What Fair Trade does

fair trade GmbH Schiffahrt Handel & Logistik (commercial name "fair trade") is a privately-held German NVOCC (Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier) founded in 1992 and headquartered at Am Brill 18, 28195 Bremen, with an additional branch office in Hamburg. The company is owned and managed by co-owners/managing directors Simon Bajada and Simon Uhrlau and employs approximately 100 staff. It serves freight forwarders, importers, exporters and trading companies by offering weekly scheduled container line sailings from Hamburg and Bremen to and from more than 35 countries across Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, the Far East, Southeast Asia, Oceania, North America, Central America and South America, alongside LCL consolidation services, FCL export services and inland European road haulage.

The company's technology stack is a custom-built, web-based operating platform that supports online booking (including dangerous-goods declarations and B/L submission), export/import tracking and tracing by booking number or B/L number, and an XML schedule feed intended for direct integration into customer TMS or shipper-side applications. Shipment documentation and fees — including BAF, PSS, ETS and CAC (Red Sea/Suez contingency) surcharges, quay dues, IMO handling, ISPS fees, AMS/ACI filings, THC, manifest corrections, storage and SOLAS VGM — are surfaced transparently through the platform and rate pages. Operational reach is delivered through a worldwide network of first-class neutral agents at origin ports and local German handling partners (CPC Cargo Center Bremen, Contex Packing Hamburg, Unilok Logistik Hamburg, Unifreight Alexandria).

fair trade generates revenue on a transactional, unit-priced model: freight is quoted per weight or measure (W/M) with minimum charges; LCL consolidation is priced per cubic meter or weight measure; export handling/processing fees are levied per filing or per shipment. The go-to-market is a hybrid of inside sales supported by customer service teams organized by trade lane (South and Central America, Far East, Australia, etc.) and direct digital channels via the company website and self-service booking platform. The company holds no parent, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed external investors; it is GDPR-compliant for its data handling. Recent strategic activity (2019–2024) has been focused on expanding direct trade-lane coverage — new LCL and FCL services to Manila (2019), Alexandria for hazardous cargo (2020), Vancouver via Hapag Lloyd (2024) and Itapoa, Brazil (March 2024) — rather than on platform overhaul or M&A.

Name

Fair Trade

Legal name

fair trade GmbH Schiffahrt Handel & Logistik

Website

https://fairtrade-bremen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

fair trade GmbH is a privately-held Bremen-based NVOCC founded in 1992, offering weekly scheduled LCL and FCL container sailings from Hamburg and Bremen to 35+ countries, plus inland European road haulage and digital booking/tracking tools for freight forwarders and importers/exporters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bremen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ocean Freight Services: NVOCC services offering export and import container shipping to all major ports worldwide using weekly scheduled container line sailings from Hamburg and Bremen. Revenue generated through freight rates, surcharges (BAF, PSS, ETS, CAC), and handling fees.
2. LCL Consolidation Services: Less than Container Load consolidation services for cargo from worldwide origins. Customers pay per cubic meter or weight measure for shared container space.
3. Export Handling and Processing Fees: Additional fees including SOLAS VGM fees, Quay Dues, B/L fees, IMO handling, ISPS compliance fees, AMS/ACI filing, THC, manifest corrections, storage charges, and certificate issuance.
4. Road Haulage Operations: Extensive trucking services throughout Europe for door-to-door delivery complementing ocean freight services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

fair trade operates as an independent neutral NVOCC (Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier), providing ocean freight export and import services with weekly scheduled container sailings from Hamburg and Bremen to all major ports worldwide. The company also offers LCL (Less than Container Load) consolidation services, online booking, tracking & tracing, road haulage across Europe, and XML schedule data feeds for customer system integration.

Product overview

Fair Trade is a NVOCC (Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier) providing global container shipping services through two core product lines: Import consolidation (LCL/Sammelcontainer) and Export services. The company operates weekly scheduled container sailings from Hamburg and Bremen to worldwide destinations. Supporting modules include an online booking system, tracking & tracing, XML schedule export for system integration, and a network of freight stations. Services cover multiple trade lanes including Africa, Arab Gulf, Far East, Indian Subcontinent, Levant, North Africa, Central America, North America, Oceania, and South America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LCL Service (Sammelcontainer Import)

Quantifiable outcome

• Weekly departures to worldwide destinations ensuring reliable shipping schedules
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Worldwide Neutral Agent NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFair trade maintains an extensive network of first-class neutral agents in all ports of origin worldwide. This network guarantees supervision of the complete transportation chain from order generation through various shipment stages until delivery at the port or final place of destination.
• Hapag LloydcoreTechnology or IntegrationFair trade Bremen offers weekly AT3 and AT2 services with Hapag Lloyd for Canada routes, including Vancouver service via Saint John, NB. The partnership provides regular container line sailings for cargo consolidation.
• CPC Cargo Center BremenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal container freight station in Bremen GVZ (German: Gottfried Willers). Provides handling and storage services for import containers arriving at Bremen port.
• Contex Packing GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPacking station in Hamburg (Vollhöfner Weide 15) providing export cargo packing and consolidation services for fair trade shipments.
• Unilok Logistik GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal logistics provider in Hamburg (Heykenaukamp) offering additional handling and storage capabilities for import shipments.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Fair Trade