What Coffein Compagnie does

Coffein Compagnie GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held, owner-managed German family business headquartered in Bremen that was founded in 1931 by Dr. Erich Scheele and operates as a B2B specialist for green coffee decaffeination and the production of pharmaceutical-grade natural caffeine. The company runs three proprietary decaffeination processes — the Hanseatic Water Process (organic, EU/USDA Organic, Kosher, Halal certified), the Hanseatic Sugarance Process (ethyl acetate derived from sugarcane), and Dichloromethane (DCM) — alongside a purification chain that converts extracted caffeine into pharmaceutical-grade pure caffeine for soft-drink, medication, and cosmetic applications. Group operations span five sites across four continents: Bremen (HQ and world's largest single decaffeination site), Long Thanh in Vietnam (acquired 2018 as HKI), Albenga on the Italian Riviera (acquired 2019 as Testa), a sales office in Miami, and a majority stake since 2003 in Compañía Nacional del Café S.A. (CNC) in Colombia for vertical green coffee sourcing.

The company earns revenue through four principal streams: sale of decaffeinated and partially decaffeinated green coffee (including certified organic, Fairtrade, and Rainforest Alliance varieties), toll refining (Lohnveredelung) of customers' own green coffee using its facilities, production and sale of pharmaceutical-grade natural caffeine, and green coffee sourcing and trading via CNC. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales to roasters, food and beverage manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and cosmetics manufacturers, supported by a customer login portal, an in-house DAkkS-accredited laboratory (ISO 17025 since 2014), and a logistics alliance with J. Müller Weser that delivers just-in-time-doorstep service. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The firm is led by four Managing Directors (Jens W. Eckhoff, Dr. Michael Linge, Bernd Schopf, and Carl Philipp Schopf), carries an unusually deep set of regulatory certifications (IFS Food, FDA, C-TPAT, AEO, ISO 9001, BRC7, HACCP, Kosher, Halal, Organic, Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, ISO 50001), and reports group-wide headcount of 380+ across its five global sites.

Name

Coffein Compagnie

Legal name

Coffein Compagnie GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://coffein-compagnie.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1931

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Coffein Compagnie is a Bremen-based, family-owned B2B specialist founded in 1931 that decaffeinates green coffee using three proprietary processes and produces pharmaceutical-grade natural caffeine for roasters, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics customers across five global sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coffee Decaffeination and Natural Caffeine Production

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Green Coffee Processing (Hulling, Grading, Decaffeination) (AFAFADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Tea, Coffee & Cocoa Farming (Beverage Specialty Crops) (AFAGAGAG)

Keywords

• Coffee decaffeination services
• Natural caffeine production
• Green coffee processing
• Pharmaceutical grade caffeine
• Coffee toll refining

Headquarters

HQ city

Bremen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Decaffeinated Green Coffee Production and Trading: Production and trading of decaffeinated and partially decaffeinated green coffee. The company processes green coffee using its three decaffeination methods and sells the resulting decaffeinated coffee to roasters and food manufacturers worldwide.
2. Toll Refining/Contract Manufacturing: Lohnveredelung (toll refining) services where customers' coffees are decaffeinated in the company's facilities. Alternative to purchasing pre-processed decaffeinated coffee.
3. Natural Pure Caffeine Production: Production of pharmaceutical-grade pure natural caffeine extracted during decaffeination processes. Sold to pharmaceutical companies, soft drink manufacturers, and cosmetics companies for use in medications, beverages, and cosmetic products.
4. Green Coffee Sourcing: Through ownership in Compañía Nacional del Café S.A. (CNC) in Colombia since 2003, the company sources and supplies green coffee specialties, including certified coffees (Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, Bio/organic).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Coffein Compagnie is a B2B specialist that decaffeinates green coffee and produces pharmaceutical-grade natural caffeine for sale to roasters, food and beverage manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies and cosmetics manufacturers worldwide. It operates three proprietary decaffeination processes (Hanseatic Water, Hanseatic Sugarance/Ethyl Acetate, and Dichloromethane) and additionally offers toll refining (Lohnveredelung) of customer-owned green coffee, certified coffee sourcing (Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, Bio), and integrated logistics and quality analytics services from production sites in Germany, Vietnam, Italy, Colombia and a sales office in the USA.

Product overview

Coffein Compagnie operates as a B2B specialist offering a comprehensive portfolio centered on decaffeination of green coffee and production of natural caffeine. The core offering consists of decaffeinated green coffee, partially decaffeinated coffee, and pharmaceutical-grade pure caffeine, all supported by three distinct decaffeination processes (Hanseatic Water Process, Hanseatic Sugarance/Ethyl Acetate Process, and Methylene Chloride Process). The portfolio includes certified coffees (Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, organic/Bio), Colombian single-origin coffees from subsidiary Compañía Nacional del Café, and comprehensive services including logistics coordination and quality control/analytics through an accredited laboratory. Customers can purchase finished products or utilize contract refining (Lohnveredelung) services for their own green coffee.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Decaffeinated Green Coffee Premium decaffeinated raw green coffee beans produced using one of three in-house decaffeination methods (Hanseatic Water, Hanseatic Sugarance/Ethyl Acetate, or Dichloromethane), preserving authentic taste and aroma while reducing residual caffeine below the European regulatory limit of 0.1%. Sold to roasters and food manufacturers worldwide.
• Partially Decaffeinated Coffee Green coffee with targeted caffeine reduction for consumers who wish to reduce but not eliminate caffeine intake, produced by shortening processing cycles in decaffeination.
• Natural Caffeine (Reinkoffein) Pharmaceutical-grade pure natural caffeine extracted from green coffee beans during the company's decaffeination processes and refined through a purification line at the Albenga, Italy facility. Sold as an ingredient to pharmaceutical companies, soft drink manufacturers, and cosmetics companies for use in medications, beverages, and cosmetic formulations.
• Certified Coffees (Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, Organic/Bio) Decaffeinated green coffees certified to Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, and EU/USDA Organic (Bio) standards, processed in facilities certified to IFS Food, Kosher and Halal, supporting sustainable cultivation and improving commercial and social conditions in coffee-growing countries.
• Colombian Single-Origin Coffee (Compañía Nacional del Café) Single-origin Colombian green coffees sourced from the Manizales region near Nevado del Ruiz volcano, including La Ceiba Supremo, Huila Excelso, Huila Supremo, and El Guadual Supremo varieties. Certified Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance.
• Contract Refining / Lohnveredelung Third-party decaffeination service where customers send their own green coffee to be decaffeinated in Coffein Compagnie's facilities using any of the three proprietary processes, with full IFS, Kosher and Halal certification coverage.
• Logistics Services End-to-end logistics coordination from origin to roastery, including administration, customs clearance, blending and storage, delivered through the strategic alliance with J. Müller Weser at Bremen to enable just-in-time-doorstep delivery of decaffeinated coffee.
• Quality Control and Analytics Analytical food testing, organoleptic evaluations by SCA Q-Grader certified tasters, and process controls for traceability and food safety, delivered through the DAkkS-accredited (DIN EN ISO 17025) in-house laboratory.

