What Hafft Verlag does

Häfft-Verlag GmbH is a Munich-based, founder-owned German publishing company founded in 1990 by Andy Reiter and Stefan Klingberg, originating from a school project to create a 'cool' homework notebook. The company designs, produces, and sells physical paper-based planning and organizational products under the flagship Häfft brand, with approximately 800 individual SKUs covering homework notebooks, student calendars (Häfft-Timer, College-Timer, Häfft-Planer), professional calendars (Business-Timer, Chäff-Timer), desk and wall calendars, family planners, and stationery. Sub-brands such as Schulstuff (budget), Lernfreunde (primary education), and the 2024-launched paper&you (premium papeterie) segment the portfolio by price point and channel, while the Häfft-Verlag Education line addresses institutional buyers including teachers and, as of 2025, daycare/Kita staff via the Erzieher:innen-Planer.

The business operates on a one-time physical-product sales model through a multi-channel distribution stack: traditional book and stationery retailers, department stores, Amazon.de marketplace, and the company's own DTC shop at shop.haefft.de, supported by trade fair presence at didacta and Insights-X and an active social media footprint (Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube). Customers are fragmented end consumers — primarily primary and secondary school students, with secondary segments of families, professionals, and educators — purchasing low-ticket items (e.g., €4.99 for the flagship Häfft homework notebook). All products are produced in Germany using FSC-certified paper under a climate-neutral production certification, with GDPR-compliant data handling.

Commercially, the company is privately held by its two co-founders, who remain Managing Directors, with no external investors or funding rounds disclosed. Revenue was reported by the founder in October 2022 as being in the 'higher single-digit million euro range,' consistent with the company's stated scale. The headcount is listed as 1-10, though the named management and marketing team suggests the firm operates with a lean functional structure supplemented by sales coverage in Munich and Berlin.

Name

Hafft Verlag

Legal name

Häfft-Verlag GmbH

Website

https://haefft-verlag.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Häfft-Verlag is a Munich-based, founder-owned German publisher of physical paper-based planning products, including homework notebooks, student and family calendars, and stationery, sold primarily through German-speaking retail, Amazon.de, and DTC channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Stationery & Planners

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Activity & Workbook Publishing (MPAJAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Kids’ Book & Learning Materials Organization (HSAFAIAF)

Keywords

• Homework notebooks
• Student planners
• Paper stationery
• Family calendars
• Desk wall planners

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Physical Product Sales: One-time sales of physical planning products including homework notebooks, school calendars, desk calendars, wall calendars, and stationery. Revenue generated from direct consumer purchases through retail and online channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Häfft Verlag is a Munich-based German publisher that designs, produces, and sells physical paper-based organizational products — primarily homework notebooks (Häfft), student calendars (Chäff-Timer), family planners, desk and wall calendars, and stationery (paper&you, Schulstuff, Lernfreunde) — to schoolchildren, families, and individuals across Germany.

Product overview

Häfft-Verlag is a traditional German publishing company specializing in physical paper-based organizational products. The core product portfolio consists of homework planners ('Häfft' - the flagship since 1990), student calendars (Häfft-Timer, College-Timer, Häfft-Planer), professional calendars (Business-Timer, Chäff-Timer), desk calendars, wall calendars, family planners, and stationery products. The company serves school children, students, teachers, educators, professionals, and families with paper-based planning and organization tools. Product lines include the premium Häfft line, budget-friendly Schulstuff sub-brand, and the new premium papeterie brand 'paper&you'. The Education segment (Häfft-Verlag Education) offers specialized planners for teachers and daycare/Kindergarten staff (Erzieher:innen-Planer). All products are klimaneutral (climate-neutral) produced in Germany using FSC-certified paper.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• paper&you: Papeterie brand for stationery products launched for the specialty trade.
• Lernfreunde
• Schulstuff

Products and services

• Häfft (homework notebook) Iconic thread-bound homework notebook for German schoolchildren, used to organize homework, tests, and notes across the school year.
• Chäff-Timer (student calendar)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Giulia GrothminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYouTuber Giulia Groth collaborated with Häfft to create a co-branded Giulia Groth Häfft-Timer 22/23, expanding reach to her audience of young students and creating a limited-edition product offering.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brunnen Verlag: German publisher of school supplies, planners, and organizational products based in Stuttgart. Directly comparable as a DACH-focused publisher selling homework notebooks, student calendars, and teacher planners through stationery retail and book trade.
• Leuchtturm1917: Premium German planner and notebook publisher. Highly comparable as a hardcover planner/notebook specialist with strong design-led positioning, sold through stationery retail and direct e-commerce across Europe.
• Herdt Verlag: German publisher specializing in educational books, training materials, and school/teacher resources. Comparable as a German-language education publisher serving schools and learners with structured learning products.
• Moleskine: Premium global notebook and planner brand. Comparable as a hardcover-bound paper planner/notebook publisher with strong lifestyle branding, though operating at a higher price tier and broader geographic scale.
• Filofax: Heritage personal organizer and planner brand. Comparable as a refillable, ring-bound personal planner manufacturer with a comparable product format (week-per-view organizers) and target use cases.

Regional players

• Erin Condren: US-based lifestyle planner and organizational products brand. Comparable as a design-led, lifestyle-positioned planner brand with strong consumer following and DTC e-commerce, but operating primarily in the North American market.

Broad incumbents

• Faber-Castell: Global German writing instruments and art supplies manufacturer. Comparable as a German stationery incumbent sharing the same retail channels (Buch-/Schreibwarenhandel) and educational customer segments, though not a planner publisher.
• Ravensburger: Large German games, puzzles, and educational products company. Comparable as a German incumbent with overlapping distribution into toy/educational retail, though primarily a games/puzzle publisher rather than a planner specialist.
• Stabilo: German writing instruments and stationery brand. Comparable as a German stationery incumbent sharing the same school/education distribution channels and overlapping with Häfft's back-to-school buyer base.

Emerging players

• Paperblanks: Premium decorative journals and planners publisher. Comparable in the premium-bound journal/notebook category with design-led positioning and a similar DTC-plus-retail distribution model, though more design-driven and less education-focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/haefft
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/haefftTV
• Facebookfacebook.com/haefft
• Instagraminstagram.com/haefftofficial

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Hafft Verlag