Fiwap

What Fiwap does

Fiwap (Filière Wallonne de la Pomme de terre) is a non-profit interprofessional association founded in 1993 and headquartered in Gembloux, Belgium, that serves the entire Walloon potato value chain. It operates as the recognized Centre Pilote (CPP) for the Walloon Region, coordinating R&D between research institutions and the professional sector, and representing the industry before regional, federal, and European public authorities. Its 420+ members span research institutions (CRA-W, Carah, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Inagro), seed multipliers (via GWPPPDT-upr collective membership), consumption potato producers, traders, industrial processors, and input suppliers.

The organization's core product and service offering includes member-only base and à la carte information services, weekly market intelligence (Message hebdomadaire), field events (coins de champs), technical publications (Fiwap Info, Fiwap Hebdo, encyclopedias, disease guides), and a catalog of specialized equipment (calibrators, densimeters, thermometers, fry cutters, probes). Underlying technology is conventional content publishing and event coordination rather than software platforms; the organization maintains a documentation portal, YouTube channel, and member login portal. The six-person team delivers these services with a content-and-events operating model.

Fiwap's business model combines recurring membership fees with unit-priced sales of publications and equipment (e.g., €13.22–€508.20 for members, with ~20% non-member premium), fee-for-service event and field-day offerings, and implicit public co-funding via support from the Service Public de Wallonie (SPW)–DGARNE. Go-to-market is community-led: outreach through field demonstrations, weekly newsletters, and direct member services. Distribution is regional (Wallonia, with some Belgium-wide postal delivery) and dual-channel via direct membership and on-site pickup at the Gembloux headquarters.

Name

Fiwap

Legal name

Filière Wallonne de la Pomme de terre (Fiwap)

Website

https://fiwap.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fiwap is a non-profit interprofessional association founded in 1993 in Gembloux, Belgium, serving 420+ members of the Walloon potato value chain with R&D coordination, technical publications, market intelligence, field events, and specialized equipment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Interprofessional Association Services

NAICS

Potato Farming (111211)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Sanitary & Phytosanitary (SPS) & Food Safety Regulatory Cooperation (BPADANAF)

Keywords

• Potato sector services
• Agricultural interprofessional association
• Potato variety research
• Potato technical publications
• Agricultural laboratory analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Gembloux

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Fiwap operates as a membership-based interprofessional association with two types of services: base services and à la carte services for its 420+ members in the potato sector.
2. Publication and material sales: Sale of technical publications, books, and agricultural equipment including calibreurs, densimeters, thermometers, and other potato industry tools to members and non-members.
3. Event services: Field events (coins de champs), technical days, and training sessions organized for the potato sector.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fiwap is a non-profit interprofessional association that delivers collective and individual technical, economic, and statistical information services to the Walloon potato sector. Its offerings include sector representation, R&D coordination through the Centre Pilote Pomme de terre (CPP), sale of specialized potato industry equipment (calibrators, densimeters, thermometers, fry cutters), technical publications, laboratory analyses, storage isolation analysis, and field events for its 420+ professional members.

