Coopérative Sathoan

What Coopérative Sathoan does

SATHOAN (Coopérative Sathoan, legal name SATHOAN, also referred to as SA.THO.AN) is a French fishing cooperative founded in 1991 and headquartered in Sète on the French Mediterranean coast. It is recognized as an official Producer Organization (Organisation de Producteurs, OP) under EU Regulation 1379/2013, which positions it as a mandated actor in implementing the Common Fisheries Policy and the Common Market Organization. The cooperative aggregates 80 member fishermen operating a fleet of approximately 120 vessels spanning the entire French Mediterranean coastline, with vessel types comprising petits métiers (small-scale), chalutiers (trawlers), and thoniers senneurs (tuna purse seiners). Its core mission is to adjust supply and demand in quality and quantity, valorize members' products through recognized sustainability and quality labels, and develop fishing activity sustainably.

The cooperative's core 'products' are not software or manufactured goods but rather services and production categories: (1) fishing operations management and coordination for the member fleet, (2) labeled fish products — primarily bluefin tuna (62% of volumes in 2022), followed by octopus, hake, Mediterranean capelan, monkfish, mackerel, anchovy, horse mackerel, red mullets, and gurnards, and (3) flotilla services structured around the three vessel categories. Members' production totaled 5,863 tonnes with a turnover of €50.1 million in 2022, with 89% of volumes and 91% of value concentrated in the top 10 species. Distribution operates through wholesale fish markets and auction houses, plus direct sales from some members to restaurants and fishmongers, particularly for labeled products.

The revenue model is cooperative in nature: members deliver catches to the collective which markets them, with the cooperative functioning as an intermediary that captures transaction fees/service economics on the throughput. End customers are wholesale seafood distributors, retail fishmongers, and food-service buyers (restaurants and caterers). The cooperative is co-funded by the European Union through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (FEAMP) under Measure 66 'Production and Marketing Plans', and its strategic partnerships include the ECHOSEA participatory science program, the TUNADNe eDNA research initiative, and marketing alliances such as Méditerranée Sauvage and Thon Rouge de Ligne. The internal organization is lean: only 7 employees manage the structure, with the bulk of operational capacity residing in member-owned vessels and crews.

Name

Coopérative Sathoan

Legal name

SATHOAN

Website

https://sathoan.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Coopérative Sathoan is a French fishing cooperative headquartered in Sète that aggregates 80 member fishermen and 120 vessels across the French Mediterranean coast as an EU-recognized Producer Organization, coordinating collective marketing, supply adjustment, and sustainability-labeled seafood sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sète

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fish and Seafood Sales: Members of the cooperative sell their catches through the organization. The cooperative coordinates the adjustment of supply and demand, quality and quantity, and improves producer revenues through product valorization and label certifications.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Coopérative Sathoan is a French fishing cooperative recognized as a Producer Organization (Organisation de Producteurs, OP) under EU Regulation 1379/2013. It groups more than 120 fishing vessels and 80 adherent members across the French Mediterranean coastline, collectively marketing their catches (5,863 tonnes and €50.1M turnover in 2022). The cooperative's roles include adjusting supply and demand in quality and quantity, valorizing fish products under recognized quality and sustainability labels (e.g., bluefin tuna, anchovy, sardine, octopus), and developing sustainable fishing activities in compliance with the EU Common Fisheries Policy.

Product overview

SATHOAN is a fishing cooperative (Coopérative) operating as a recognized Producer Organization (Organisation de Producteurs - OP) under EU Regulation 1379/2013. The cooperative does not offer a unified software product or platform. Its 'products' are fishing operations management, labeled fish products (tuna, anchovies, sardines, octopus), and flotilla services for its 120 ships and 80 members along the French Mediterranean coast.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Labeled Mediterranean Fish Products
• Producer Organization Coordination Services
• Fleet Management Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,863 tonnes of fish landed in 2022
• +1 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

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Programme ECHOSEAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipatory science program where member fishermen record observations of accidental catches (captures accessoires), particularly of selacians (sharks and rays), contributing to biodiversity mapping and environmental DNA research.
• Programme TUNADNecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch program involving environmental DNA studies on elasmobranch populations in the French Mediterranean Sea, conducted with master student research within SATHOAN.
• OP Quota (opquota.com)minorOthersUseful link for quota management and regulatory information related to fishing quotas.
• Thon Rouge de Ligne (thonrougedeligne.com)minorOthersValued partner for bluefin tuna products, a key species for the cooperative.
• Valpem (valpem.fr)minorOthersRegional partner organization for Mediterranean fisheries.
• Méditerranée Sauvage (mediterranee-sauvage.fr)minorOthersSustainable Mediterranean seafood marketing initiative.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Coopérative Maritime de Concarneau: Long-established French fishing cooperative in Brittany organizing small-scale and coastal fishing vessels. Directly comparable cooperative model and structure to SATHOAN, though operating on the Atlantic rather than Mediterranean coast.
• Coopérative des Pêcheurs de Bretagne: Major French fishing cooperative operating on the Atlantic coast under the same EU-recognized producer organization model. Directly comparable business model (cooperative marketing of member catches, EU OP status, label valorization), with regional rather than direct geographic overlap.
• ANFACO-CECOPESCA: Spanish seafood industry cluster and producer organization representing fishing, aquaculture and processing interests. Comparable as a Mediterranean EU producer organization engaged in collective marketing and valorization of seafood, similar in mission to SATHOAN.
• CEPESCA: Spanish Confederation of Fishing Producer Organizations. Directly comparable as it represents Spanish fishing OPs under the same EU Regulation 1379/2013 framework that recognizes SATHOAN.
• FEDERPESCA: Italian national federation of fisheries cooperatives and producer organizations. Directly comparable as it coordinates Mediterranean fisheries cooperatives across Italy under similar EU Common Fisheries Policy frameworks.

Broad incumbents

• Europêche: European Fisheries Confederation representing EU producer organizations and fishing cooperatives including SATHOAN. Comparable as the umbrella body for the OP/cooperative model SATHOAN operates within, though it operates at federation rather than producer level.
• France Filière Pêche: French national fisheries industry body coordinating the broader French fishing sector. Comparable as a national-level industry counterpart to SATHOAN's regional OP role, though operating at sector-wide rather than cooperative level.

Regional players

• Norges Sildesalgslag: Norwegian Fishermen's Sales Organization for pelagic fish, operating compulsory first-sale auctions on behalf of fishermen. Comparable as a fishermen-owned cooperative sales organization coordinating collective marketing of catches, though geographically focused on Norwegian pelagics rather than Mediterranean species.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sathoan

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 Coopérative Sathoan