PermaLab

What PermaLab does

PermaLab is a French non-profit association (association loi 1901) founded in 2017 and headquartered in Crest, Drôme, that provides regenerative agriculture and hydrology consulting, project design, and training services. The firm serves farmers, wine estates, local authorities, collectives, and international clients, with project engagements spanning micro-farms (a few thousand square meters) to large estates (up to 350 hectares at Finca El Rincon in Andalusia). Its service portfolio comprises four main lines: a Bureau d'études (study office) offering cartographic studies, hydrological analysis, hydraulic design, agroforestry planning, and project management; Formations (training programs); Conférences (conference interventions); and Accompagnement Projet (project support from diagnostic through implementation).

The firm's underlying methodology is a triptych of Water (hydrology régénérative), Soil (agronomy), and Tree (agroforestry), operationalized through the Regrarians Scale of Permanence, Keyline Design, low-tech water structures (baissières, bassins d'infiltration, fascines, check dams, mares), and Holistic Planned Grazing. Technical inputs include QGIS, LIDAR data from IGN, and drone photogrammetry for topographic and watershed modeling. Co-design workshops, often 3-5 day on-site intensive sessions, are used to enable collective intelligence and permaculture-based project design, with select programs delivered via Erasmus+.

PermaLab operates on a project-based, quote-driven professional services model with no publicly disclosed pricing. Its go-to-market is direct sales-led, relying on its website (permalab.fr), social media channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube), a quarterly newsletter, and earned media in agricultural press. The team is small (1-10 employees), led by co-gérants Simon Ricard and Chan Sac Balam, and complemented by collaborators including Félix Grippon. Geographic reach covers France plus international projects in Spain, Greece (Regenerative Farming Greece program with The Southern Lights and Regen), and the United States (Oregon).

Name

PermaLab

Legal name

Association loi 1901 PERMALAB

Website

https://permalab.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PermaLab is a French non-profit association that provides regenerative agriculture and hydrology consulting, design, and training services to farmers, wine estates, local authorities, and collectives in France and internationally, using a Water-Soil-Tree methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regenerative Agriculture Consulting

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction Management & Delivery (EPCM/CMAR/Design-Build Oversight) (EUANALAE)

Keywords

• Regenerative agriculture consulting
• Hydrology design services
• Agroforestry planning
• Permaculture training programs
• Landscape water management

Headquarters

HQ city

Crest

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

Revenue model

1. Bureau d'études - Engineering Studies: Core consulting services for regenerative design including cartographic studies, hydrological analysis, hydraulic design, agroforestry planning, and project management. Services range from diagnostic studies to complete project design and construction supervision.
2. Formations - Training Programs: Educational programs and workshops on regenerative agriculture, hydrology, and agroforestry for farmers, professionals, and the general public. Includes classroom theory and hands-on field application.
3. Conférences - Conference Interventions: Speaking engagements and presentations on regenerative practices and water landscape rehydration for professional and public audiences.
4. Co-design Workshops: Collective intelligence and permaculture-based workshops where project holders participate in designing their own land, farms, or territories. Typically 3-5 day intensive sessions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PermaLab is a study bureau (bureau d'études) providing regenerative agriculture and hydrology consulting, design, and project management services built on a three-axis methodology (Water-Soil-Tree). It delivers diagnostic studies, complete project design, and construction supervision for farms, estates, and territories, complemented by training programs (Formations), conference interventions (Conférences), and on-site co-design workshops for project holders.

Product overview

PermaLab is a consulting and services company offering regenerative agriculture and hydrology solutions. The core offering consists of a 'Bureau d'études' (study office) providing consulting, design, and project management services for agricultural land, farms, and territories. Complementary services include 'Formations' (training programs) and 'Conférences' (conference services). The company specializes in three regenerative pillars: Water (hydrology), Soil (agronomy), and Trees (agroforestry), working primarily in France and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bureau d'études & Maîtrise d'œuvre Core consulting service providing study, design, and project management for agricultural and hydrological regeneration projects, from diagnostic phases to complete studies and construction oversight. Targets farmers, wine estates, local authorities, collectives, and international clients.
• Formations Training programs and workshops on regenerative agriculture, hydrology, and agroforestry, combining classroom theory with hands-on field application. Targets farmers, professionals, and the general public.
• Conférences Speaking engagements and conference presentations on regenerative practices and water landscape rehydration for professional and public audiences.
• Co-design Workshops Multi-day collective intelligence and permaculture-based workshops (typically 3-5 days) where project holders participate in designing their own land, farms, or territories, including Erasmus+ program workshops.

