafe (La Mère Mitage), fablab, and social programming; (3) SCIC Foncière de l'Hermitage holds property ownership and manages the 30-hectare site with 21 buildings; and (4) Hermitage Impact & Transitions offers consulting services for rural territorial transitions. The site also hosts several external enterprises and associations including Les Jardins de l'Hermitage (micro-farm), VEGETO (aquaponics), Graines de vies (AMAP), and Association Planteurs (tree nurseries). The organization operates across four thematic axes: agroecology, citizen hacking, eco-renovation, and living together.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• L'Hermitage Séjours Inspirants Event and seminar hosting services offering team-building stays in a rural setting with accommodations (60-85 sleeping places), organic/local/seasonal vegetarian catering prepared by a chef, meeting rooms, and 37 varied activities focused on well-being, creation, agro-ecology, and site discovery.
• Hermitage Expérimentations Social and community programming bundling the associative café La Mère Mitage, a fablab for citizen hacking, a managed forest commons (commun forestier d'usages), and educational workshops on agro-ecology, food, nature, and community building; open to residents, visitors, and groups Tuesday through Friday.
• Hermitage Impact & Transitions Consulting bureau that experiments with transition models on-site and provides customized support to emerging actors and project carriers in rural territories, helping local authorities and social entrepreneurs understand and implement social, ecological, and economic transitions.
• SCIC Foncière Social Shares (Parts Sociales) Cooperative social shares (parts sociales) of the SCIC Foncière de l'Hermitage sold to individuals, organizations, and partners who become sociétaires (member-owners) and gain access to general assemblies and cooperative governance; provides capital for site development and creates a community of stakeholders.

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ACTEDcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ACTED is a key strategic partner in the international 3Zéro alliance. L'Hermitage has been labeled 'Maison3Zéro' by ACTED, signifying its concrete commitment to zero exclusion, zero carbon, and zero poverty. The partnership involves joint campus development planned for 2025 within the 3Zéro framework.
• VEGETOcoreTechnology or IntegrationVEGETO is an enterprise specializing in the design, conception, and implementation of aquaponics installations. They have multiple installations on the L'Hermitage site where fish coexist with vegetable plant roots, providing both production and educational demonstration.
• Les Jardins de l'HermitagecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMicro-farm in agro-ecology installed on the lower part of the site since 2020, co-managed by market gardener Edwige Lavogez. Provides direct sales and AMAP (CSA) distribution of fruits and vegetables.
• Graines de ViesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMAP (Association for the Maintenance of peasant agriculture) of the Valley. Supports producers and organizes events including weekly bio basket distribution and activities around food.
• Association PlanteursminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation committed to hedges through creating a network of nurseries of country trees to feed agroforestry planting projects. Their nurseries are installed within engaged tiers-lieux, including L'Hermitage.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Terre de Liens: French cooperative acquiring agricultural land to support agro-ecological projects. Comparable in using cooperative land ownership to advance rural transitions and agritourism-friendly eco-enterprise.
• Plateau Urbain: French social enterprise activating vacant real estate for temporary, community-led uses. Conceptually aligned with L'Hermitage's eco-renovation of a former hospital/industrial site for community purposes, though its focus is urban.

Others

• ACTED: International development NGO and L'Hermitage's strategic partner in the 3Zéro alliance. Relevant as a peer partner given its Maison3Zéro programme and shared mission of zero exclusion, zero carbon, zero poverty.
• Enercoop: French renewable energy cooperative and partner of L'Hermitage. Comparable as a cooperative-structured actor in the social and ecological transition economy of France.

Direct peers

• La Ferme du Bonheur: Urban-rural hybrid third place near Paris offering accommodation, workshops, dining, and community programming. Comparable in its multi-activity, eco-innovation positioning and combination of agritourism with social economy activities.
• La Myne: French tiers-lieu focused on ecology, digital fabrication, and citizen participation with fablab and accommodation offerings. Closely comparable to L'Hermitage in its hybrid eco-lodge, fablab, and community-innovation model, though more urban-fringe in location.
• Villages Vivants: Real estate cooperative revitalising rural French villages through acquisition and rental of unused property to social actors. Deeply comparable to L'Hermitage's SCIC Foncière model and rural-territory transition mission.
• Le Germoir: Ambrincourt-based rural third place in Hauts-de-France, listed as a partner of L'Hermitage. Operates a similar rural innovation hub with agritourism, workshops, and community engagement in the same French region.

Broad incumbents

• La Cordée: Network of community-focused coworking and event spaces across France. Comparable in combining accommodation, food, and community programming, but at greater scale and with a more urban orientation.
• La Halle Tropisme: Large cultural and creative third place in Montpellier offering coworking, hospitality, restaurants, and event hosting. Comparable business model mix (lodging, food, events, community) but at much larger urban scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/l_hermitage_
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCD753rTkUjcd5XugSdkH0TQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/projethermitage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leprojethermitage
• Instagraminstagram.com/l_hermitage_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 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 L'Hermitage