History and Values

ED&F Man began merchanting commodities in 1783 and established its cotton trading division in 2025.

ED&F Man Cotton aims to become one of the world’s leading traders of cotton, specialising in sourcing, storing and transporting raw cotton to apparel and textile manufacturers.

The group has a global network, from producers, through logistics providers to final clients, meaning we source and move cotton from origin to destination when needed.

Our business model is focused on being an essential part of a responsible global supply chain and we pride ourselves on working with cotton producers and customers to create an efficient and ethical partnership that delivers value for all players in the chain.

In 2025, Hartree Partners, LP, a global energy and commodities trading company, acquired ED&F Man Commodities’ three legacy business units: ED&F Man Sugar, ED&F Man Liquid Products (molasses, animal feeds, and fish oil), Volcafe and ED&F Man Cotton. This milestone has opened multiple growth opportunities for the company.

In Cotton we value relationships with our customers, suppliers, service providers and other stakeholders who want sustainable products and supply chain solutions. We target the highest standards with respect to product quality and service and take extra measures to ensure these standards. We are fully committed to the health and safety of our employees and all other stakeholders, promoting impact projects and other community support programs in the places we conduct business. We also strive to play a role in environmental solutions.

We recognise each other’s differences, valuing the rich diversity of our workforce and our customers. We seek out alternative views and value all contributions, aiming to build positive and long-lasting partnerships based on trust and respect.

We seek to protect the environment and enhance the prosperity and wellbeing of the communities in which we work. We collaborate and communicate openly and honestly.

We create partnerships built on teamwork, trust, and reliability. We challenge what we believe to be wrong and champion fair, honest and ethical business practices.

We operate robust risk management, and we keep our social and environmental responsibilities at the core of what we do.

We believe that we will be successful if we have motivated employees who receive fair rewards for their efforts.

Employees have an equal opportunity to build a long-term career at ED&F Man. An individual’s progression and reward are based on achievements and ability, not position or status.

Leadership is selected on the basis of track record and the capacity to develop others.

We strive to build lasting partnerships with our customers and aim to exceed their expectations by creating additional value.

We are a reliable, innovative, and flexible partner wherever our customers choose to work with us.

We are ‘as good as our word’ and can be trusted to perform, something that our customers value in an increasingly uncertain world.

Our capacity to construct comprehensive solutions based on deep commodities and financial expertise is valuable to our customers as they seek to maximise their own profitability and mitigate complex global risk factors.

We act upon opportunities, creating and championing new business ideas and hold ourselves accountable for their success.

We constantly seek ways to be more efficient and competitive, challenging the status quo. We create new ideas and build solutions that inspire others to do the same. We take responsibility for turning our ideas into reality. We learn from our mistakes and are determined to improve and succeed.