Quantifiable outcome

• Water infiltration improved through multiple hydrological structures; observed 800-1000 m3 water retention in check dam systems in Andalusia project.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

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

• ADAF - Arbre et Sol VivantcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on agroforestry plantings for multiple projects including Verger du Puits, Domaine de l'Alezan, and St Victor. ADAF handles tree planting execution while PermaLab provides design. Both organizations share expertise in soil and tree regeneration.
• ARCHE AgglomajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCommunity of agglomeration that commissions multiple regenerative hydrology projects from PermaLab, including installations for individual farmers within the territory.
• Conservatoire d'Espaces Naturels (CEN d'Occitanie / CEN PACA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNature space conservatories that provide ecological diagnostics and collaborate on biodiversity-focused regenerative projects, including Domaine de Castelfort and Jardin-forêt des Étangs.
• Chambre d'Agriculture de l'HéraultminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-contracted partner for Domaine de Castelfort project, providing agronomic potential assessment and pastoral activity recommendations.
• AgroofminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgroforestry specialist partner for Domaine de Castelfort, providing complementary expertise in tree integration for regenerative systems.
• Pour une Hydrologie Régénérative (PUHR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation following the Colomieu project on instrumentation and capitalization of the overall regenerative hydrology approach.
• Association MAPCa pour des rivières vivantesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRiver restoration association whose members (Cédric Cadet, Brice le Maire) co-animate low-tech stream restoration workshops with PermaLab.
• The Southern Lights (Grèce) et Regen (Italie)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partners collaborating with PermaLab on the Regenerative Farming Greece program, supporting 6 pilot farms in Greece through technical training and network development.
• Food Family & Farmers IberiamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerClient and partner for the Finca El Rincon project in Andalusia, commissioning PermaLab for large-scale regenerative design.
• Arbres et Paysages 32minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for agroforestry consulting on Domaine Tasquier project in co-contracting arrangement.
• C.E.N.P.A.C.A.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for naturalist aspects of Domaine Tasquier project in co-contracting arrangement.
• Jardin de Reliance (association)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerClient association for Jardin-forêt des Étangs project, commissioning hydrology design and hosting educational visits.
• Communauté de communes Bugey-SudmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerClient and project owner for Colomieu commune hydrology regenerative project, in partnership with Colomieu municipality.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Ver de Terre Production: French training and education company specializing in regenerative agriculture ('agriculture de conservation des sols') courses, workshops, and resources. Comparable French footprint, training-led business model, and farmer audience, with PermaLab offering deeper hydrology specialization.
• Association Française d'Agroforesterie (AFAF): French national association promoting agroforestry adoption through technical support, training, and policy advocacy. Overlaps with PermaLab's agroforestry design work and serves a similar French farmer and public-authority audience, though positioned as an association rather than commercial consultancy.

Direct peers

• Commonland: Dutch foundation offering landscape restoration consulting using a '4 Returns' framework (financial, natural, social, inspirational). Targets the same customer segment — landowners, farmers, and public authorities seeking large-scale regenerative land design — with comparable consulting-plus-implementation model.
• Pour une Hydrologie Régénérative (PUHR): French association focused specifically on regenerative hydrology methodology, instrumentation, and capitalization. Listed as a strategic partner of PermaLab on the Colomieu project and shares a near-identical technical focus on low-tech water landscape restoration.
• Regrarians: Australian regenerative agriculture consultancy founded by Darren Doherty, originator of the Regrarians Platform/Echelle de Permanence framework that PermaLab explicitly builds upon. Offers overlapping design, training, and consulting services in regenerative agriculture and holistic landscape planning.
• Terra Genesis International: Regenerative agriculture and supply chain design consultancy that works with food and fashion brands to embed regenerative design at farm and landscape scale. Closely comparable consulting methodology, holistic systems thinking, and cross-disciplinary team structure.

Broad incumbents

• ADAS: UK-based agricultural and environmental consultancy with broad coverage including agronomy, soil science, and sustainable farming. A scaled incumbent offering adjacent professional services to farmers, estates, and public-sector clients, with overlap on soil and water management consulting.
• Savory Institute: Established global organization promoting Holistic Management and Holistic Planned Grazing (one of PermaLab's core methodologies). Significantly larger scale and broader scope (training, accreditation, branded programs), but overlapping technical framework and target audience of regenerative farmers and land managers.

Emerging players

• Climate Farmers: European organization supporting regenerative agriculture adoption through farmer network building, training, and consulting across multiple EU countries. Comparable international scope, training-plus-consulting business model, and focus on farmer transition to regenerative systems, with similar early-stage scale.
• Agroof: French agroforestry specialist consultancy providing complementary tree integration expertise on PermaLab projects (notably Domaine de Castelfort). Comparable niche size, focus on agroforestry design and applied research, with shared French small-team and project-based delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC1Cwvg_2V85btjvNGipAV1g
• Facebookfacebook.com/PermacultureLab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/permalab-france
• Instagraminstagram.com/perma_lab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 PermaLab