Fairtransport
Fairtransport is a Dutch private company operating the world's only commercial sailing cargo fleet, transporting organic and biodynamic products between Europe and the Caribbean on three engineless vessels while offering sail-along experiences and direct-to-consumer webshop sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersDen Helder, Netherlands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
Fairtransport firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fairtransport
- Legal name
- Fairtransport Holding B.V.
- Website
- https://fairtransport.eu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Fairtransport is a Dutch private company operating the world's only commercial sailing cargo fleet, transporting organic and biodynamic products between Europe and the Caribbean on three engineless vessels while offering sail-along experiences and direct-to-consumer webshop sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fairtransport industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable Maritime Freight Services
- NAICS
- Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111)
- SIC
- Water Transportation (4400)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Luxury Sailing Cruises (Windjammers & Tall Ships) (THAEADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Luxury Yacht & Small-Ship Expedition Cruises (THAEABAF), Eco-Cruises & Small-Ship Nature Cruises (Expedition Cruising) (THAAAEAK)
Keywords
Where Fairtransport is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Den Helder
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Fairtransport business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel
Revenue model
- Cargo Transport Services: Fairtransport generates revenue by transporting sustainable, organic cargo across oceans and seas using wind power. They work with producers and traders who value climate-friendly transport, charging freight fees for cargo delivery from America and Europe.
- Sail Along Programs: Revenue from offering sailing experiences aboard their cargo ships. Participants (trainees) pay for multi-day to multi-month voyages, learning traditional sailing skills while traveling between ports. Pricing ranges from €550 for short legs to €14,220 for complete Atlantic crossings.
- Product Sales (Webshop): Online sales of sustainably sourced products including coffee, chocolate, cocoa, wine, rum, and olive oil that have been transported by sail. Products are sold directly to consumers via their webshop at treshombres-shop.com.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | One time | Individual voyage legs (short) |
| Unit Pricing | One time | Individual voyage legs (medium) |
| Unit Pricing | One time | Individual voyage legs (long) |
| Unit Pricing | One time | Complete voyage packages |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Fairtransport product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fairtransport provides zero-emission maritime cargo transport using a fleet of three wind-powered sailing ships (Tres Hombres, SV Brigantes, and Hawila), shipping sustainable, organic, and biodynamic goods such as cocoa, coffee, rum, and olive oil between the Americas and Europe. The company also offers a Sail-Along trainee program allowing individuals to join voyages and learn traditional seamanship, and sells sail-transported products directly to consumers through its Tres Hombres webshop and partner retail stores.
Product overview
Fairtransport operates as a sailing cargo shipping company with a fleet of three traditional wind-powered vessels (Tres Hombres, SV Brigantes, and Hawila) providing sustainable maritime freight transport since 2007. The company offers two main services: cargo transport using sailing ships for sustainable products (rum, cocoa, coffee, olive oil) and a sail-along trainee program allowing participants to join voyages and learn traditional seafaring. An e-commerce webshop complements the offering by selling the sustainably transported products to consumers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Tres Hombres: The flagship engineless brigantine that connects South, Central & North America and Europe, transporting sustainable organic products.
- SV Brigantes
- Hawila
Products and services
- Cargo Transport Services
Companies that use Fairtransport
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Fairtransport technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration14 records
Feature3 records
Fairtransport partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ChocolatemakerscoreDutch chocolate maker producing solar-powered, emission-free chocolate in Amsterdam cocoa port. Cocoa is transported via Tres Hombres sailing cargo ship annually. Partners include hundreds of German cyclists who pick up chocolate (Schokofahrt). Awarded Fairtrade certification in 2020, paying double Fairtrade standard to farmers.
- Berging BreweryminorDutch brewery in Purmerend producing Tres Hombres beer brewed in original Tres Hombres rum barrels. Combines traditional brewing with innovative recipes. Beer is sold through Fairtransport's webshop and store network.
- Foursquare Rum DistilleryminorSustainable rum producer from Barbados. Their rum products are transported via Fairtransport's sailing cargo ships as part of the fair trade product network.
- ConacadominorCocoa producer partner in Fairtransport's sustainable supply chain network for transporting organic cocoa beans via sailing cargo ships.
- Quinta Do RomeuminorSustainable producer partner offering products (likely wine or spirits) transported through Fairtransport's sailing cargo network.
