A team of engineering students from UniLaSalle Beauvais wins the final of the Make IT Agri competition with GeoFresh, an innovative and sustainable agricultural cooling solution based on geocooling.
The agriculture of tomorrow is taking shape at UniLaSalle
On Friday, June 20, in Paris, the GeoFresh team, made up of six fourth-year apprentices studying for an engineering degree in agronomy and agro-industries at UniLaSalle Beauvais, won first place in the Make IT Agri 2025 final. This national competition, organized by the Fondation Avril and AgroParisTech, highlights student projects that combine technological innovation and sustainability in the service of the agricultural world.
GeoFresh offers an innovative agricultural cooling solution based on geocooling, a technology that is still new to the agri-food sector. This system uses the natural coolness of the subsoil to maintain a stable storage temperature of 6°C, which is ideal for potato storage. The result is reduced energy consumption, a lower carbon footprint, and substantial savings for farmers.
A team committed to responsible and accessible agriculture
The GeoFresh project is the result of several months of rigorous and collaborative work led by:
Baptiste Boulnois, Yann Dietmann, Jeanne Dumouchel de Prémare, Alice Gintzburger, Lison Binet, and Élise Coquerelle, all fourth-year apprentices in agricultural engineering and agro-industries at UniLaSalle Beauvais.
Their innovation, praised for its technical and economic feasibility, is fully in line with the objectives of agriculture in transition: sustainable, energy-efficient and adapted to the realities on the ground.
The success of GeoFresh is also the result of solid educational and human support, made possible thanks to the support of numerous mentors and teachers: Hélène Bigeard, Apolline Jacquemin, Estelle Dourlat, Cédric Bron, Fred Deola, as well as technical mentor Stéphane Pastor.
What are the next steps?
- Building an initial prototype
- Finalizing the business plan
- Seeking public and private funding
- Modeling long-term profitability
Alongside GeoFresh, two other projects stood out on the podium:
- PAC+, an app dedicated to optimizing CAP subsidies for farmers
- Hortenia, a digital solution for sustainable vegetable garden management
Congratulations to all the finalists and the GeoFresh team for this great victory, which perfectly embodies UniLaSalle's values: innovation, responsibility, and commitment.
