Green Cup Coffee

What Green Cup Coffee does

Green Cup Coffee GmbH is a privately held German specialty coffee roaster and direct-to-consumer e-commerce company headquartered in Obersöchering, Germany. Founded in 2009 as the Black Pirate Coffee Crew and rebranded under its current name in 2011 with the support of mymuesli, the company operates a small-batch roasting facility and sells single-origin and blended specialty coffees sourced through direct trade partnerships with named farms in Peru, Costa Rica, Rwanda, India, and Brazil. The core product portfolio includes single-origin specialty coffees, a recurring subscription program (Kaffee-Abo) offering a 6% discount with flexible delivery intervals, an interactive Coffee Finder questionnaire tool, David Rio Chai beverages, tea and sweets, barista accessories, and curated gift sets, alongside a B2B office coffee (Bürokaffee) segment.

The business is operated by a micro-team of roughly five named professionals led by managing director Thomas Eckel, who also serves as the in-house coffee expert for cultivation and roasting. Distribution is exclusively online through a Shopify-powered storefront at green-cup-coffee.de, with shipping available to more than 40 countries across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East via DHL GoGreen for CO2-neutral delivery. Marketing relies on content (Kaffeewissen blog), an email newsletter with a signup incentive, social media presence on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Vimeo, and an influencer partnership program. Pricing is positioned in the specialty tier at approximately €39.60-€51.60 per kilogram, with one-time purchase and subscription models.

Revenue is not publicly disclosed and the company has no institutional funding history, instead appearing to operate as a profitable lifestyle specialty retailer serving a stated base of more than 20,000 conscious coffee enthusiasts. Strategic posture centers on provenance-based differentiation (direct trade, FairCommerce membership since 2017), freshness (daily roasting, Genussgarantie money-back guarantee), and an ESG-aligned commitment to climate neutrality by 2040, while remaining constrained by its small team and lack of external capital.

Name

Green Cup Coffee

Legal name

Green Cup Coffee GmbH

Website

https://green-cup-coffee.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Green Cup Coffee is a privately held German specialty coffee roaster that direct-to-consumer ships single-origin and blended coffees from direct trade farms in Africa, Asia, and the Americas to 20,000+ customers across 40+ countries via a Shopify storefront and subscription model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Coffee & Tea (Single-Origin, Micro-lot, Premium) Processing (AFAFADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Coffee (Roasted, Ground, Whole Bean) (CRADAHAG)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Direct trade coffee
• Coffee subscription service
• Small batch roastery
• Single origin coffee

Headquarters

HQ city

Augsburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Coffee Sales: E-commerce sales of specialty coffee beans, tea, and barista accessories. Products sold in 250g and 1kg packages. One-time purchase model with subscription option offering 6% discount.
2. Coffee Subscription (Kaffee-Abo): Recurring delivery subscription with 6% permanent discount. Flexible delivery intervals (every 2-6 weeks). Customers can pause, adjust, or cancel anytime. Subscription products include all main coffee varieties.
3. B2B Office Coffee: Special office coffee (Bürokaffee) segment for business customers with additional conditions for regular or bulk orders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Green Cup Coffee roasts and sells specialty coffee (single origins and blends) sourced through direct-trade partnerships with farmers in Rwanda, India, Brazil, Peru, Costa Rica, and other regions. Customers can purchase coffee beans in 250g or 1kg packs, subscribe to recurring delivery (Kaffee-Abo) with a 6% discount and flexible 2–6 week intervals, or order David Rio Chai beverages, tea, sweets, barista accessories, and curated gift sets. A dedicated B2B office coffee (Bürokaffee) program serves business customers with bulk/regular order conditions.

Product overview

Green Cup Coffee is a specialty coffee roaster and e-commerce company offering a comprehensive coffee experience centered on sustainably sourced, direct-trade roasted coffee beans. The core product portfolio consists of single-origin specialty coffees from Africa, America, and Asia (including house blends and seasonal limited editions like 'Date des Monats'), complemented by a subscription service offering 6% recurring discount, an interactive Coffee Finder recommendation tool, David Rio Chai beverages, tea and sweets, barista accessories, and corporate/B2B coffee solutions. The company emphasizes direct trade partnerships, daily fresh roasting, CO2-neutral shipping via DHL GoGreen, and transparent sourcing from farm to cup. Founded in 2009, the company now serves over 20,000 coffee enthusiasts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Specialty Coffee (Single Origin & Blends) Roasted specialty coffee beans sourced from direct-trade partnerships in Africa (Rwanda, Ethiopia), America (Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Nicaragua), and Asia (India), including house blends, seasonal limited editions, and decaf options, sold in 250g and 1kg packages.
• Coffee Subscription (Kaffee-Abo) Recurring coffee delivery subscription offering 6% discount on chosen coffees with flexible delivery intervals (every 2–6 weeks), ability to pause, adjust, or cancel anytime, and fresh roasting upon each shipment, available across the main coffee varieties.
• David Rio Chai Line of chai tea beverages and mixes including Elephant Vanilla, Flamingo Vanilla, Tiger Spice, Orca Spice, Tortoise Green Tea, Power Chai Matcha, and Toucan Mango, based on black or green tea with spices and available in 398g cans.
• Tea & Sweets (Tee & Süsses) Selection of teas and sweet accompaniments offered alongside the coffee range to complement the customer's at-home beverage experience.
• Barista Accessories (Barista-Zubehör) Hardware and accessories for coffee preparation, including the Kaffeetüten Clip (coffee bag clip) for keeping beans fresh.
• Coffee Sets & Gifts (Sets & Geschenke) Curated gift sets and coffee bundles targeted at gifting occasions for coffee lovers.
• Corporate / Office Coffee (Bürokaffee) B2B coffee solutions for companies and offices with special pricing and conditions for regular or bulk orders, drawing on the same direct-trade specialty coffee range.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 20,000 conscious coffee lovers served

