Alternativa3

What Alternativa3 does

Alternativa3 (legal name ALTERNATIVA 3, SCCL) is a Spanish cooperative headquartered in Terrassa, Barcelona, founded around 1991 as a pioneer in organic food and fair trade in Spain. The company operates a catalog of more than 400 products organized around specialty coffee and cocoa, with extensions into organic baby food, chocolate ingredients, brewing equipment and zero-waste lifestyle goods. Its core technology is an in-house medium-low natural roasting process designed to maintain low acrylamide levels while preserving coffee aroma, supplemented by freeze-drying (lyophilization) for instant formats and proprietary integration of functional ingredients such as MCT oil into coffee beans.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market model. On the consumer side, Alternativa3 sells directly through an e-commerce storefront with a subscription option (5% recurring discount, free shipping above €50) supported by content marketing, SEO, email newsletters and social channels (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn). On the B2B side, a dedicated professional sales channel serves hotels, restaurants, cafés, wholesalers, shops and offices through the BioCoffice office coffee solution, including compostable Nespresso-compatible capsules. Sub-brands — BuBuBio (organic baby porridges), BioCoffice (office coffee), and Trasnocho (keto coffee with MCT) — segment the portfolio by use case and customer type.

The company is member-owned as a Sociedad Cooperativa Catalana Limitada with no disclosed external institutional investors, parent company, or subsidiaries. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Pricing spans €4.69 for compostable capsules to €30.74 for premium single-origin 1kg coffee. The cooperative sources from producer cooperatives across four continents, with no operations or sales footprint disclosed outside Spain. The management team, funding history, patents and partnerships are not disclosed in the available source material.

Name

Alternativa3

Legal name

ALTERNATIVA 3, SCCL

Website

https://alternativa3.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alternativa3 is a Spanish cooperative founded in 1991, specializing in organic and fair trade specialty coffee and cocoa, serving individual consumers via D2C e-commerce and B2B clients in the HORECA and office segments with over 400 SKUs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee & Organic Foods

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Instant Coffee & Coffee Extract Manufacturing (AFAFADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Botanical/Herbal & Adaptogen Functional Beverage Production (AFAFAFAF)

Keywords

• Organic coffee
• Fair trade food
• Specialty coffee
• Compostable capsules
• Functional coffee

Headquarters

HQ city

Terrassa

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. E-commerce retail sales: Direct-to-consumer online sales through their website, offering individual products and subscriptions with recurring coffee delivery options
2. B2B professional sales: Sales to professionals including hotels, restaurants, cafes, wholesalers, shops and offices through dedicated professional sales channel

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Alternativa3 is a Spanish cooperative that roasts and sells specialty organic and fair trade coffee, cocoa, and complementary food products. It sources beans from cooperatives across Africa, Asia, Central America and South America, applies an in-house medium-low roast process to keep acrylamide low, and distributes via its own e-commerce store and a B2B professional channel serving hotels, restaurants, cafes, offices and wholesalers.

Product overview

Alternativa3 is a Spanish cooperative specializing in organic and fair trade coffee and cocoa products with over 35 years of experience and more than 400 products. The company offers a diverse portfolio organized into several categories: functional beverages including coffee and cocoa with adaptogens (Ashwagandha, Reishi, Shiitake, Lion's Mane) and keto coffee with MCT; specialty single-origin coffees from Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, Ethiopia, Sumatra, Colombia, and Brazil available as beans, ground, and instant formats; compostable coffee capsules and pods; pure and functional cocoas; chocolate ingredients; coffee accessories (Airscape containers, Timemore and Hario grinders, Origami and Kinto coffee makers); zero-waste sustainable products; and organic baby food (BuBuBio porridges). The product line spans from core beverage offerings to complementary accessories and specialty food categories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BuBuBio: Organic baby food brand offering gluten-free, allergen-free porridges made from whole grains.
• BioCoffice
• Trasnocho

