A few Startups sponsored by the French dairy industry and retail investing in Farmhouse production and local markets:

A True Win-Win?

In the last five years, a few startups have emerged in the farmhouse dairy sector in France, positioning themselves as innovative solutions: improving dairy farmers income while avoiding a big investment in a dairy processing unit. They design a little variety of labelled ‘farmhouse’ products — from recipe formulation to branding — and promise to handle sales, marketing, and logistics, allowing farmers to focus solely on production. The farmer sign a three to five years contract of which we don’t know yet all the terms and conditions.

These companies, backed by large industrial groups or public funding, raise questions about their long-term sustainability and the actual benefits for producers.
Case Studies: J’Achète Fermier and Fairme

Fairme, founded in 2020 and financed for example by the French public agency ADEME, has ambitious plans to establish 100 dairy processing lab by 2026. The company won the 2023 Agropole Special Jury Prize for its fully autonomous- robotized dairy processing machine, which transforms milk on demand via a web application. They promise to buy the milk for 1,5 to twice the current market price.

J’Achète Fermier , a brand owned by the company “Né d’une Seule ferme”. This Paris-based company rents ‘nanofactory’ containers to farmers, who produce yoghurts in accordance with the recipe, packaging and selling price. After the process, the company buys the products from the farmer. ‘Né d’une seule ferme’ is owned by Danone, Intermarché, Bureau Vallée and others… In 2025, they are working with only 10 farms throughout all France. Its slow development suggests that the model faces operational challenges, further questioning its effectiveness in benefiting farmhouse producers.
The strong reliance of these start-up on external investment (3,1 million euros for J’achète Fermier in 2023 and 8,5 million for FAIRME in 2024) raises questions about their long-term sustainability and the actual benefits for producers.

Indeed, a similar venture, Albora, launched in 2021,that was selling the full installation for 300 000 € instead of buying the milk (FAIRME) or the products (J’achète fermier), is already undergoing judicial restructuring, highlighting the risks associated with these startup models. While these companies may promote an image of “authentic” farmhouse dairy, the reality is that the producer becomes a mere supplier, with limited control over pricing, branding, and product differentiation. Farmers and consumers alike must critically assess whether these innovations truly serve the interests of farmhouse dairy production or merely centralize profits under corporate-backed initiatives.