La Plantation - Fair Spices Producer

What La Plantation - Fair Spices Producer does

La Plantation is a family-owned, single-origin spice producer and direct-to-consumer brand founded in 2013 by Nathalie Chaboche and Guy Porré, operating a 40-hectare organic farm in the Kampot region of Cambodia. Its core product is IGP-certified Kampot Pepper (black, red, white, green, plus fermented-salt and smoked variants) and Kampot Fleur de Sel, produced under traditional Khmer cultivation methods (wooden poles, 3-year growing cycle, natural fertilization, manual grain-by-grain selection) with same-day harvest-to-packaging processing and full plot-level traceability. The company is a board member of the KPPA, holds WFTO fair-trade, Ecocert organic, HACCP, and Collège Culinaire de France certifications, and runs a cooperative of more than 200 family farms under long-term fair-trade contracts.

The catalog spans more than 10 categories — peppers, fleur de sel, 24 spice blends, 16 sauces, mustards, artisanal vinegars co-produced with Germany's THEO Essigbrauer, tisanes, dried fruits and cashews, roots (turmeric, ginger), chilies, aromatic plants, and gift sets — sold primarily via the owned e-commerce storefront laplantation.com (48-hour delivery to France, 3–5 days to the EU, UK, and Switzerland), three physical boutiques in Cambodia (Kampot, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap), and farm-visit eco-tourism at the Kampot estate including the Villa de La Plantation bed & breakfast. The European entity, La Plantation Europe (BE0537.396.232), is headquartered in Grez-Doiceau, Belgium and handles editorial, e-commerce operations, and customer service.

The business model combines unit-priced B2C e-commerce (typical product prices €4.66–€15.90, free shipping over €80 in France), quote-based B2B wholesale to import distributors and HORECA buyers leveraging trade certifications as a key sales lever, and on-site retail/eco-tourism in Cambodia. The company employs approximately 120 collaborators in the Kampot region (making it the largest employer there), and its social-mission infrastructure includes Les Écoles de La Plantation, an NGO supporting 120 children annually through primary, secondary, and university education, which underpins both brand equity and fair-trade supply relationships.

Name

La Plantation - Fair Spices Producer

Legal name

La Plantation Europe

Website

https://laplantation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

La Plantation is a family-owned Cambodian producer of IGP-certified Kampot Pepper and other single-origin spices, selling via its own e-commerce site to European consumers, to international import distributors and HORECA buyers, and through three Cambodia boutiques plus on-farm eco-tourism.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Spices & Condiments

NAICS

Fruit and Tree Nut Farming (1113), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)

akta.pro primary industry

Spice Crop Farming (Pepper, Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, Cardamom) (AFAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aromatic & Essential Oil Crop Farming (Lavender, Lemongrass, Rosemary) (AFAGAGAF), Ethnic Spices, Herbs & Seasonings Wholesale (AFAIAIAF)

Keywords

• IGP Kampot pepper
• Fair trade spices
• Artisanal spice production
• Cambodian specialty foods
• Organic spice blends

Headquarters

HQ city

Grez-Doiceau

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales (B2C): Online sales of spices, peppers, blends, sauces, vinegars, mustards, dried fruits, tisanes, and gift boxes through laplantation.com. Revenue is generated per-unit with transaction-based pricing. Products ship internationally via Colissimo. Free shipping in France above €80.
2. Wholesale / B2B Professional Sales: B2B sales to import distributors and fine food retailers internationally. Professional pricing is provided via dedicated contact form. Supports import distributors sharing fair trade values. Circuit-court model — direct from farm to international buyers.
3. On-site Retail (Cambodia): Revenue from physical boutique locations in Kampot, Phnom Penh, and Siem Reap, plus farm visits/eco-tourism at the Kampot ferme. The Villa de La Plantation offers bed & breakfast accommodation on the farm premises.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

La Plantation is a Cambodian fair-trade spice producer and direct-to-consumer/retailer operating a 40-hectare organic farm in the Kampot region. It cultivates, hand-harvestes, processes, and packages IGP-certified Kampot Pepper (black, red, white, green, fermented, smoked) and IGP-certified Kampot Fleur de Sel, plus a broader portfolio of over 10 categories of Cambodian spices, blends, sauces, mustards, vinegars, tisanes, dried fruits, roots, and chilies. The company sells direct to consumers across Europe via laplantation.com and through three Cambodia-based boutique stores, and wholesales to international import distributors and HORECA professionals.

