What Bernhard Rothfos GmbH does

Bernhard Rothfos GmbH is a Hamburg-based green coffee trading company and full-stack supply-chain service provider, founded in 1922 by Bernhard Rothfos and operating continuously from Hamburg since 1925. The firm has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Neumann Kaffee Gruppe since 1988 and is managed by CEO Christian Bothe and CFO Arne Tödter, with a 43-person team organized across Business Administration, Quality, Logistics, Futures, Sustainability, and Trade. It is incorporated as a private limited liability company (GmbH) and headquartered at Coffee Plaza, Am Sandtorpark 4, in Hamburg's HafenCity district, having relocated from the historic Speicherstadt in 2010.

The company's core business is the physical trading of green coffee from more than 15 origin countries to roasters in Germany, Europe, and worldwide, supplemented by instant/soluble coffee trading (spray-dried, agglomerated, freeze-dried, liquid extract, cold brew). It operates a comprehensive service stack including quality assurance with one of the largest sample rooms in international coffee trade, logistics and warehousing via sister company NKG Kala Hamburg (Europe's largest such facility), tailor-made financing solutions from farm-level micro-financing through receivables financing, and a dedicated futures desk providing hedging via direct exchange access plus a Daily Information Service. Differentiated programs include the SEASONALS traceable single-origin line, sustainability offerings via NKG Bloom and NKG Verified, and EUDR compliance execution through the osapiens HUB platform. Certifications held include Bio (DE-ÖKO-039), Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, and IFS Broker, all valid through 2026, with active partnerships spanning over 50 countries and access to more than 80% of world coffee production.

The business model is relationship-driven B2B enterprise trading: revenue is generated through transaction margins on physical coffee sales, professional-services fees on logistics/quality/hedging engagements, and managed-services income on supply-chain financing. Go-to-market is sales-led with multidisciplinary account coverage, annual employee visits to origin countries alongside roaster customers, and a hybrid digital channel (website, LinkedIn, SEASONALS newsletter) layered on top of the traditional field-sales motion. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated bilaterally against ICE-linked commodity benchmarks, origin differentials, certification premiums, and volume terms. The primary customer segments are enterprise roasters and trading houses, with a secondary upstream segment of producers, cooperatives, and exporters.

Name

Bernhard Rothfos GmbH

Legal name

Bernhard Rothfos GmbH

Website

https://rothfos.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bernhard Rothfos GmbH is a Hamburg-based green coffee trader and supply-chain service provider, founded 1922 and part of Neumann Kaffee Gruppe since 1988, serving roasters and trading houses worldwide with physical coffee trading, logistics, quality assurance, financing, and hedging services across 50+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Green Coffee Trading & Supply Chain Services

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Craft & Specialty Beverage Wholesale (Local/Artisanal) (AFAIAGAH), Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Beverage Wholesale (AFAIAGAD)

Keywords

• Green coffee trading
• Coffee supply chain services
• Instant coffee trading
• Coffee logistics warehousing
• Sustainable coffee sourcing

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg-wandsbek

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Green Coffee Physical Trading: Core revenue from physical trading of green coffee commodities. Trading spans from low-grade to high-end qualities, sourcing from over 15 origin countries. Revenue generated through price differentials and transaction margins on bulk commodity sales to roasters.
2. Instant Coffee Trading: Trading of spray-dried, agglomerated, freeze-dried coffee, liquid extract, and cold brew coffee. Over 30 years of experience trading soluble coffee derivatives to global customers. Products include certified (Fairtrade, Organic, Rainforest Alliance, UTZ) and specialty formats (kosher, halal, decaffeinated).
3. Logistics and Warehousing Services: Supply chain management services including transport, warehousing, and insurance. Services provided through sister company NKG Kala Hamburg and NKG's centralized logistics specialists.
4. Financing Solutions: Tailor-made financing solutions along the supply chain including micro-financing at farm level, supplier financing, letters of credit, and receivables financing. Revenue from interest and financing fees.
5. Hedging and Market Consulting: Futures department responsible for hedging activities using futures, options, and OTC markets. Daily Information Service (DIS), market reports, and hedging strategy advice provided to customers and suppliers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bernhard Rothfos GmbH is a Hamburg-based green coffee trading company and service provider operating along the entire green coffee supply chain. The company physically trades green coffee and instant/soluble coffee from more than 15 origin countries to roasters, offering related services in quality assurance, logistics, warehousing, financing, hedging, and sustainability certification.

