El Puente
El Puente is a German fair trade e-commerce retailer founded in 1977, selling certified organic coffee, tea, food, fashion, home, wellness, and children's products via its Magento-based DTC storefront and B2B wholesale to world shops across Germany, the EU, and select non-EU markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersNordstemmen, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What El Puente does
El Puente, legally "El Puente Import und Vertrieb von Gebrauchsgegenständen und Kunstgewerbeartikeln zur Förderung von Kleinbetrieben und Genossenschaften in Entwicklungsländern GmbH," is a German privately-held fair trade e-commerce company headquartered in Nordstemmen, Lower Saxony, founded in 1977. The company operates as a specialized online retailer and wholesale distributor of certified organic and fair trade products spanning seven core categories: coffee and tea (including coffee pads and accessories), food and beverages (sweets, snacks, cooking ingredients), fashion (clothing, jewelry, accessories), living and home goods (handcrafted textiles, baskets, decor), wellness (natural cosmetics, meditation items), and children's products (toys, nursery decor). It sources from a global network of smallholder farmer cooperatives and artisan groups, with long-standing partnerships such as SEKEM in Egypt for sesame bars and curated partner brands Chocolatemakers, fairfood, and Conflictfood. The company holds WFTO Guaranteed Fair Trade and People Planet First Verified Social Enterprise certifications.
The underlying technology is a standard Magento-based e-commerce storefront supporting German, English, and French languages, with no public API, no mobile app, and no disclosed AI or ML features. Distribution is dual-channel: direct-to-consumer e-commerce with shipping to Germany (free above €75), all EU member states plus Norway, Switzerland, and the UK, alongside a B2B wholesale channel serving world shops (Weltläden) and corporate customers with bulk pricing and tiered shipping terms. Marketing relies on organic social (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn), newsletter, and content marketing through editorial categories covering global origin stories, partner profiles, seasonal trends, and gift guides. The company employs 51-100 people, has received no external funding, and is structured as a social business prioritizing fair trade principles over profit maximization.
El Puente firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- El Puente
- Legal name
- El Puente Import und Vertrieb von Gebrauchsgegenständen und Kunstgewerbeartikeln zur Förderung von Kleinbetrieben und Genossenschaften in Entwicklungsländern GmbH
- Website
- https://el-puente.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- El Puente is a German fair trade e-commerce retailer founded in 1977, selling certified organic coffee, tea, food, fashion, home, wellness, and children's products via its Magento-based DTC storefront and B2B wholesale to world shops across Germany, the EU, and select non-EU markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
El Puente industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fair Trade Retail
- NAICS
- Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529), Food and Beverage Retailers (445), All Other Miscellaneous Retailers (45999)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140), Wholesale-Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods (5190), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Natural/Organic Grocery E-commerce & Delivery-Only Retail (CRAHAEAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support) (BPAGALAL), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Bulk Beverage & Coffee/Tea Supply Stores (Retail + Wholesale) (CRAHAMAH)
Keywords
Where El Puente is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nordstemmen
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
El Puente business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- E-commerce Retail Sales: Direct product sales to consumers through the online shop. Products include fair trade coffee, tea, food, fashion accessories, home goods, wellness products, and children's items.
- Coffee Subscription: Recurring coffee subscription service offering 10% discount to subscribers, providing predictable recurring revenue.
- B2B Wholesale: Wholesale sales to world shops and retailers. Business customers can register for wholesale accounts with bulk pricing.
- Bulk/Industrial Sales: Raw coffee, bulk quantities, and promotional items available for large orders to business customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Consumer e-commerce pricing with free shipping threshold |
| Subscription | Monthly | Coffee subscription with 10% discount |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | B2B wholesale pricing for business customers |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
El Puente product offering
Product offeringCore offering
El Puente sells certified fair trade and organic coffee, tea, food, fashion, home goods, wellness, and children's products directly to consumers through its own online shop, complemented by a recurring coffee subscription service. The company also distributes its assortment to world shops, retailers, and corporate buyers through a dedicated B2B wholesale channel. The offering is built on long-standing direct partnerships with smallholder farmer cooperatives and artisan groups, verified by WFTO and People Planet First certifications.
