UTZ

What UTZ does

UTZ is a sustainable farming certification program founded in 2002 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, originally launched as "UTZ kapeh" (meaning "good coffee" in the Guatemalan Mayan language of Quiché) by a Guatemalan coffee farmer and a Dutch roaster. The program established certification standards covering good agricultural practices, farm management, safe and healthy working conditions, child and forced labor safeguards, and environmental protection, with compliance audited by independent certification bodies. Over time, UTZ expanded its scope from coffee to cocoa, tea, and hazelnut, and was recognized as one of four major global certification schemes alongside 4C, Fairtrade, and organic standards.

The program's core technology is the UTZ certification standard and its associated label/seal, which appeared on consumer products as a sustainability credential. The certification enabled farmers to adopt better farming methods, improve crop yields, generate more income, adapt to climate change, and protect the environment, while providing companies with verifiable sustainable sourcing credentials for consumer-facing brand positioning. The UTZ label functioned as a marketing and trust mechanism distributed through global supply chains into retail locations worldwide, with Europe representing the largest market for certified coffee at 30.4% of global consumption in 2023/2024.

In 2018, UTZ merged with the Rainforest Alliance, a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and the two certification programs ran in parallel while a unified standard was developed. With the launch of the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Certification Program in July 2020, the UTZ certification program and label are being gradually phased out, with new companies now registering for the Rainforest Alliance 2020 program instead. UTZ's revenue model historically relied on recurring certification fees paid by farms and companies seeking UTZ certification, though specific pricing details are not publicly disclosed.

Name

UTZ

Legal name

UTZ (now part of Rainforest Alliance)

Website

https://utz.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

UTZ is a Dutch non-profit certification program founded in 2002 that established standards for sustainable coffee, cocoa, tea, and hazelnut farming. It merged with the Rainforest Alliance in 2018, and is being phased out in favor of the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Certification Program launched in July 2020.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Certification Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry (115), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability & Environmental Certifications (Carbon, Water, Regenerative) (AFALAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory) (AFACABAL), Regulatory Compliance, Permitting & Audit Readiness (Food Safety, Environmental, Labor) (AFACAJAE)

Keywords

• Sustainable agriculture certification
• Farm certification programs
• Ethical sourcing standards
• Coffee cocoa certification
• Supply chain sustainability

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Certification Fees: UTZ generated revenue through certification fees charged to farms and companies that sought UTZ certification for their products. The certification program enabled farmers to use better farming methods, grow better crops, and generate more income, while companies paid for the certification to market sustainable products.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

UTZ operated a certification program for sustainable farming covering coffee, cocoa, tea, and hazelnut. The program enabled farmers to use better farming methods, improve working conditions, adapt to climate change, and protect the environment, while allowing companies to source and label products as sustainably produced. Compliance with UTZ requirements was audited by independent certification bodies.

Product overview

UTZ is a certification program for sustainable farming that was launched in 2002 and merged with Rainforest Alliance in 2018. The core offering is the UTZ Certification Program, which covers coffee, cocoa, tea, and hazelnut products. The program enables farmers to use better farming methods, improve working conditions, adapt to climate change, and protect the environment. With the launch of the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Certification Program in July 2020, the UTZ certification program and its corresponding label are being gradually phased out, with farms and companies transitioning to the new unified Rainforest Alliance certification program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UTZ Certification Program A certification program for sustainable coffee, cocoa, tea, and hazelnut production that requires good agricultural practices, safe working conditions, addresses child and forced labor, and protects the environment. Farms and companies are audited by independent certification bodies to verify compliance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly half of certified coffee is still sold as conventional, with gap between production and sales narrowing to 51% in 2023
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Rainforest AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018The UTZ organization joined forces with the Rainforest Alliance in 2018 to create a better future for people and nature. Since the merger, the UTZ certification program and the Rainforest Alliance Certified program ran in parallel. The new agricultural standard was developed building on the strengths of both organizations. With the launch of the 2020 Rainforest Alliance Certification Program in July 2020, the UTZ certification program is being gradually phased out and replaced.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Emerging players

• GLOBALG.A.P. Global agricultural certification program covering Good Agricultural Practices for crops including coffee and cocoa. Competes for farmer audit budgets and increasingly for sustainability-claim positioning on retail products.
• SAI Platform: Industry initiative defining sustainable agriculture practices for food and beverage companies, including the FSA tool used by major brands to verify farm-level sustainability. Adjacent competitor to UTZ in corporate sustainability sourcing programs.
• Better Cotton Initiative (BCI): Multi-stakeholder sustainability standard for cotton that uses a similar farm-certification and on-product labeling model. Analogous framework with potential to expand into UTZ's coffee/cocoa adjacencies as commodity sustainability standards converge.

Direct peers

• Rainforest Alliance: Parent organization and the other half of the merged entity. Operates the parallel Rainforest Alliance Certified program and the 2020 unified standard that now supersedes UTZ, targeting the same farmer and brand customers across coffee, cocoa, tea, and hazelnut.
• Fair Trade USA: US-based Fairtrade counterpart offering certification and on-product labeling for sustainably sourced coffee, cocoa, and other commodities. Directly competes with UTZ in North American retail and brand supply chains.
• Fairtrade International (FLOCERT): One of the four major global certification schemes alongside UTZ, covering coffee, cocoa, tea, and other commodities with a Fairtrade label on retail products. Directly competes for farmer certification fees and brand shelf space.
• USDA Organic Certification: Government-backed organic certification program for agricultural products including coffee, cocoa, and tea. Competes with UTZ for both farmer certification and consumer-facing sustainability claims on packaging.
• 4C Association: One of the four major global coffee certification schemes referenced alongside UTZ. Provides baseline sustainability certification for coffee producers and competes on price-point and accessibility for farmers.
• EU Organic Certification: Regulatory organic certification scheme for the European market, UTZ's largest regional consumption base. Competes on retail shelf and in farmer adoption decisions across coffee, cocoa, and tea.

Others

• IFOAM - Organics International: Global umbrella organization for the organic agriculture movement that shapes organic standards and accreditation frameworks used by UTZ-adjacent certification schemes. Comparable as a sustainability-standards ecosystem player rather than a direct competitor for farm certification.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/utzcertified
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rainforest-alliance
• Facebookfacebook.com/utzcertified

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 UTZ