Max Meyer & Max Horn GmbH

What Max Meyer & Max Horn GmbH does

Max Meyer & Max Horn GmbH is a family-owned coffee roasting company headquartered at Seebeckstrasse 5 in Kaltenkirchen, Germany, founded in Hamburg in 1912 and now in its third generation under managing directors Cornelia Meyer and Christian Horn. The company operates a 5,000 sqm production facility equipped with three drum roasters, including a traditional Probat UG 22 for small-batch single-origin work, supported by a self-developed heat recovery system, LED lighting, green electricity from LichtBlick, and Cablevey pipe-conveyor transport. Roasting is conducted using a long-duration drum process of 12-15 minutes versus 2-3 minutes for industrial roasters, which the company positions as enabling better aroma development and reduced bitterness.

The business runs a dual model. The proprietary Hagenbeck Kaffee brand covers seven classic varieties plus a four-SKU organic BIO range (REINKULTUR, CREMA PUR, URSTARK, SANFTMUT) and 2023-introduced compostable Nespresso-compatible Entrée Bagasse capsules, sold through an online shop operated by etronixx Sales GmbH, on-site warehouse sales at Kaltenkirchen (minimum 3 kg purchase), and retail distribution across northern Germany via supermarket chains including REWE. The second leg is B2B services: private-label coffee production and toll roasting (Lohnröstung) with packaging formats ranging from 50 g pillow bags to 300 kg Big Bags for business customers seeking their own branded coffee lines.

Certifications include IFS Food V8 (since 2009, valid to April 2026), BIO/organic DE-ÖKO-039 (since 1993, valid to February 2027), and Kosher certification (2026-2027), audited annually. The Hagenbeck Kaffee brand was relaunched as a premium line in 2017, expanded into northern German retail in 2018, and won the Red Dot 'Best of the Best' 2019 packaging award plus dual German Brand Awards in 2019. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the company has 5 reported employees, sells only within Germany, and holds no disclosed external funding or parent company.

Name

Max Meyer & Max Horn GmbH

Legal name

Max Meyer & Max Horn GmbH

Website

https://meyer-horn.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Max Meyer & Max Horn GmbH is a third-generation family-owned German coffee roastery in Kaltenkirchen, founded 1912, producing the Hagenbeck Kaffee premium brand and providing private-label and toll-roasting services to retail and B2B customers in northern Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Roasting & Grinding (AFAFADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Specialty Coffee & Tea (Single-Origin, Micro-lot, Premium) Processing (AFAFADAJ)

Keywords

• Coffee roasting services
• Private label coffee
• Specialty coffee production
• Organic coffee products
• Drum roasted coffee

Headquarters

HQ city

Kaltenkirchen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hagenbeck Kaffee Sales: Revenue from sale of proprietary Hagenbeck Kaffee brand products including whole beans, ground coffee, espresso blends, decaffeinated, and mild varieties. Sold through own online shop, warehouse sales, and retail stores.
2. Private Label Coffee Production: Development and production of custom branded coffee products for business customers who want their own coffee brand, including packaging, labeling, and fulfillment.
3. Toll Roasting (Lohnröstung): Complete coffee processing services for third-party companies, from roasting to shipping. The company acts as a contract manufacturer for coffee brands.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Max Meyer & Max Horn GmbH is a traditional family-owned coffee roastery that produces premium roasted coffee under its proprietary Hagenbeck Kaffee brand (whole bean, ground, espresso blends, decaffeinated, mild, and organic varieties, plus Nespresso-compatible capsules) and delivers private label coffee production and contract toll roasting (Lohnröstung) services for business customers. All coffee is processed at the 5,000 sqm facility in Kaltenkirchen using traditional long-duration drum roasting (12–15 minutes) on three drum roasters including a Probat UG 22.