Product overview
El Puente operates as an online fair trade marketplace offering a diverse portfolio of fair trade and organic products. The core offering centers on Coffee & Tea (including a subscription service), complemented by Food & Beverages (sweets, snacks, cooking ingredients), Fashion (clothing, jewelry, accessories), Living & Home goods (decor, kitchenware, textiles), Wellness products (cosmetics, meditation items), and Children's products. The company has been practicing 100% fair trade since 1977, working with artisan cooperatives and small-scale farmers worldwide. Products are shipped plastic-free with carbon offset through climate protection projects in Tanzania and Rwanda.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Fair Trade Coffee & Tea (Kaffee & Tee) Wide selection of fair trade coffee (beans, ground, espresso, decaffeinated, coffee pads) and tea (green, herbal, rooibos, black) plus tea accessories, including the 2024 Statement Coffees sub-line with politically-themed messaging. Sold to consumers and B2B wholesale buyers.
- Coffee Subscription (Kaffee-Abo) Recurring coffee subscription service offering regular deliveries of fair trade coffee on a customer-chosen schedule, with a 10% discount for subscribers. For individual consumers seeking predictable, discounted fair trade coffee delivery.
- Food & Beverages (Lebensmittel) Organic fair trade food assortment including beverages, sweets and snacks (chocolate, dried fruits, nuts, nougat, sesame bars), and cooking and baking ingredients (sauces, oils, spices, rice, legumes). For individual consumers and B2B wholesale buyers.
- Fashion (Mode) Fair trade clothing (tops, socks, hats, slippers, gloves), jewelry (bracelets, earrings, necklaces, rings, brooches), and accessories (bags, scarves, wallets, belts, cases). For individual consumers and B2B wholesale buyers.
- Living & Home (Wohnen) Handcrafted home goods including storage, home textiles, decoration, furniture, stationery, outdoor items, and kitchenware. For individual consumers and B2B wholesale buyers.
- Wellness (Bien-être) Natural wellness products including bathroom accessories, relaxation and meditation items (essential oils, fragrance lamps, incense, singing bowls, yoga accessories), and natural cosmetics for face, hair, and body. For individual consumers and B2B wholesale buyers.
- Children's Products (Kinderartikel) Fair trade children's items including baby articles, toys (balls, puzzles, educational games, wooden toys, finger puppets), stuffed animals and dolls, children's wallets, bags and backpacks, money boxes, and nursery decoration. For individual consumers and B2B wholesale buyers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Plastic-free shipping with carbon offset through climate protection projects in Tanzania and Rwanda (Gold Standard)
Companies that use El Puente
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
El Puente technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
El Puente partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- SEKEMcoreLong-term trading partner in Egypt producing sesame bars and other organic fair trade products. Sesamriegel products are sourced from SEKEM's organic farms under fair trade conditions.
- fairfoodminorPartner brand featured on El Puente's news section, offering fair trade food products. Collaboration for product variety and fair trade food category expansion.
- ChocolatemakersminorPartner brand specializing in fair trade chocolate products, featured in the news/partner products section.
- ConflictfoodminorPartner brand offering conflict-free fair trade food products, featured in the news section and product offerings.
- World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO)coreGlobal fair trade network providing the 'Guaranteed Fair Trade' verification logo. El Puente is a verified member, ensuring compliance with fair trade principles across all operations.
- Smallholder Farmer CooperativescoreWorldwide network of small-scale farmers and artisan cooperatives producing fair trade products. El Puente supports these communities by paying fair prices, enabling investment in education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
- Kleinbäuer*innen-Kooperativen (Smallholder Farmer Cooperatives)coreArtisan and smallholder farmer cooperatives in developing countries who craft products using traditional methods, often passed down through generations. Core of El Puente's fair trade model.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
El Puente competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tony's Chocolonely: Dutch fair trade chocolate brand with strong ethical positioning, sold across European retail and direct-to-consumer. Operates as a single-category fair trade brand versus El Puente's marketplace model, but directly comparable on producer partnerships, certification use, and values-driven marketing.