Products and services

• Coffee with Adaptogens Organic ground coffee blended with functional adaptogens including Ashwagandha, Reishi, Shiitake, and Lion's Mane mushrooms, available in 125g-150g packaging, targeted at health-conscious consumers seeking functional beverages.
• Keto Coffee with MCT Keto-friendly coffee beans and ground coffee formulated with Medium-Chain Triglycerides (MCT) integrated into the bean, available in Classic, Cardamom, Cinnamon, and Mint varieties. Sold under the Trasnocho sub-brand.
• Specialty Coffee - Single Origins Single-origin specialty coffees sourced from Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, Ethiopia, Sumatra, Colombia, and Brazil, available as whole beans and ground formats for specialty coffee enthusiasts.
• Freeze-Dried Soluble Coffee Instant freeze-dried coffee using lyophilization to preserve aromas and nuances better than conventional instant coffee, available in various formats for convenient preparation.
• Compostable Coffee Capsules Eco-friendly compostable coffee capsules compatible with Nespresso systems, offering single-serve brewing with sustainable packaging. Also offered as the BioCoffice office coffee solution for professional customers.
• Coffee Pods (Monodoses) Single-serve coffee pods for convenient preparation.
• Pure Instant Cocoa Pure instant cocoa powder for beverage preparation.
• Functional Cocoa with Adaptogens Functional cocoa blends enriched with adaptogens including Ashwagandha, Lion's Mane, and Reishi for enhanced wellness benefits.
• Chocolate Products (Couverture & Mini Chips) Chocolate couverture and mini chocolate chips for culinary and confectionery applications.
• BuBuBio Organic Baby Porridges Gluten-free, allergen-free organic baby porridges and cereals made from whole grains for infant nutrition, sold under the BuBuBio sub-brand.
• Coffee Accessories and Equipment Complementary specialty coffee accessories including Airscape airtight storage containers, Timemore C3SPRO and Hario Mini Slim Plus manual grinders, and Origami and Kinto manual brewing drippers and systems.
• Zero Waste Products Reusable and sustainable products including stainless steel bottles, insulated lunch boxes, and organic cotton mesh bags supporting a zero-waste lifestyle.

Quantifiable outcome

• Low acrylamide levels guaranteed through medium-low roast process

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Cafés Baqué: Spanish coffee roaster with strong presence in HORECA channel and growing specialty retail offering. Comparable to Alternativa3 in serving Spanish restaurants, hotels, and offices with roasted coffee, though more oriented to conventional rather than organic/fair-trade.
• Café Saula: Catalan coffee roaster with multi-generational history and broad Spanish distribution via retail and HORECA. Comparable to Alternativa3 as a regional Spanish roaster with similar traditional coffee range, though less focused on functional/organic specialization.

Emerging players

• Trade Coffee: US-based specialty coffee subscription service curating single-origin roasters. Comparable to Alternativa3's subscription D2C motion and specialty-coffee positioning, though operating as a marketplace rather than a roaster.
• MUD\WTR: D2C functional coffee-alternative brand built around mushroom and adaptogen blends. Comparable to Alternativa3's adaptogen coffee line in targeting health-conscious consumers, though positioned as a coffee alternative rather than coffee with functional ingredients.

Direct peers

• Equal Exchange: US-based worker-owned cooperative specializing in fair-trade coffee, cocoa, and snacks. Highly comparable to Alternativa3's cooperative structure, fair-trade sourcing model, organic certification focus, and product mix spanning coffee and cocoa.
• Four Sigmatic: Functional coffee and beverage company specializing in mushroom and adaptogen-infused products. Highly comparable to Alternativa3's adaptogen and MCT coffee lines, with overlapping product architecture and health-positioned marketing to similar consumer personas.
• Cafés El Magnífico: Spanish specialty coffee roaster based in Barcelona selling single-origin and blended coffees through e-commerce and HORECA. Direct domestic peer with overlapping product range, customer segments, and Spanish-market specialty positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Illy Caffè: Italian premium espresso brand with global retail and foodservice distribution. Comparable to Alternativa3 in targeting quality-conscious consumers and HORECA with branded roasted coffee, but at much broader geographic and product reach.
• Nespresso: Global capsule coffee brand owned by Nestlé, leader in single-serve portioned coffee. Alternativa3 sells Nespresso-compatible compostable capsules, making Nespresso both a competitive threat (capsules) and a channel context for Alternativa3's single-serve offering.
• Lavazza: Italian multinational coffee roaster with broad retail and HORECA presence across Europe. Directly comparable to Alternativa3 as a roaster/processor selling to both consumers and foodservice, but at vastly greater scale and with conventional positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Alternativa3
• Facebookfacebook.com/alternativa3Scoop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alternativa3
• Instagraminstagram.com/alternativa3scoop
• TikToktiktok.com/@alternativa3fairtrade
• Xx.com/alternativa3

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Alternativa3