Product overview

La Plantation is a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform for fair trade spices, centered on IGP-certified Kampot Pepper as its flagship product. The company operates a 40-hectare farm in Kampot, Cambodia, producing and selling over 10 categories of spices including peppers, spice blends (24 varieties), sauces (16 varieties), mustards, vinegars, teas, dried fruits, aromatic plants, roots, and chilies. Products are sold primarily through their online store with shipping to France (48h) and Europe (3-5 days), as well as through physical boutiques in Kampot, Phnom Penh, and Siem Reap. The product portfolio includes both their own farm production and items sourced from a cooperative of 200+ family farms through fair trade agreements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Poivre de Kampot (Kampot Pepper)

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% traceability from harvest parcel to consumer
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KPPA — Kampot Pepper Promotion AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010La Plantation is a board member of the KPPA, which governs the IGP appellation for Kampot Pepper. The association controls compliance with the appellation's specification and promotes Kampot Pepper globally. La Plantation actively contributes to the global promotion of the Kampot Pepper designation, quality improvement of production, and economic support for small family farms in the region.
• WFTO — World Fair Trade OrganizationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Plantation was certified by the WFTO in 2019, guaranteeing its fair trade practices across its entire supply chain. The certification covers 100 small-scale producers and family farms under long-term contracts with pre-financing of harvests. WFTO audits confirm compliance with the 10 principles of fair trade.
• EcocertcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent organic certification body that conducts annual audits of La Plantation's farm and production processes. Certifies compliance with international organic farming standards for Kampot pepper and other spices.
• Les Écoles de La PlantationcoreOthersA dual NGO (France 1901 law association and Cambodia) created by La Plantation founders to support education. Finances school supplies, teacher salaries, primary school operations, secondary school transport and fees for 120 children annually, and university education for 5 students in Phnom Penh. Supports over 10 years.
• THEO EssigbrauerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily artisanal vinaigrerie founded in 1868 at the foot of the Black Forest, Germany. Produces vinegars through ancestral slow fermentation in 100-year-old wooden barrels. La Plantation sources these vinegars and infuses them with fresh spices grown at the Kampot farm, creating a cross-cultural product line combining French vinegar craftsmanship with Cambodian spice terroir.
• Cooperative of Family Farms (200+ farms)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 200 family farms across Cambodia supply additional spice varieties under fair trade contracts. La Plantation provides technical support, helps farms achieve organic certification, and commits to purchasing their entire organic production. The group includes approximately 20 organic farms under the La Plantation bio producer group scheme.
• RFI — Radio France InternationalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRFI national radio featured co-founder Nathalie Chaboche and La Plantation's story, including the humanitarian award recognition and the company's impact in Cambodia.
• Le Petit Journal.comminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured coverage of Nathalie Chaboche as entrepreneur and La Plantation's social mission in Cambodia.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Steenbergs: UK-based premium spice and baking-ingredient brand with organic and Fairtrade certifications. Comparable in ethical-sourcing positioning, organic/fair trade certification stack, and European specialty retail distribution.
• Terre Exotique: French premium spice brand selling single-origin and artisanal spices through B2B (HORECA, specialty retail) and B2C channels in Europe. Closely comparable to La Plantation in product mix, premium positioning, and European distribution model.
• Diaspora Co. Direct-to-consumer premium spice brand built on a single-origin, direct-trade, regeneratively farmed narrative. Overlaps with La Plantation on provenance-led branding, prime-spice positioning, and digital-first go-to-market.
• Burlap & Barrel: US-based direct-to-consumer premium spice company sourcing single-origin spices directly from smallholder farmers. Comparable in ethos (direct trade, single-origin, consumer storytelling) and in product range across global spices, including specialty pepper.
• Kampot Pepper Co. Another IGP-certified Kampot pepper producer selling premium Cambodian pepper into European markets. Direct competitor in the same IGP category, with comparable product and target market.
• Le Comptoir des Épices: French specialty spice retailer/brand serving premium food enthusiasts and HORECA. Competes for the same French B2C and B2B specialty spice buyer as La Plantation, with a similar emphasis on origin and quality.

Regional players

• Cooks' Ingredients: UK-focused premium spice and ingredient brand. Comparable in artisanal spice positioning and consumer base, and a useful reference for how a regional player expands a premium spice assortment within a single European geography.

Others

• THEO Essigbrauer: German artisanal vinegar producer founded in 1868. Existing La Plantation partner for infused vinegars and a reference point for the artisanal European condiment peer set with which La Plantation's value-added products (sauces, mustards, vinegars) compete.

Broad incumbents

• Schwartz (McCormick): Mass-market European spice brand owned by McCormick. Relevant as the mainstream retail alternative that defines the price/quality reference point for premium spice brands like La Plantation.
• McCormick & Company: Global spice and seasoning incumbent with broad retail and food-service distribution. Represents the industrial-scale alternative that La Plantation positions against on quality, provenance, and ethical sourcing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/laplantationfairspices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/la-plantation-kampot-pepper

Compliance5 records

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 La Plantation - Fair Spices Producer