What Plastic2Beans does

Plastic2Beans, operating commercially as Impact Coffee, is a Cologne-based specialty coffee company founded in November 2018 by Abiye (a polymer chemist) and Kalie (Ethiopian). It imports organic single-origin Arabica coffee from the Limmu and Wollega regions of Ethiopia and sells it through three primary channels: a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront (impact-coffee.de) shipping to Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Austria; a subscription service (Sorglos-Kaffee-Abo) offering up to 17% discount on recurring deliveries; and a B2B office coffee program bundling Barista Buddy automatic espresso machines (PRO H home, PRO S/M/X commercial, priced €950.81–€10,936) with recurring bulk supply in 3.5 kg returnable containers and barista catering. A physical Impact Café in Cologne functions as a retail outlet, community event space (Impact in Concert, queer-led programming), and live demonstration of the brand's sustainability mission.

The company's core technological and differentiator is a proprietary circular economy model linking high-end PET plastic recycling in Ethiopia to specialty coffee exports. Through commissioned studies for Germany's BMZ (Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development) and GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), the founders helped shape Ethiopia's 2022 ban on colored PET bottles, which the company reports makes 140 million kg of PET more recyclable annually and triples material value for low-income bottle collectors. A partnership with materials manufacturer Covestro introduced solar greenhouse coffee drying to increase local Ethiopian value addition.

Commercially, Plastic2Beans operates a hybrid revenue model combining one-time product sales (€27–37/kg consumer coffee; €3,117.80–€10,936 commercial machines), recurring subscriptions (€8.99+/month), hardware leasing, and professional services (development cooperation grants). Customer segments span sustainability-conscious individual consumers, B2B office customers (named logos include Trusted Shops, Schneider Electric, Henkel, Koelnmesse, Katjes, Aktion Mensch, ACMS, and Spies), and café guests. The company has earned repeated recognition in Germany's most prestigious ESG awards (Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis finalist 2023 and 2025, CSR Preis der Bundesregierung finalist 2025, Green Product Award winner 2023) and is currently running a crowdinvesting campaign through FS Life Science Investment. Headcount remains in the 1–10 band.

Name

Plastic2Beans

Legal name

Plastic2Beans

Website

https://plastic2beans.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Plastic2Beans (operating as Impact Coffee) is a Cologne-based specialty coffee company founded in 2018 that sells Ethiopian organic coffee via D2C e-commerce, subscriptions, and B2B office machines across five European countries, with proceeds funding a proprietary PET recycling program in Ethiopia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee (Roasted, Ground, Whole Bean) (CRADAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Instant Coffee & Coffee Extract Manufacturing (AFAFADAD), Specialty Coffee Adjacent Beverage Bars (Chai, Cacao, Alternative Lattes) (THAFAKAH), Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAD)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee beans
• Office coffee service
• Coffee subscription
• Espresso machines
• Sustainable coffee

Headquarters

HQ city

Cologne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Coffee Product Sales (Online & Café): Direct sale of specialty coffee beans (Espresso Cremona, Limmu, Limmu Blend, Wollega Blend) to consumers via e-commerce platform (impact-coffee.de) and physical Impact Café Cologne. One-time and repeat purchase model.
2. Coffee Subscription (Sorglos-Kaffee-Abo): Recurring monthly coffee subscription service offering up to 17% discount. Provides predictable recurring revenue with customer retention incentives.
3. Office Coffee Machines & Bulk Supply: B2B sale and lease of Barista Buddy commercial coffee machines (PRO S, PRO M, PRO X) to offices, combined with recurring 3.5 kg bulk coffee supply in returnable containers. Includes barista catering service.
4. Development Cooperation & Grants: Revenue derived from commissioned studies and projects for BMZ (Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung) and GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) related to recycling policy and circular economy in Ethiopia.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Plastic2Beans, operating under the brand Impact Coffee, roasts and sells organic specialty Arabica coffee from Ethiopia through direct-to-consumer e-commerce (impact-coffee.de), office B2B coffee service with leased commercial machines and 3.5 kg returnable bulk containers, and a physical Impact Café in Cologne. The company simultaneously operates a circular-economy initiative in Ethiopia, funding PET plastic recycling infrastructure and development cooperation projects funded through coffee sales.

Product overview

Impact Coffee (formerly Plastic2Beans) is a specialty coffee company operating across multiple channels: direct-to-consumer online coffee sales (single-origin Arabicas and espresso blends from Ethiopia), office coffee solutions combining subscription plans with professional BARISTA BUDDY automatic machines, and a physical café in Cologne. The product portfolio includes organic Ethiopian coffees from Limmu and Wollega regions, various espresso products, and a range of commercial and residential coffee machines under the BARISTA BUDDY brand. The company integrates environmental impact through plastic recycling initiatives in Ethiopia as a core differentiator.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Impact Coffee: Specialty coffee brand with plastic recycling impact. Products include espresso and coffee beans, coffee subscriptions, and office coffee machines.

