Cafea
Cafea is a German private-label coffee and beverage manufacturer operating seven production facilities and eight subsidiaries (including DEK, Cremilk, EDEL, Grana, Cafea UK) with 1,500+ employees, producing instant coffee, liquid coffee, capsules, drinking chocolate, infant formula, and dietary supplements for global retailers and brand manufacturers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1896
- HeadquartersHamburg, Germany
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Cafea does
Cafea is a German-based, privately held group of coffee and beverage manufacturers headquartered in Hamburg with operational origins in St. Magnus bei Bremen dating to 1896. The group operates through eight wholly-owned subsidiaries (Cremilk, EDEL, Deutsche Extrakt Kaffee GmbH / DEK, DEK Berlin, Cafea UK, Grana, Milcafea, and Wertform), each with its own sales or production focus, supported by seven production facilities and more than 1,500 employees. The underlying technology is coffee processing and beverage manufacturing, executed on state-of-the-art equipment with quality control at every individual production step, covering freeze-dried and spray-dried soluble coffee, soluble coffee drinks, liquid coffee extract, roasted coffee, capsules compatible with major single-serve systems, drinking chocolate, grain coffee, infant formula, and dietary nutritional drinks.
The company's revenue model is B2B manufacturing and distribution: Cafea produces private-label coffee and beverage products for retailers and brand manufacturers, distributing worldwide through its subsidiary network rather than as a direct-to-consumer brand. The customer base is described horizontally as private-label manufacturers and retailers across coffee and adjacent beverage categories. GTM is event-driven, anchored by group-level participation in major industry trade shows (SIAL Paris, PLMA Chicago, Food Ingredients Europe Frankfurt) where individual subsidiaries such as Grana sp. z o.o., Fine Foods International, and Deutsche Extrakt Kaffee GmbH staff the booths. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, reflecting the standard private-label contract model. The company emphasizes three values — tradition, experience, and quality — and has recently launched sustainability lighthouse projects as an organizational priority, but no public-company financials, funding events, or detailed ownership disclosures are present in the available data.
Cafea firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cafea
- Legal name
- Deutsche Extrakt Kaffee GmbH
- Website
- https://cafea.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1896
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Cafea is a German private-label coffee and beverage manufacturer operating seven production facilities and eight subsidiaries (including DEK, Cremilk, EDEL, Grana, Cafea UK) with 1,500+ employees, producing instant coffee, liquid coffee, capsules, drinking chocolate, infant formula, and dietary supplements for global retailers and brand manufacturers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cafea industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Coffee and Hot Beverage Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Beverage Manufacturing (3121)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Instant Coffee & Coffee Extract Manufacturing (AFAFADAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Caffeinated Functional Beverage Production (Non-Energy) (AFAFAFAG)
Keywords
Where Cafea is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hamburg
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cafea business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Coffee and Beverage Manufacturing: Manufacturing and distribution of instant coffee, liquid coffee, roasted coffee, coffee capsules, drinking chocolate, grain coffee, and other hot beverages. The group also produces infant formula and dietary nutritional supplements.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Cafea product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cafea manufactures and distributes a broad portfolio of coffee and hot beverage products, including instant (soluble) coffee, soluble coffee drinks, liquid coffee extract, roast coffee, grain coffee, and coffee capsules compatible with common systems. The group also produces drinking chocolate, infant formula, and dietary nutritional drinks, primarily supplying private-label customers worldwide through seven production facilities and a network of subsidiaries.