Quantifiable outcome

• Differences between caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee only detectable by very experienced palates in blind tests
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stabilimento Farmaceutico Cav. G. TestacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Italian pharmaceutical and caffeine production company acquired in 2019. Founded 1885 as pharmaceutical laboratory on Italian Riviera. Specializes in pharmaceutical-grade pure caffeine production. With 35 employees, certified ISO 9001:2015, BRC7, and HACCP.
• Hiang Kie Industries Ltd. (HKI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Vietnamese decaffeination facility acquired in 2018. Located in Long Thanh, Dong Nai Province near Ho Chi Minh City. FDA- and IFS-certified facility with 90 employees producing decaffeinated coffee and natural caffeine. Enables direct supply from world's second largest coffee producing country.
• International Coffee Traders PTE LTD Singapore (ICT)minorOthers · 1 January 2006Founded Hiang Kie Industries Ltd. (HKI) in Vietnam in 2006. Company was acquired by Coffein Compagnie in 2018.
• Compañía Nacional del Café S.A. (CNC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003Stakeholder since 2003. Colombian company handles planting, processing, trading and exporting of Colombian green coffees near Manizales. Provides local coffee expertise and influence on sustainable coffee cultivation development. Offers La Ceiba Supremo, Huila Excelso, Huila Supremo, and El Guadual Supremo. Certified Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance.
• J. Müller WesercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic alliance with port services provider J. Müller Weser for unloading, blending, and storing green coffee in Bremen. Founded the All-in-One concept integrating green coffee purchasing with optimized logistics services for just-in-time-doorstep delivery of decaffeinated coffee products.
• Ear4U (Joint Grievance Mechanism)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoffein Compagnie joined the joint grievance mechanism Ear4U, founded by the German Coffee Association and member companies. Platform allows all stakeholders in supply chains to contact the company anonymously without language barriers. Part of supply chain due diligence and human rights protection efforts.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG): Hamburg-based green coffee service group spanning origination, processing, and trading globally. Comparable as a vertically integrated coffee B2B counterpart, though much larger and broader in scope than Coffein Compagnie's decaffeination focus.
• Cargill: Global food and agriculture conglomerate with significant coffee origination, trading, and processing operations including decaffeination. Overlaps with Coffein Compagnie in green coffee supply and B2B processing, but as part of a much broader ingredient portfolio.
• Volcafé (ED&F Man): Global coffee trading and processing arm of ED&F Man, active across origins and consuming markets. Comparable as a B2B green coffee counterpart serving roasters, with overlapping customer base though no direct decaffeination specialization.
• Mitsui & Co. Japanese trading house with a significant global coffee origination and trading business. Comparable to Coffein Compagnie as a B2B green coffee supplier, but operating as a diversified conglomerate with much broader commodity exposure.
• Louis Dreyfus Company: Global commodity trader with a sizable coffee platform covering origination, processing, and merchandising. Overlaps with Coffein Compagnie in green coffee supply and B2B processing, but as one of many commodity verticals.
• Paulig: Nordic integrated coffee company covering roasting, foodservice, and B2B ingredients including decaffeination. Comparable as a B2B coffee specialist with overlapping customers, though positioned closer to end-roaster brands than commodity decaffeination.

Emerging players

• Tata Coffee: Indian integrated coffee company with plantations, curing, and value-added processing including specialty and decaffeinated offerings. Comparable as a vertically integrated origin-to-B2B coffee peer with growing decaffeination capability, though smaller in global decaf share than Coffein Compagnie.

Direct peers

• Demus S.p.A. Italian decaffeination specialist serving European roasters with multiple process options. Closest European geographic and product peer to Coffein Compagnie, competing for the same roaster accounts in EU markets.
• Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company: Canadian public company (TSX: SWP) specializing exclusively in chemical-free water-process decaffeination of green coffee. Directly comparable to Coffein Compagnie as a B2B specialty decaffeinator serving roasters, though it offers a narrower process portfolio.
• CR3 (formerly KraftDecaffein / CR3 Life Sciences): Global decaffeination specialist with operations in Asia, Europe, and Latin America offering water and solvent-based processes. Comparable as a multinational B2B decaffeinator and natural caffeine producer competing for the same roaster and ingredient customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coffein-compagnie

Compliance14 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Coffein Compagnie