Charging the smallest producers for evidence is the fastest way to have no market. So the entry product is free, permanently, and the people who gain most from a comparable, auditable supplier data set pay for it: brands, importers, lenders, insurers and associations. This page is the whole model, including the limits that keep the free tier honest.
One site, two batches a year, twelve months, renewable if the data is complete. You get the method, the templates, the calculator, a registry entry and a scannable label at grade U — self-declared, not verified. No statement reference is issued, because a reference implies that somebody may rely on it. That is what verification is for.
| Tier | Who | Product | Who pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| L0 | Smallholders, cooperatives, micro processors | Seed: self-service entry, grade U label, registry listing | Free — funded by L3 |
| L1 | Start-ups, pre-revenue, first export | Seed, then Grow: remote review, grade C | Paid after 12 months, by volume |
| L2 | Processors, blenders, warehouses, regional brands | Verify: on-site verification, grade A/B | Company pays, often passed to the buyer |
| L3 | Brands, importers, lenders, insurers, associations, ERP | Programme, registry EaaS, data licence | The revenue engine |
These are the same numbers as the fee schedule: one price list, two audiences.
| Product | What is delivered | Fee (CNY) |
|---|---|---|
| Seed | Registry entry, templates, grade U label, 1 site / 2 batches / 12 months | Free |
| Grow | Remote review, grade C label, annual summary | 3,600 / yr or 300 / batch |
| Verify, first year | On-site verification, statement reference, grades A/B | 28,000 / site |
| Annual surveillance | Continued validity, sampled review | 12,000 / site / yr |
| Baseline co-signing | Co-signed baseline study | 6,000 / study |
| Evidence grading | A / B / C determination | 4,000 / site / yr |
| Label issuance | Registry entry plus hash | 40 / batch |
| EUDR container pack | Plot → batch → container evidence pack | 2,000 / container |
Four things make a Seed user cross into paid, and each one is a real event rather than a sales trigger: a third batch or a second site, a buyer asking for a citable statement reference, a need for grade C or better, or a compliance pack. When that happens:
There is no exclusivity clause. The switching cost is the evidence record itself, which is a better lock than a contract and does not stop a smallholder from leaving.
Six engines, in the order they are expected to carry the free tier.
| Engine | Who buys | Fee (CNY) |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier evidence programme — S / M / L | Brands, retail, importers | 80,000 / 240,000 / 480,000 per year, by supplier count |
| Registry as a service | Associations, accredited bodies, ERP vendors | 30,000–100,000 / yr plus 10–40 / record |
| Green finance data licence | Banks, leasing companies | 50,000–150,000 / institution / yr |
| Insurance data licence | Underwriters, brokers | 80,000–250,000 / portfolio / yr |
| Hourly-factor scheduling | Farms, cold stores, nurseries | 20% of verified savings, year one |
| Practitioner training | Brands, associations, development programmes | 1,500–3,000 per seat |
A programme is not a dashboard. It is a comparable data set: one method version, one boundary definition, one grade scale, applied to every supplier in the pool, with the working visible. The three worked examples show what that looks like in coffee, insurance and beverage.
Prices exclude VAT. Fees for verification are quoted per site and assume the site is ready for a visit; travel outside Hong Kong and mainland China is at cost. Nothing on this page is an offer capable of acceptance; engagements are made by signed agreement.