Max Havelaar France

Name

Max Havelaar France

Legal name

Fairtrade Max Havelaar France

Website

https://maxhavelaarfrance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fair Trade Certification Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support) (BPAGALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing Certification Services (AFALAMAD), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Certification Program Administration & Scheme Management (Standard Owners) (AFALACAC)

Keywords

• Fair trade certification
• Ethical sourcing labels
• Sustainability certification
• Supply chain traceability
• Producer support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Nanterre

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Certification and Licensing Fees: Companies pay for certification and use of the Fairtrade/Max Havelaar label on their products. This involves both certification (audit/verification process) and labeling (use of the trademark).
2. Membership Fees: Individuals and organizations can become members of Max Havelaar France, contributing financially to support the organization's operations and mission.
3. Fairtrade Development Premium: A key mechanism of Fairtrade is the Development Premium - over 1 billion euros received by producer organizations in the last 5 years. While this flows to producers rather than the organization, it demonstrates the financial impact of the fair trade system the organization administers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Max Havelaar France is a French nonprofit NGO that licenses the Fairtrade/Max Havelaar certification label and certifies producers and supply chains for fair trade compliance across categories including bananas, cocoa, coffee, tea, sugar, fruits, cotton, textiles, sports balls, flowers, herbs, honey, cashews, nuts, quinoa, and rice. The organization operates the Fairtrade Academy, a free MOOC built on Open edX, and an Impact Platform for measuring fair trade outcomes, while administering the Development Premium that flows additional funds to producer organizations.

Product overview

Max Havelaar France operates two primary offerings: the Label Fairtrade/Max Havelaar certification system for fair trade products (covering categories like bananas, cocoa, coffee, tea, sugar, fruits, cotton, textile, sports balls, flowers, herbs, honey, cashews, nuts, quinoa, and rice), and the Fairtrade Academy, a free online MOOC platform built on Open edX that trains citizens, students, and businesses on fair trade principles through 5 modules delivering approximately 6 hours of content and professional badges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fairtrade Academy: Online education platform offering MOOC courses about fair trade principles and practices
• Fairtrade/Max Havelaar Label

Products and services

• Fairtrade/Max Havelaar Certification Label A certification and labelling system for fair trade products that ensures producers receive fair prices and decent working conditions. The label appears on products across categories including bananas, cocoa, coffee, tea, sugar, fruits, cotton, textiles, sports balls, flowers, herbs, honey, cashews, nuts, quinoa, and rice. Companies pay for certification (audit/verification) and the right to use the trademark on their products.
• Fairtrade Academy (MOOC) A free online training platform built on Open edX that delivers a course on fair trade fundamentals structured in 5 modules covering approximately 6 hours of content. The platform awards badges upon completion and is open to citizens, students, and professionals.
• Impact Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 billion euros in Development Premium received by producer organizations in the last 5 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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.

• Fairtrade InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMax Havelaar France is part of the global Fairtrade International network, which includes national fair trade organizations across multiple regions (Africa, Austria, Belgium, Canada, CLAC, Germany, Iberica, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, NAPP, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US). The network develops shared standards, pricing frameworks, and impact measurement methodologies.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Textile Exchange: Standards body for sustainable fibers and textiles (GRS, OCS); overlaps with Fairtrade's textile and cotton categories and competes for fashion brand certifications.
• RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil): Multi-stakeholder certification scheme for sustainable palm oil; structurally similar governance and producer premium model, applicable to a different commodity but same category of ethical certification.

Direct peers

• Fairtrade Germany (Fairtrade Deutschland): Sister national Fairtrade organization operating the same label system in Germany; structurally identical role and revenue model within the Fairtrade International network.
• WFTO (World Fair Trade Organization): Global network that guarantees fair trade organizations rather than products; competes for the same ethical sourcing positioning and is part of the broader fair trade movement.
• Fairtrade International: Parent organization of Max Havelaar France and the global coordinator of the Fairtrade label system, shared standards, and producer support programs. Operates the same certification scheme at a global level.
• Fair Trade USA: U.S.-based Fair Trade labeling organization running a parallel certification scheme for similar product categories, competing for multinational brand certifications.
• Rainforest Alliance: Direct competitor offering sustainable agriculture and ethical sourcing certifications on coffee, cocoa, bananas, and more, often overlapping with Fairtrade's product categories and corporate buyers.

Regional players

• Alter Eco: French-headquartered fair trade brand for organic and Fairtrade-certified food products (rice, quinoa, chocolate); comparable product/market position in France.
• Ethiquable: French fair trade cooperative selling certified products directly to French consumers; operates in the same French market with overlapping product categories and similar producer partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• B Lab (B Corp): Broader social and environmental certification for whole companies rather than individual products; competes for the same corporate sustainability budget and consumer trust in ethical labels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@maxhavelaarfranceorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/MaxHavelaarFrance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fairtrade-max-havelaar-france
• Instagraminstagram.com/maxhavelaarfrance
• Xx.com/maxhavelaarfr

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 Max Havelaar France