GEPA

What GEPA does

GEPA is a German fair trade importer and distributor founded in 1975 and headquartered in Wuppertal, structured as a 100% not-for-profit enterprise owned by five shareholder organizations representing German fair trade and development bodies, with no external investors or parent company. The company sources fair trade and organic coffee, chocolate, tea, honey, beverages, and handicrafts from producer cooperatives in 45 countries across Latin America, Africa, and Asia, and is self-described as the largest European importer of fair trade food and craft products from the Global South. Its flagship Organico coffee line, launched in 1986, was the first fair organic coffee in Germany and is now in its 40th year.

The product portfolio is sold through three purpose-built e-commerce platforms: gepa-shop.de for end consumers, wug.gepa-shop.de for Weltläden (Fair Trade shops) and Weltgruppen, and ahs.gepa-shop.de for the catering and hospitality sector. Distribution is supplemented by a flagship GEPA-Store in Wuppertal-Vohwinkel, a regional field sales organization (Außendienst WLGR) covering NRW, Hessen, and Rheinland-Pfalz, and the broader German Weltläden reseller network. Supporting infrastructure includes a high-bay central warehouse in Wuppertal-Vohwinkel, TYPO3-based content management, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Cloud for Marketing; for EUDR deforestation-regulation compliance, GEPA has implemented GPS-based georeferencing and satellite verification of coffee parcels with partner cooperatives including ACPCU, COSURCA, and FEDECOCAGUA.

Revenue is generated entirely through one-time product sales across consumer and trade channels, with no subscription, licensing, or platform fees. Customer segments are end consumers, Fair Trade retail shops, wholesale resellers (Wiederverkäufer), and the hospitality/catering sector. The company is led by Managing Directors Dr. Peter Schaumberger and Matthias Kroth, with Torsten Müller as Chairman of the Supervisory Board. GEPA reported a 22.7% revenue increase in fiscal year 2025 alongside its 50th anniversary, supported by recent launches including the 'nut with me!' nut bar line (March 2026) and 'Organico Blonde Fairness' (2025).

Name

GEPA

Legal name

GEPA Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Partnerschaft mit der Dritten Welt mbH

Website

https://gepa.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

GEPA is a German not-for-profit fair trade importer and distributor founded in 1975, sourcing organic coffee, chocolate, tea, honey, and handicrafts from 45 countries. It serves consumers, Fair Trade shops, and hospitality businesses via three e-commerce platforms and a flagship store in Wuppertal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fair Trade Food & Crafts Retail

NAICS

Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (424), All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Beverage Wholesale (AFAIAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organic & Natural Beverage Wholesale (AFAIAJAE), Bulk Beverage & Coffee/Tea Supply Stores (Retail + Wholesale) (CRAHAMAH), Organic & Natural Foods Import/Export & Global Trading (AFAIAJAK)

Keywords

• Fair trade products
• Organic coffee
• Fair trade chocolate
• Handicraft imports
• Wholesale distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Wuppertal

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales - Retail (E-Commerce): GEPA generates revenue through direct-to-consumer online sales via three dedicated e-commerce platforms: gepa-shop.de (main online shop), wug.gepa-shop.de (Weltläden Online Shop), and ahs.gepa-shop.de (Außer-Haus Online Shop).
2. Product Sales - Wholesale/B2B: Wholesale distribution to Wiederverkäufer (resellers), Weltläden (Fair Trade shops), and Weltgruppen (World Groups), including specialty retail stores and catering/hospitality businesses.
3. GEPA-Store Retail: Retail sales through the GEPA-Store physical location in Wuppertal, serving both trade customers (Wiederverkäufer) and end consumers (Endverbraucher). The store features a coffee/tea counter and reading corner.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GEPA imports and distributes fair trade and organic food and craft products (coffee, chocolate, tea, honey, handicrafts, nut bars, lemonade, jackfruit) sourced from producer cooperatives in 45 countries. The company sells through three dedicated e-commerce platforms (consumer, Fair Trade shop, and hospitality channels), a physical store in Wuppertal, and a wholesale network of German Weltläden, operating as a 100% fair not-for-profit enterprise.

Product overview

GEPA operates as a multi-channel fair trade retailer offering a portfolio of fair trade and organic products across food and handicraft categories. The core product range includes Organico fair trade coffee (pioneered in 1986), chocolate, tea, honey, handicrafts, nut bars under the 'nut with me!' brand, and beverages like lemonade and jackfruit. Distribution is managed through three distinct online platforms: gepa-shop.de for end consumers, wug.gepa-shop.de for world shops/retailers, and ahs.gepa-shop.de for the hospitality/catering sector, complemented by a physical GEPA-Store flagship in Wuppertal. The company positions itself as 'The Fair Trade Company' and emphasizes its role as Europe's largest importer of fair trade products from the Global South.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Organico: Fair trade organic coffee brand, celebrating 40 years in 2025. First fair trade coffee brand introduced by GEPA in Germany.
• nut with me!

