Frans van der Hoff (16 July 1939 – 13 February 2024), or Francisco VanderHoff Boersma as he is called in Latin America, was a Dutch missionary who, in collaboration with Nico Roozen and ecumenical development agency Solidaridad, launched Max Havelaar, the first Fairtrade label in 1988.
Van der Hoff's contacts with Mexican coffee producers were important in securing the supply and ensuring the success of the very first Fairtrade certification initiative.
The initiative offered disadvantaged coffee producers following various social and environmental standards a fair price—significantly above the market price—for their crop.
The coffee, originating from the UCIRI cooperative, was imported by Dutch company Van Weely, roasted by Neuteboom, and then sold directly to world shops and retailers across the Netherlands.
He was also appointed Commander in the Order of the Crown (Belgium) by the Belgian Minister of Development Cooperation, received an honorary doctorate from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium for his efforts to establish a "different economy", and was awarded the Groeneveldprize from the Groeneveld Foundation in the Netherlands for his special efforts for preservation of the environment in the same year.