After opening 2 sites in Bordeaux, Les Nouvelles Fermes will be launching a new aquaponics farm in the spring of 2026. It will be the largest in Europe, located on a former wasteland in Carrières-sous-Poissy (Yvelines). To do this, the company has just raised €5 million [5.85 million USD]. The company wanted to replicate this model in order to grow and expand internationally. CEO Thomas Boisserie takes a closer look at the project.
© Les Nouvelles Fermes Aquaponics is an age-old farming method that combines fish farming - trout in this case - with vegetable production. This closed-circuit production method requires 7 times less water and emits 2 times fewer emissions than conventional agriculture.
The 3rd generation of aquaponic farms
To date, Les Nouvelles fermes has installed 2 sites in Gironde: A 1,000m² farm launched in 2019 in Lormont and a 5,000m² farm named "Odette" in 2022 in Mérignac. With a surface area of 2 hectares, "this latest addition is the 3rd generation of farms. The new farm will be 4 times bigger than the previous one, so we can achieve significant savings, with investment costs of €200/m2 [234 USD/m2]. At the same time, this 3rd generation brings substantial improvements in terms of climate management under glass (albeit in a cold greenhouse), energy savings, water savings, mechanization of some non-essential operator tasks, greenhouse ergonomics enabling us to increase the UAA/m2 by 10%..."
Halfway between low tech and high tech
The future aquaponics farm has opted for a hybrid format combining low-tech and high-tech (robotization, IoT, Big Data). "Some people call it middle-tech or midtech. In concrete terms, there is no heating or artificial lighting here, and we opted for a double-walled inflatable model instead of glass for the greenhouse. We also worked on hydraulic storage so that it would operate as much as possible with gravity. We created a constellation of 52 connected sensors to measure our vitals in real time and be alerted by SMS/email in the event of an alarm," explains Thomas Boisserie. Much of the farm's management can also be done remotely. Data is analyzed in real time, and an ERP system has been developed in-house to manage everything from seed to delivery. The application of treatments (compatible with organic farming) will be managed by robots.
© Les Nouvelles Fermes
Les Nouvelles Fermes has just completed a €5m [5.85 million USD] Series A financing round with Starquest Capital and Maif Impact, the support of two historic business angels, and the assistance of Impakt Advisor.
250 tons of fruit and vegetables a year for the Paris region
The future farm in Yvelines is expected to produce up to 250 tons of fruit and vegetables and 60 tons of rainbow trout a year for the 7.5 million people living in the Paris region. Among the species grown: different varieties of lettuce, mainly marketed with their roots for longer storage, sucrines, cabbage, watercress, rocket, as well as tomatoes and peppers in the summer, and herbs (basil, chives, parsley, coriander...). As for distribution channels, production will be split between supermarkets (70%) within a maximum radius of 50km of the farm, catering (15%), and direct sales (15%) at the farm and on the e-commerce site. "We hope to have our products on the shelves of supermarkets and hypermarkets in the Paris region just before the summer of 2026," explains Thomas Boisserie.
Production costs: "We are much less dependent on price fluctuations"
"Our yields are between 2.5 and 12 times those of open field production. For tomatoes, we reach 10kg per plant per season." The yields are higher than traditional crops, but what about the production costs? Thomas Boisserie admits that "production costs are higher in aquaponics because responsible farming is expensive nowadays." However, the situation could be reversed in the not-so-distant future. "Unlike conventional farming, we are much less dependent on variations in the price of inputs, energy, water stress, or flooding, so we are betting on the future."
"Aquaponics is no longer a pioneering initiative"
© Les Nouvelles Fermes
The ambitions of Les Nouvelles Fermes go beyond the French borders. With its new farm model, the company is laying the foundations for a model that can be replicated at 15 sites across France and Europe by 2030. "We have not targeted any specific countries in Europe yet, but we will do so over the next 12 months. Between now and the end of the year, we will choose the next 3 sites in France. We have already been working with these sites for several months." How is France positioned today in the aquaponics sector? "There are around 10 aquaponics companies in the world at this stage of development: 3 in the USA, 5 in Europe, and 2 in Asia. Our respective growth rates are impressive. In China, we have a 120-hectare aquaponics farm. An even bigger one is reportedly under construction. Of the 5 European players, 3 are French. Progressively, aquaponics is evolving from a pioneering initiative to a commercial solution that will be part of tomorrow's agricultural landscape."
For more information:
© Les Nouvelles Fermes
Les Nouvelles Fermes
14 avenue de la grande semaine,
Mérignac, France
Phone: +33 (0) 5 47 74 28 41
[email protected]