Products and services

• Organico fair trade coffee
• GEPA Chocolate (Schokolade)
• GEPA Tea (Tee)
• GEPA Honey (Honig)
• GEPA Handicrafts (Handwerk)
• nut with me! Nussriegel (nut bars)
• GEPA Lemonade (Limonade)
• GEPA Jackfruit

Quantifiable outcome

• 22.7% revenue increase in fiscal year 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Sol y CafécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeruvian coffee cooperative with approximately 1,000 member farmers in the Jaén region. Long-term trading partner of GEPA with their own school, preventive healthcare, and reforestation programs. GEPA has been working with Sol y Café for many years, supporting EUDR compliance through georeferencing of coffee parcels.
• COOPROAGROcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCocoa farmer cooperative partner. Children of COOPROAGRO members have access to education up to the highest level. GEPA supports education initiatives for partner families.
• NorandinocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoffee partner in Peru. GEPA maintains long-term trading relationships with Norandino, conducting training, further education, and consulting together.
• SidamacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoffee partner in Ethiopia. GEPA maintains long-term trading relationships with Sidama, with regular exchange visits such as by procurement manager Franziska Bringe.
• ACPCUcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUgandan coffee cooperative with 17,000 members. GEPA coffee buyer Franziska Bringe specialized in Africa has been advising ACPCU on EUDR compliance and organic certification for 18 months.
• COSURCAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUmbrella organization of cooperatives in southern Colombia with approximately 1,600 members. Executive Director René Ausecha relies on GEPA's advice for continuing coffee exports to Europe following EUDR requirements.
• FEDECOCAGUAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative umbrella organization in Guatemala responsible for EUDR implementation for approximately 23,000 coffee farmers. Received advice from GEPA during EUDR implementation process to overcome infrastructure and IT challenges.
• Alter Trade Philippines, Inc. (ATPI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhilippine partner organization. GEPA supports ATPI partners in their self-determined future with activities such as jackfruit cultivation. ATPI and TPI have been affected by climate catastrophes, and GEPA has launched a fundraising campaign for disaster relief.
• EFTA (European Fair Trade Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Fair Trade Association network. GEPA co-initiated the EFTA campaign 'CLIMATE JUSTICE - LET'S DO IT FAIR' advocating for both planet-friendly and socially just future.
• Forum Fairer HandelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFair Trade Forum. GEPA cooperates with Forum Fairer Handel, Fairtrade Deutschland, and BMZ to provide funding support for cooperative partners preparing for EUDR compliance.
• Fairtrade DeutschlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman Fairtrade organization. GEPA cooperates with Fairtrade Deutschland, Forum Fairer Handel, and BMZ to provide funding support for cooperative partners preparing for EUDR compliance.
• BMZ (Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. GEPA cooperates with BMZ, Forum Fairer Handel, and Fairtrade Deutschland to provide funding support for cooperative partners preparing for EUDR compliance.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lebensbaum: German organic fair-trade coffee, tea, and spice producer sharing GEPA's organic/fair-trade credentials, multi-channel distribution, and German specialty-grocery footprint.
• El Puente: German fair trade food importer operating a similar wholesale-plus-Weltläden model with the same organic and fair-trade certification positioning.
• Weltpartner: German fair trade importer and wholesaler supplying Weltläden and grocery channels with comparable food and handicraft assortments sourced from cooperatives in the Global South.
• Rapunzel Naturkost: Leading German organic and fair-trade food company with a comparable controlled-supply-chain model across coffee, cocoa, and other groceries sold wholesale and via specialty retail.
• Alter Eco: Fair-trade certified food brand (chocolate, coffee, rice, quinoa) with similar direct-trade cooperative partnerships and emphasis on transparency and environmental claims.
• Equal Exchange: UK/US fair-trade coffee, chocolate, and snacks company with a comparable smallholder-cooperative sourcing model and channel structure.

Broad incumbents

• Melitta: Major German coffee brand with significant retail distribution; a broad incumbent competing for shelf space in the same grocery and HoReCa channels GEPA serves.
• Tchibo: Mass-market German coffee and consumer goods retailer with growing own-brand sustainable coffee lines, representing a broad incumbent that pressures GEPA in mainstream grocery channels.
• Fairtrade Deutschland: German Fairtrade license holder governing the Fairtrade certification used across GEPA's product range; coordinates retailer and policy partnerships that shape the same addressable market.
• Forum Fairer Handel: National umbrella for German fair-trade importers, advocacy, and Weltläden; not a direct competitor but the industry association in which GEPA and its direct peers operate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GEPAFairerHandel
• Facebookfacebook.com/gepa.fairtradecompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gepa-the-fair-trade-company
• Instagraminstagram.com/gepafairtrade
• Xx.com/GEPAFairTrade

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 GEPA