Product overview

Bernhard Rothfos GmbH is a green coffee trading company and service provider operating since 1922 as part of Neumann Kaffee Gruppe since 1988. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio centered on physical green coffee trading as the core business, supplemented by instant coffee trading, quality assurance, logistics, hedging, financing, and sustainability services. Key products include SEASONALS (seasonal single-origin coffees), Green Coffee Trading, and Instant Coffee Trading. Supporting modules include Quality Assurance, Logistics & Warehousing, Product Development & Blending, Hedging & Market Consulting, Financing, and Sustainable Business Models. The company serves roasters in Germany, Europe, and worldwide with a network spanning more than 26 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SEASONALS: A product line of freshly harvested and milled coffees, directly imported from worldwide partners. Offers seasonal coffees from various origins including Colombia, Mexico, Kenya, Honduras, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Tanzania, Brazil, Laos, Ethiopia, India, and Uganda, with full traceability and story-driven sourcing concept connecting consumers with producers.

Products and services

• Green Coffee Trading
• Instant Coffee Trading
• SEASONALS Seasonal Coffee Program
• Logistics, Warehousing & Insurance
• Financing Solutions
• Hedging & Market Consulting

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80% of world coffee production accessible through partner network
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Neumann Kaffee GruppecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1988Parent company since 1988. The world's leading green coffee service group with 60+ companies in 27 countries. Provides global network, shared services, insurance management, and group-wide sustainability programs including NKG Responsible Business Program, NKG Bloom, and NKG Verified.
• NKG Kala Hamburg GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEurope's largest and most modern green coffee warehousing and processing facility. Located in Hamburg. Services include container scheduling, pre-delivery checks, green coffee cleaning, and vaporization/steaming processing. Certified to UTZ, Rainforest Alliance, Bio, Fairtrade, AEO, FSSC 22000, ZWB, kosher, and halal standards.
• NKG Tropical Farm Management GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company specializing in farming operations. Manages farms in Uganda, Brazil, Mexico, El Salvador, Kenya, and Tanzania. Enables provision of coffee qualities produced on NKG-managed farms with sustainability index compliance.
• Hanns R. Neumann StiftungmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner for sustainability and social responsibility initiatives. Collaborates on projects to help farmers and suppliers professionalize coffee production on a long-term basis. Supports NKG Bloom program and various social projects in origin countries.
• osapiens HUBcoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital platform for EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) compliance. Provides due diligence statement management, geolocation data submission, and traceability documentation for coffee shipments. Required for EUDR-aligned contracts.
• Rainforest AllianceminorOthersSustainability certification body. Company works with all popular sustainability standards and certification programs including Rainforest Alliance, UTZ, 4C, Bio, and Fairtrade.
• Fairtrade InternationalminorOthersSustainability certification body for fair trade coffee products. Company offers certified Fairtrade coffee trading.
• German Coffee Association (Deutscher Kaffeeverband e.V.)minorOthersNational industry association for constant dialog with important national coffee lobbies and members of different segments of the coffee sector.
• European Coffee FederationminorOthersEuropean industry association providing platform for dialog with important international coffee lobbies and industry stakeholders.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sucafina: Swiss-headquartered global green coffee trader and importer offering end-to-end supply chain, sustainability, and financing services to roasters worldwide, directly overlapping with BR's comprehensive service model.
• ECOM Trading: One of the world's largest green coffee traders (part of ECOM Agroindustrial), offering physical coffee trading, supply chain services, and origin presence comparable in scope to BR/NKG's value proposition for global roaster customers.
• InterAmerican Coffee GmbH: Hamburg-based green coffee trading and service company, comparable to BR in geography (Hamburg), target customer base (German and European roasters), and end-to-end supply chain service offering including quality, logistics, and sustainability programs.
• Volcafe: Green coffee trading division of ED&F Man, one of the world's largest green coffee traders operating across origins and roaster customers globally, with a closely aligned physical-trading-plus-services model to BR.

Broad incumbents

• Cargill: Major global agricultural commodity trader with an established coffee platform trading green coffee and providing supply chain services to roasters, competing with BR's trading and risk management offerings as part of a diversified portfolio.
• Louis Dreyfus Company: Global commodity trading house with a significant coffee division that originates, trades, and distributes green coffee worldwide; overlaps with BR but operates within a much broader agricultural commodities portfolio.

Emerging players

• Nordic Approach: Oslo-based specialty green coffee importer focused on traceability and quality from origin to roaster, representing the higher-end specialty/direct-trade segment that overlaps with BR's SEASONALS program and overall origin-to-roaster positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bernhard-rothfos-gmbh

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Bernhard Rothfos GmbH