Product overview

Max Meyer & Max Horn GmbH is a traditional family-owned coffee roasting company founded in 1912, specializing in the production of premium roasted coffee. The company operates a dual business model: (1) their proprietary Hagenbeck Kaffee brand featuring seven classic coffee varieties, four organic-certified bio varieties, and Nespresso-compatible capsule products; and (2) business services including contract/toll roasting (Lohnröstung) and private label solutions for customers who want their own branded coffee products. All products are produced using traditional long-time drum roasting methods (12-15 minutes) at their 5,000 sqm facility in Kaltenkirchen, Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hagenbeck Kaffee: Premium coffee brand featuring seven varieties of whole bean and ground coffee, including espresso blends, pure varieties, decaffeinated, and mild coffees. The brand was relaunched in 2017 with premium copper-colored packaging featuring a tiger motif. Expanded in 2020-2021 to include four organic (BIO) varieties: REINKULTUR, CREMA PUR, URSTARK, and SANFTMUT.

Quantifiable outcome

• Red Dot Award 'Best of the Best' 2019 - selected among 72 winners out of 8,697 international entries in packaging design category
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• LichtBlickminorOthersGermany's largest independent provider of environmentally friendly energy. Supplies 100% green electricity from environmentally friendly sources to Max Meyer & Max Horn's production facility.
• Kurt Moeller (Heizungsbau)minorOthersHeating system installer that worked on the new administrative and production building, contributing to the sustainable heating infrastructure.
• etronixx Sales GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOperates the Hagenbeck Kaffee online shop at hagenbeck-kaffee.de. Customers are redirected to etronixx Sales GmbH for online purchases, with their data protection policies applying.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Café Royal (Delica AG): Swiss-German Nespresso-compatible capsule producer with premium positioning. Comparable as a direct competitor in the premium capsule coffee segment where Hagenbeck launched its compostable Bagasse capsules.
• Elbgold Kaffeerösterei: Hamburg-based craft coffee roaster operating cafés and online retail with premium positioning. Comparable regional peer in northern Germany targeting similar premium consumer segments via direct-to-consumer channels.
• Dallmayr Kaffee: Premium German coffee roaster with traditional drum roasting, food service distribution, and a strong heritage brand. Highly comparable to Meyer & Horn in business model (premium roasted coffee, foodservice supply, private label) and target customer base across DACH.
• Speicherstadt Kaffeerösterei: Hamburg-based specialty coffee roaster with traditional drum roasting and direct-to-consumer e-commerce focus. Highly comparable regional peer with similar traditional roasting methodology and Hamburg/Northern Germany heritage.
• GEPA Fair Handelshaus: German specialty coffee roaster focused on organic and fair-trade certified beans with strong BIO credentials. Comparable direct peer in the certified/organic German coffee segment where Meyer & Horn's Hagenbeck BIO line competes.

Broad incumbents

• Tchibo GmbH: Germany's largest integrated coffee roaster and retailer with national grocery and direct-to-consumer distribution. Comparable as a mass-market German coffee brand but operating at vastly greater scale; serves as the primary broad incumbent reference for the German packaged coffee category in which Hagenbeck competes.
• Melitta Group: Large German coffee and filter brand with national retail presence and food service operations. Comparable broad incumbent operating in the same German packaged coffee category with overlapping retail and private-label businesses.
• Lavazza Group: Italian-origin global coffee roaster with European retail and foodservice presence. Comparable broad incumbent in the European premium coffee market; relevant as a potential scaling template for Hagenbeck's premium positioning outside Germany.
• Jacobs (JDE Peet's): Iconic German coffee brand owned by JDE Peet's with national supermarket distribution. Comparable as the dominant mass-market packaged coffee brand competing for the same German retail shelf space as Hagenbeck Kaffee at REWE.
• Segafredo Zanetti: Italian coffee roaster with strong traditional drum roasting heritage and global foodservice distribution. Comparable in traditional roasting approach and premium positioning; broader geographic footprint than Meyer & Horn.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/hagenbeck_kaffee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/max-meyer-&-max-horn-gmbh

Compliance3 records

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 Max Meyer & Max Horn GmbH