Product overview
Cafea is a diversified food and beverage manufacturing group specializing in coffee and hot beverage products. The company operates a multi-product portfolio spanning instant coffee (Löslicher Kaffee), soluble coffee drinks, liquid coffee, grain coffee, roast coffee, and coffee capsules compatible with common systems. Additional product lines include drinking chocolate, infant formula, and dietary nutritional drinks. The group comprises multiple subsidiary brands (Cremilk, EDEL, DEK, DEK Berlin, Cafea UK, Grana, Milcafea, Wertform) with 7 production facilities and over 1,500 employees, distributing products globally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Cremilk: Subsidiary of CAFEA group
- EDEL
- DEK
- DEK Berlin
- Cafea UK
- Grana
- Milcafea
- Wertform
Products and services
- Löslicher Kaffee (Instant Coffee)
Companies that use Cafea
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Cafea technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Cafea partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Cafea competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Lavazza Group: Italian-founded global coffee group operating across roast, instant, capsule and foodservice channels with both branded and private-label exposure. A larger incumbent with overlapping capabilities and broader brand scale.
- JDE Peet's (JACOBS DOUWE EGBERTS): World's largest pure-play coffee company with deep presence in instant, roast and capsule coffee globally under multiple brands and in private label. Comparable broader incumbent across categories where Cafea participates.
- Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. Large North American beverage group with a major single-serve coffee platform (Keurig) and growing private-label and licensed coffee offerings. A broader incumbent overlapping with Cafea's capsule and roast coffee activities.
- Nestlé (Nescafé & Coffee Brands): The market-leading instant coffee brand globally with scale advantages in procurement, R&D and distribution. Overlaps directly with Cafea's instant and soluble coffee categories and offers a benchmark for category scale and cost economics.
Direct peers
- Tchibo GmbH: German coffee company with similar heritage and product breadth across roast coffee, capsules and instant formats. Comparable as a German-headquartered coffee manufacturer operating across multiple formats and channels, including branded and private-label activities.
- Strauss Group: Israel-based global coffee and food group with significant private-label instant and roast coffee operations across Europe, Latin America and emerging markets. Directly comparable as a multi-format coffee manufacturer selling to retail private-label customers.
- Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group: Italian multi-format coffee group producing roast, instant and capsule coffee both under own brands and for private-label retailers worldwide. Closely comparable in product breadth, B2B/private-label focus and global manufacturing footprint.
- Tata Coffee (Tata Consumer Products): Indian-origin integrated coffee business with global instant coffee and private-label operations. Comparable as a multi-format coffee manufacturer with growing private-label and capsule exposure in international markets.
- Coffee Holding Company, Inc. US-listed private-label coffee specialist producing roast, instant and specialty coffee for supermarket and foodservice customers. Directly comparable business model of contract manufacturing and private-label supply for retailers.
Regional players
- Dallmayr Group: German coffee, foodservice and delicatessen group with roasting and capsule operations centered in Germany and adjacent European markets. Comparable as a heritage German coffee producer with overlapping format and channel exposure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cafea social profiles
Digital presenceCafea financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cafea leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Cafea subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries8 records
Cafea funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cafea M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cafea
What does Cafea do?
Cafea manufactures and distributes a broad portfolio of coffee and hot beverage products, including instant (soluble) coffee, soluble coffee drinks, liquid coffee extract, roast coffee, grain coffee, and coffee capsules compatible with common systems. The group also produces drinking chocolate, infant formula, and dietary nutritional drinks, primarily supplying private-label customers worldwide through seven production facilities and a network of subsidiaries.
Is Cafea a public or private company?
Cafea is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Cafea founded?
Cafea was founded in 1896. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Cafea based?
Cafea is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Cafea make money?
One revenue line is on record: coffee and Beverage Manufacturing.
Who are Cafea's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Lavazza Group, JDE Peet's (JACOBS DOUWE EGBERTS), Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. and Nestlé (Nescafé & Coffee Brands). Direct peers are Tchibo GmbH, Strauss Group, Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group, Tata Coffee (Tata Consumer Products) and Coffee Holding Company, Inc.. Dallmayr Group is listed as a regional player.
Does Cafea have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cafea.
What industry is Cafea in?
Cafea's product category is Coffee and Hot Beverage Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAFADAD, Instant Coffee & Coffee Extract Manufacturing, with a secondary code of AFAFAFAG, Caffeinated Functional Beverage Production (Non-Energy). Its NAICS code is 311920 and its SIC code is 2080.