Product overview

Fiwap (Filière wallonne de la pomme de terre) is a professional interprofessional association founded in 1993 for the Walloon potato sector. It offers a portfolio of equipment products (calibration tools, densimeters, thermometers, probes), technical publications (guides, encyclopedias, research syntheses), and services (laboratory analyses, storage isolation analysis, field partitioning). The organization serves over 420 members including producers, traders, processors, and research institutions, providing collective and individual services in technical, economic, and statistical information for the potato industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Calibreur Fiwap Stainless steel calibration plates (30cm x 21cm, thickness 2 or 5mm) for measuring potato calibers from 28 to 75mm, sold to potato sector professionals.
• Calibreur de poche en inox Stainless steel pocket caliber for measuring 13 different potato calibers from 25 to 75mm, sold to potato sector professionals.
• Thermomètre de poche Pocket thermometer for measuring the internal temperature of tubers at harvest, during handling, and before any manipulation.
• Densimètre saumure (aréomètre) Brine densimeter (aréomètre) for determining the density of salt baths or mud baths, with scale from 1.000 to 1.100 g/l, indicated for brine baths of density 1.060 and 1.045 g/l.
• Densimètre PSE (Féculomètre) Densimeter for determining the Under Water Weight (PSE) and percentage of dry matter of a potato sample.
• Coupe frites professionnel Professional fry cutter used in reference labs in Belgium, manufactured in Gembloux by CRA-W technicians, that extracts the central fry (10x10mm cut) from tubers.
• Thermo-hygromètre à cheveux synthétique Synthetic hair thermo-hygrometer for controlling air temperature and relative humidity in potato storage environments.
• Sonde de tas Analog pile probe with two solid handles and a 1.50m long probe for measuring temperature in potato storage piles.
• Maladies, Ravageurs et désordres de la pomme de terre (édition 2021) 217-page book covering diseases, pests, and disorders of the potato, updated from the French edition by FNPPPT, GNIS and Arvalis.
• Encyclopédie pratique de la pomme de terre 600-page encyclopedia on potato cultivation by Pr Dr Anton J. Haverkort and Dr Catherine Chatot, covering all aspects from people and plants to propagation, cultivation, and storage.
• Guide Pratique: Maladies, Ravageurs et désordre de la pomme de terre (FNPPT) 192-page practical guide on potato diseases, pests and disorders published by FNPPT with contributions from INRA, SPV, CNIPT and GIPT.
• Conserver les pommes de terre 75-page publication on storage buildings in Wallonia: situation, conservation problems and recommendations, and economic aspects.
• Bâtiment de stockage Pomme de terre données pratiques de construction 94-page publication on potato storage building construction with practical data covering materials, structures, insulation, ventilation, and technical corridors.
• Aardappel ziektenboek; ziekten, plagen en gebreken 390-page Dutch-language book on potato diseases, pests and disorders by A. Mulder and L.J. Turkensteen, published by Aardappelwereld.
• Analyse isolation hangar Storage isolation analysis service for potato storage facilities, provided to potato sector professionals.
• Analyses laboratoire Laboratory analysis services for potato sector professionals, covering quality and composition testing.
• Chlorophyllomètre Chlorophyll measurement service for potato crops, used to support cultivation decisions such as defoliation timing.
• Cloisonnement des interbuttes Inter-row partitioning service to reduce runoff and erosion in potato cultivation, supporting sustainable cultivation practices.
• Pomme de terre électronique Electronic potato data collection and monitoring service supporting digital record-keeping and traceability for potato sector professionals.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Belpotato.becoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Belpotato.be is the Belgian interprofessional organization for potatoes, founded in January 2020 by AgroFront (ABS, Boerenbond, and FWA), Belgapom, and Fiwap. This non-profit aims to play a major role in the Belgian potato sector by ensuring the interprofessional consultation necessary for healthy and sustainable growth. 8 priority areas include sector sustainability, balanced contractual relationships, seed supply, market transparency, lot quality evaluation, and R&D support. Jean-Pierre Van Puymbrouck (FWA) serves as first president.
• Service Public de Wallonie (SPW) - DGARNEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Walloon Public Service, specifically the Direction Générale Agriculture, Ressources Naturelles et Environnement (DGARNE), provides support to Fiwap and recognizes the Centre Pilote Pomme de terre (CPP).
• Centre wallon de Recherches agronomiques (CRA-W)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRA-W is a key research partner in the Centre Pilote Pomme de terre (CPP), responsible for field trial setup and monitoring. Collaborates on variety research, pest management, and cultivation optimization projects including Patat'Up and Dorypot.
• CarahcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural research center that partners with Fiwap through the Centre Pilote Pomme de terre (CPP), conducting variety trials and technical research in the potato sector.
• Gembloux Agro-Bio TechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner (ULiège) specializing in agricultural sciences, collaborating on research projects and providing scientific expertise to the potato sector.
• Groupement wallon des producteurs de plants de pommes de terre (GWPPPDT)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCollective membership represents Walloon seed potato producers within Fiwap, providing unified representation and coordination for the seed potato sector.
• InagrocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural research center that collaborates on potato cultivation research, including fertilization studies, defoliation trials, and variety testing within the CPP framework.
• Viaverda (formerly PCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural research partner (formerly PCA) that conducts potato variety trials, fertilization research, and pest management studies within the Centre Pilote Pomme de terre (CPP).
• Comité régional PHYTOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional phytopharmaceutical committee that provides updates on product authorizations and regulatory changes affecting the potato sector.
• CPL VegemarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural partner under the Province of Liège that collaborates on research and development activities.
• SyngentaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Fiwap's coins de champs (field plots) events in 2026. Syngenta provides presentations on crop solutions and phytopharmaceutical products, and sponsors the friendship drink at the end of each event.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• FNPPPT (Fédération Nationale des Producteurs de Plants de Pommes de Terre): French national federation of seed potato producers, structurally analogous to GWPPPDT-upr (Fiwap's seed-producer collective member). Comparable in mission to represent seed potato producers and coordinate R&D, but operating at French national level rather than Walloon regional level.
• CNIPT (Comité National Interprofessionnel de la Pomme de Terre): French national interprofessional organization for the potato sector, operating an analogous membership, R&D coordination, and sector representation model but at French national level. Highly comparable in mission and activities; serves as a natural cross-border counterpart to Fiwap.
• NEPG (North-Western European Potato Growers): International grouping representing potato growers across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, and the UK. Fiwap's website explicitly references NEPG, indicating an affiliation/partnership; NEPG provides comparable market intelligence, acreage reporting, and sector representation functions across a broader North-West European footprint.

Direct peers

• Belpotato.be: Belgian national potato interprofessional organization co-founded by Fiwap in January 2020 alongside AgroFront and Belgapom. Operates as the federal-level coordination body for the Belgian potato sector, directly comparable in mission (interprofessional coordination, R&D support, sector representation) but operating at national rather than regional scope.
• Belgapom: Belgian potato trade and processing industry federation that co-founded Belpotato.be with Fiwap. Represents the industrial processing side of the Belgian potato value chain and serves an analogous interprofessional function, with overlapping membership and shared public-affairs activity.

Others

• CRA-W (Centre wallon de Recherches agronomiques): Walloon public agricultural research center and the lead research partner inside Fiwap's Centre Pilote framework. Responsible for setting up and monitoring field trials; complementary to Fiwap's coordination role but more research-execution focused than sector-coordination focused.
• Viaverda (formerly PCA): Flemish agricultural research center that is an active research partner of Fiwap through the Centre Pilote Pomme de terre. Conducts comparable variety trials, fertilization research, and pest management studies in the potato sector, though its core mission is broader agricultural research rather than interprofessional coordination.
• Inagro: Flemish agricultural research center partnering with Fiwap on potato cultivation research including fertilization studies and defoliation trials. Comparable in conducting applied potato R&D with sector linkages, though broader in agricultural scope than Fiwap's potato-only focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOeyyUQShTiHGFIka-R7FxA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fiwap

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 Fiwap