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

Integration13 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Farmers in Peru and Costa RicacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Direct trade partnerships with coffee farmers in Peru and Costa Rica. These are foundational partnerships for Green Cup Coffee's sustainability-focused sourcing model, enabling transparent relationships and fair pricing.
• Aspinwall (Malabar, India)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Aspintwall for Malabar Monsooned coffee from the Malabar coast of India. The farm uses biological cultivation methods and the traditional Monsooning process for unique flavor development.
• Finca Nossa Senhora de Fátima (Ricardo and Gisele Resende)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Fairtrade-certified coffee farm globally, located in Cerrado Mineiro, Brazil. Produces organic Arabica Mundo Novo. Represents pioneering sustainable and fair trade coffee production.
• Simbi Kinazi Washing Station (Rubahunga)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated in Ruanda's Southern Province (Huye region) at 1,600m altitude. Founded by Abdul Rubahunga inspired by his grandmother. Works with approximately 750 small-scale farmers for the Kamena coffee.
• Basankhan Estate / Nagambika Estate (Karnataka, India)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLarge estate in Karnataka, India spanning approximately 240 hectares at 1,000-1,500m altitude. Produces specialty coffee with traditional processing methods.
• Fazenda Primavera (Cerrado Mineiro, Brazil)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrigin farm for Calmo decaf coffee in Cerrado Mineiro. Known for innovation, environmental consciousness, and social responsibility in coffee production.
• mymuesliminorOthersGreen Cup Coffee was founded under and shaped by mymuesli's vision in 2011, representing an origin connection in the German specialty food e-commerce ecosystem.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gardelli Specialty Coffees: Italy-based award-winning micro-roaster focused on single-origin, high-end specialty coffee sold DTC. Comparable in micro-roaster scale, single-origin premium positioning, and direct-trade farmer relationships.
• Coffee Circle: Berlin-based DTC specialty coffee roaster selling single-origin beans via e-commerce with subscription model. Directly comparable in product, customer (conscious German coffee drinker), GTM (DTC + subscription), and sustainability positioning.
• Elbgold Kaffeerösterei: Hamburg-based specialty coffee roaster with strong Direct Trade sourcing and on-site café/roastery plus DTC. Comparable in product, supplier philosophy, and German specialty positioning, though with a hybrid café/retail model.
• Square Mile Coffee Roasters: London specialty micro-roaster with subscription offerings and direct farmer relationships, primarily serving UK/EU coffee enthusiasts. Comparable in DTC specialty, subscription mechanics, and emphasis on origin transparency.
• Hasbean Coffee: UK-based specialty coffee micro-roaster with an established single-origin DTC business and direct trade sourcing. Comparable business model: small-batch roaster selling curated single-origins online with subscription support.
• Bonanza Coffee Roasters: Berlin specialty coffee roaster with direct farmer relationships, on-site roastery, and DTC e-commerce. Highly comparable in operating model (roast-direct-ship), single-origin specialty focus, and Berlin/Germany core customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: US Direct Trade specialty coffee pioneer (now owned by Peet's/Lavoro) with DTC, wholesale, and cafés. Comparable in Direct Trade ethos and DTC subscription mechanics, but operates at substantially greater scale and capital intensity.
• Counter Culture Coffee: US specialty roaster with deep sustainability/Direct Trade credentials and DTC-plus-wholesale model. Comparable in direct trade philosophy and educational content engine, with significantly larger scale and B2B presence.
• Tchibo: Germany's largest coffee retailer with a growing premium/specialty tier and extensive consumer reach. Competes indirectly with Green Cup's German consumer base and has been actively expanding single-origin and sustainable offerings.

Others

• mymuesli: Parent-era corporate sponsor and German DTC food brand that incubated Green Cup Coffee. Comparable as a German DTC CPG specialist brand with subscription model and sustainability positioning, though operating in a different category (muesli/cereal).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/greencup
• Facebookfacebook.com/greencupcoffee
• Instagraminstagram.com/greencupcoffee
• Pinterestpinterest.de/kaffeeglueck
• Xx.com/thegreencup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/green-cup-coffee-gmbh

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Green Cup Coffee