- OliverminorPartner producer in Fairtransport's sustainable product network; products transported via sailing cargo ships.
- NordlysminorPartner in Fairtransport's sustainable shipping network; products transported via sailing cargo vessels.
- AzorminorPartner in Fairtransport's sustainable product network.
- Dolce AlchemiaminorArtisanal producer partner in Fairtransport's sustainable goods network.
- RA (Rhum Agricole)minorAgricultural rum producer partner in the sustainable product network.
- CapeminorPartner in Fairtransport's sustainable producer network.
- La FavoriteminorFrench partner producer in the sustainable goods transportation network.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Fairtransport competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Star Clippers: Operator of true clipper ships (Royal Clipper, Star Clipper, Star Flyer) for tall-ship luxury cruises; uses similar square-rigged sail technology to Fairtransport's brigantines but in the passenger market.
- Sea Cloud Cruises: Luxury tall-ship cruise operator using three-masted barques (Sea Cloud, Sea Cloud II) for premium passenger cruises; comparable vessel technology and tall-ship heritage, but pure leisure rather than cargo.
- Brittany Ferries: French-British ferry and freight operator that has publicly committed to LNG and wind-assisted propulsion; comparable European cargo operator adjacent to Fairtransport's Northern European routes.
- Windstar Cruises: Small-ship luxury cruise line known for its motorized sailing yachts; adjacent to Fairtransport's sail-along/experiential model and use of traditional sailing aesthetics, though engine-assisted.
Others
- Chocolatemakers: Dutch bean-to-bar chocolate maker and existing Fairtransport partner; represents a key customer segment (organic/fair-trade chocolate) and a model of the producer partners that drive Fairtransport's B2B cargo demand.
- Cargill: Global agricultural commodity trader and charterer of bulk ocean freight; relevant as a large-scale ocean cargo counterpart and as a potential partner/buyer of sustainable shipping for cocoa, coffee, and grain flows.
Direct peers
- Neoliner: French sail-assisted cargo RoRo operator building a 136-meter wind-powered cargo ship for transatlantic routes; represents a more industrial-scale sailing-cargo model comparable to Fairtransport's mission.
- Grain de Sail: French wind-powered cargo and chocolate company operating the brigantine Grain de Sail on Atlantic routes; combines sail-cargo transport with branded chocolate retail similar to Fairtransport's Tres Hombres webshop model.
- TOWT (TransOceanic Wind Transport): French sail-cargo operator running the schooner Anemos on transatlantic routes for organic/fair-trade goods; competes directly with Fairtransport for the same producer and consumer segments.
- SailCargo Inc. Swedish/Costa Rican sailing cargo company building engineless wooden vessels (Ceiba) to ship carbon-neutral goods across the Atlantic — the closest analog to Fairtransport's wind-powered cargo model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Fairtransport social profiles
Digital presenceFairtransport compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Fairtransport financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fairtransport leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Fairtransport funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fairtransport 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 Fairtransport
What does Fairtransport do?
Fairtransport provides zero-emission maritime cargo transport using a fleet of three wind-powered sailing ships (Tres Hombres, SV Brigantes, and Hawila), shipping sustainable, organic, and biodynamic goods such as cocoa, coffee, rum, and olive oil between the Americas and Europe. The company also offers a Sail-Along trainee program allowing individuals to join voyages and learn traditional seamanship, and sells sail-transported products directly to consumers through its Tres Hombres webshop and partner retail stores.
Is Fairtransport a public or private company?
Fairtransport is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Fairtransport founded?
Fairtransport was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Fairtransport based?
Fairtransport is headquartered in Den Helder, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Fairtransport make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Cargo Transport Services are the primary driver. The others are sail Along Programs and product Sales (Webshop).
Who are Fairtransport's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Star Clippers, Sea Cloud Cruises, Brittany Ferries and Windstar Cruises. Others are Chocolatemakers and Cargill. Direct peers are Neoliner, Grain de Sail, TOWT (TransOceanic Wind Transport) and SailCargo Inc..
Does Fairtransport have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fairtransport.
What industry is Fairtransport in?
Fairtransport's product category is Sustainable Maritime Freight Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAEADAB, Luxury Sailing Cruises (Windjammers & Tall Ships), with a secondary code of THAEABAF, Luxury Yacht & Small-Ship Expedition Cruises. Its NAICS code is 483111 and its SIC code is 4400.