- GEPA: Germany's largest fair trade company, headquartered in Wuppertal. Operates a similar multi-category fair trade model spanning coffee, tea, food, fashion, and home goods with both B2C and B2B channels. Closest direct comparable to El Puente in mission, product breadth, and German market focus.
Broad incumbents
- Naturkost Schramm: German organic and fair trade wholesaler supplying health food stores and organic retailers. Comparable B2B wholesale model for organic and fair trade groceries and competes for the same independent retailer shelf space as El Puente's world shop network.
- Alnatura: Germany's leading organic supermarket chain with hundreds of stores plus an online shop. Overlaps with El Puente on certified organic groceries, coffee, and household items but operates at vastly greater scale and as a broad organic incumbent rather than a fair trade specialist.
Regional players
- Equal Exchange: US-based worker cooperative and pioneer fair trade brand for coffee, tea, chocolate, and snacks. Comparable fair trade sourcing model with direct smallholder cooperative partnerships; operates primarily in North America rather than Europe.
- Fairtrade Original: Dutch fair trade company offering coffee, tea, chocolate, and food products through retail and wholesale channels. Highly comparable product mix and fair trade sourcing model; primarily serves Benelux rather than competing directly in Germany.
- Cafédirect: UK fair trade coffee and tea brand owned by smallholder producers. Comparable mission, coffee-first focus, and direct producer ownership; competes indirectly via UK specialty retail rather than the German market.
Emerging players
- Clipper Teas: UK-based fair trade and organic tea brand offering loose leaf, bagged, and specialty teas. Comparable on fair trade certification and organic positioning within El Puente's tea category; serves UK and select EU markets rather than DACH wholesale channels.
- Tradecraft: Dutch fair trade home goods and lifestyle brand. Comparable fair trade sourcing and ethical brand positioning within El Puente's home/fashion categories, though with a narrower product focus on home textiles and accessories.
Others
- Faire: Global B2B wholesale marketplace connecting independent retailers with brands across food, home, and lifestyle categories. Relevant as a competitive distribution channel for fair trade brands and a potential complement or substitute to El Puente's traditional wholesale relationships with world shops.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
El Puente social profiles
Digital presenceEl Puente financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
El Puente leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
El Puente funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
El Puente M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about El Puente
What does El Puente do?
El Puente sells certified fair trade and organic coffee, tea, food, fashion, home goods, wellness, and children's products directly to consumers through its own online shop, complemented by a recurring coffee subscription service. The company also distributes its assortment to world shops, retailers, and corporate buyers through a dedicated B2B wholesale channel. The offering is built on long-standing direct partnerships with smallholder farmer cooperatives and artisan groups, verified by WFTO and People Planet First certifications.
Is El Puente a public or private company?
El Puente is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was El Puente founded?
El Puente was founded in 1977. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is El Puente based?
El Puente is headquartered in Nordstemmen, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does El Puente make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. E-commerce Retail Sales are the primary driver. The others are coffee Subscription, B2B Wholesale and bulk/Industrial Sales.
Who are El Puente's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tony's Chocolonely and GEPA. Broad incumbents are Naturkost Schramm and Alnatura. Regional players are Equal Exchange, Fairtrade Original and Cafédirect. Emerging players are Clipper Teas and Tradecraft. Faire is listed as an others.
Does El Puente have an API?
No public API is recorded for El Puente.
What industry is El Puente in?
El Puente's product category is Fair Trade Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHAEAI, Natural/Organic Grocery E-commerce & Delivery-Only Retail, with a secondary code of BPAGALAL, Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support). Its NAICS code is 44529 and its SIC code is 5140.