Products and services

• Espresso Cremona Specialty espresso with a full-bodied, nutty and rounded flavor profile, sold as roasted whole bean or ground coffee in retail packs and 3.5 kg deposit containers for offices.
• Limmu 100% Bio-Arabica Single-origin organic Arabica from the Limmu region of Ethiopia with chocolatey flavor notes, available in standard retail packs and 3.5 kg returnable office containers.
• Limmu Blend Bio-Espresso Organic espresso blend from the Limmu region with chocolatey-caramelly-bold flavor notes, sold in standard packs and 3.5 kg deposit containers for offices.
• Wollega 100% Bio-Arabica Single-origin organic Arabica from Ethiopia's Wollega region with spicy, berry and wild flavor notes, available in 3.5 kg returnable office containers.
• Wollega Blend Bio-Espresso Organic espresso blend from Ethiopia's Wollega region with spicy-berry-bold flavor notes, sold in 3.5 kg deposit containers for offices.
• Probierpaket Limmu Tasting package containing both Limmu single-origin and Limmu Blend so consumers can compare flavor profiles, starting from €16.69.
• Probierpaket Bio-Arabica (Limmu & Wollega) Tasting package containing Limmu and Wollega varieties to explore different Ethiopian origin flavors, starting from €17.19.
• Coffee Tasting Experience Curated coffee tasting experience package priced from €50, allowing participants to explore specialty coffee flavors.
• Sorglos-Kaffee-Abo Monthly coffee subscription service delivering specialty coffee on a recurring basis with up to 17% discount, starting at €8.99/month.
• BARISTA BUDDY KAFFEE VOLLAUTOMAT PRO H (Home) Fully automatic Barista Buddy espresso machine for residential use, priced at €950.81 one-time, providing professional-grade coffee preparation at home.
• BARISTA BUDDY BÜRO KAFFEE VOLLAUTOMAT PRO S Office-grade Barista Buddy fully automatic espresso machine for small to medium businesses, from €3,117.80, deployed with 3.5 kg bulk coffee supply.
• BARISTA BUDDY GEWERBE KAFFEE VOLLAUTOMAT PRO M Commercial-grade fully automatic espresso machine with fresh milk functionality and integrated 5L cooling unit, priced at €7,413.70 for medium to large businesses.
• BARISTA BUDDY GEWERBE KAFFEE VOLLAUTOMAT PRO X High-capacity commercial-grade fully automatic espresso machine with integrated 5L cooling unit, priced at €10,936 for large enterprise office use.
• Office Coffee Service (Bürokaffee) B2B office coffee solution combining Barista Buddy PRO S/M/X commercial machines (sale or lease) with recurring 3.5 kg bulk coffee supply in returnable containers and optional barista catering, accessed via non-binding quote requests.
• Impact Café Köln Physical café in Cologne serving specialty coffee and vegetarian/vegan food, doubling as a community hub for cultural events such as Impact in Concert concerts and queer community gatherings.
• Barista Catering (Barista-Station buchen) Mobile barista catering service delivering on-site specialty coffee preparation at customer events and offices.

Quantifiable outcome

• 140,000 tonnes of PET made more recyclable annually through Ethiopia plastic recycling program
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Impact Coffee authored sector reports commissioned by GIZ on Ethiopia's local recycling economy. These studies directly contributed to the 2022 Ethiopian policy change banning color in PET bottles, improving recyclability of 140 million kg of PET annually.
• BMZ (Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImpact Coffee conducted multiple studies commissioned by BMZ on Ethiopia's recycling sector and circular economy, which informed policy development and government-backed recycling initiatives in Ethiopia.
• CovestrocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with materials manufacturer Covestro to develop solar greenhouses for coffee drying in Ethiopia, increasing local value addition and reducing energy consumption in the coffee supply chain.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Barn Coffee Roasters: Berlin specialty roaster with DTC, café, and B2B channels and a strong sustainability ethos. Comparable premium positioning and multi-channel structure.
• Coffee Fellows: Germany-headquartered office coffee franchise operating company-branded cafés and B2B office coffee service. Closest large-scale analog to Plastic2Beans' Bürokaffee motion.
• St. Oberholz: Berlin specialty coffee + café + community/workspace hybrid. Comparable combination of café as community hub with DTC/coffee retail.
• Coffee Circle: Berlin-based specialty coffee roaster selling direct-to-consumer across Europe with a strong sustainability and farmer-direct narrative. Closest comparable on German DTC specialty + subscription + impact positioning.
• Moyee Coffee: Dutch specialty coffee company with a near-identical mission: Ethiopian-origin coffee combined with impact storytelling and fair-chain pricing. Highly comparable in product, geography, and narrative.
• Puro Coffee: UK specialty coffee brand explicitly linking coffee sales to environmental and social impact. Comparable mission-driven DTC + subscription model.
• Bonanza Coffee Roasters: Berlin specialty roaster combining DTC e-commerce, café operations, and B2B supply. Comparable multi-channel specialty coffee model with physical retail.
• Espressa: German office coffee and vending-machine service provider targeting B2B clients. Closest competitor in the Bürokaffee office-machine + bulk-supply segment.

Broad incumbents

• GEPA: Germany's largest fair-trade coffee and CPG company. Comparable on sustainability narrative in German specialty/CPG coffee, though broader product portfolio and wholesale-led.
• Tchibo: Massive German coffee company with DTC subscription, office coffee, and own-brand specialty offerings. Demonstrates the scale ceiling for German multi-channel coffee but operates much more broadly than Plastic2Beans.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/impactcoffee
• Facebookfacebook.com/impactcoffee
• TikToktiktok.com/@impactcoffee
• Pinterestpinterest.com/impactcoffee
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@impactcoffee
• Xx.com/plastic2b

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Plastic2Beans