Cafes Liegeois

What Cafes Liegeois does

Cafes Liegeois, trading as Charles Liégeois Roastery, is a Belgian family-owned coffee roastery founded in 1955 and now in its third generation of Liégeois family leadership (Benoît, Michel as CEO, and grandson Quentin as Master Artisan Roaster). The company roasts and packages coffee in multiple formats — whole beans, ground, Nespresso-compatible pods, Dolce Gusto-compatible capsules, and Senseo-compatible pads — under several sub-brands including core blends (Puissant, Subtil, Magnifico, 1955 Original Blend), the organic/Fairtrade Mano Mano line, the Horeca-focused Bistronome range, the micro-batch Temporel specialty series, and the Coffee Break office range. It operates an 18,000 m² consolidated facility in the Chaineux industrial zone and inaugurated a new roastery in 2025 featuring Europe's first optical sorter, a heat recovery system, and a 32-cell green coffee preparation station enabling full origin-level traceability. Headcount stands at 140 staff in Belgium, with technical service teams spread across three sites (Thimister, Battice, Brussels) covering Belgium and Luxembourg.

The business model combines multiple revenue streams: one-time sales of packaged coffee products via owned D2C e-commerce (free delivery from €50) and retail (Delhaize); recurring subscription-style enterprise coffee solutions with machine rental/sale and technical maintenance (Coffee Break contracts, 3-month free trial); Horeca channel sales to restaurants, hotels and cafes with dedicated suppliers and barista training; high-volume freeze-dried coffee and machines for institutional Collectives; and private label/contract manufacturing for other brands. Go-to-market motions are segmented by channel: enterprise field sales for B2B, direct-to-consumer online shop, channel/reseller partnerships for Horeca, and direct sales for collectives. The company also generates revenue through brand partnerships (cyclocross team sponsorship with Deschat CX, coffee/chocolate co-branded retail events with Galler), Fairtrade and organic certifications, and merchandising (CX jerseys, accessories, brewing equipment).

The company holds 12% market share of Fairtrade coffee sold in Belgium and is explicitly described as an important player in Belgian roasting. Acquisitions have been a steady consolidation tool (Romaty 1989, Paulista 1991, Moka d'Or 2015), and recent international expansion is being pursued through affiliated distribution sites in Western Europe (Enviedecafe.com), Eastern Europe (Kavosdraugas.lt), and North America (Cafeliegeois.ca). The customer mix spans individual consumers, SMEs and large enterprises, Horeca partners, and institutions, with no publicly disclosed customer concentration.

Name

Cafes Liegeois

Legal name

Café Liégeois

Website

https://charles-liegeois.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Charles Liégeois Roastery is a Belgian family-owned coffee roastery (founded 1955, third generation) that roasts and distributes coffee in multiple formats (beans, pods, capsules) and professional machines to consumers, businesses, Horeca partners, and institutions in Belgium and Luxembourg, with 140 employees and 12% Belgian Fairtrade coffee market share.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Thimister

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Coffee Product Sales: Sales of roasted coffee in various formats: whole beans, ground, capsules (Nespresso, Dolce Gusto compatible), pads (Senseo compatible). Includes premium specialty lines like Temporel and Bistronome ranges, plus private label options.
2. Coffee Machine Rental and Sales: Rental and sale of professional coffee machines for businesses and Horeca. Includes fully automatic, semi-automatic, espresso machines, distributors/vending machines, and pod/capsule machines. Technical service and maintenance included.
3. Enterprise Coffee Service (Coffee Break): Complete coffee break solutions for companies including coffee supply, machine provision, and technical support. 3-month free trial offered for new enterprise contracts.
4. Private Label Manufacturing: Custom private label coffee production for businesses. Supports multiple formats: Nespresso capsules, Dolce Gusto capsules, Senseo pads, ground coffee, whole beans, pods, and soluble coffee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Charles Liégeois Roastery roasts and packages a full range of coffee products — whole beans, ground coffee, espresso blends, single-origin micro-batches, and capsules/pads compatible with Nespresso, Dolce Gusto, and Senseo machines — and sells them to consumers via e-commerce and to businesses via Horeca, Enterprise, and Collectivities channels. The company also sells or rents professional espresso machines, provides on-site technical service, and offers private-label coffee manufacturing for other brands.

Product overview

Charles Liégeois Roastery is a Belgian family-owned coffee company founded in 1955, now in its third generation with Benoît, Michel, and Quentin Liégeois. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of roasted coffee products organized into multiple lines: Core Blends (1955 Original Blend, Puissant, Subtil, Magnifico, Équilibré, Espresso, Concerto in various formats), the organic/Fairtrade Mano Mano sub-brand, Single Origins (Chiapas, Kivu), and Specialty lines (Temporel micro-batch coffees, Cycling Coffee limited editions). Products are available in beans, ground, Nespresso-compatible pods, Dolce Gusto-compatible capsules, and Senseo-compatible pads. The company also sells professional coffee machines (Melitta, Jura, Dr Coffee, Faema, Rex-Royal, Bravilor, Necta) and brewing equipment (CHEMEX, Aéropress, Hario, Bialetti) primarily through partnerships with equipment manufacturers. Merchandise includes cyclocross team apparel and branded accessories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mano Mano: Organic and fairtrade coffee range sourced from Bolivia, Peru, Mexico, and India, launched in 2008; uses industrial compost-certified packaging (TÜV Austria OK compost).
• Bistronome
• Temporel
• Coffee Break
• Les Cafés des Grandes Origines
• Tradition
• 1955 Original Blend
• Charles Liégeois Roastery CX

Products and services

• Core Roasted Coffee Blends

Quantifiable outcome

• 12% market share of Fairtrade coffee in Belgium
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• GallerminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 September 2024Chocoffee partnership for a gourmet coffee and chocolate experience running from September 20 to October 26, 2024 at Delhaize stores. Limited-time promotional event combining Charles Liégeois coffee with Galler chocolate products.
• Deschacht CX (Belgian Cyclocross Team)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Joint cyclocross team sponsorship combining Charles Liégeois Roastery brand image with Deschacht's forces. Charles Liégeois Roastery CX team competes internationally, creating positive brand impact and community engagement.
• FairebelminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018North-North partnership with Fairebel, the solidarity and fairtrade brand of Belgian farmers. Allows farmers to receive decent remuneration for their work. Café Liégeois committed to offering part of its 'Milk' range under the Fairebel label.
• ComEquicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Partnership under the Mano Mano label to recognize and improve working conditions for coffee producers in Kivu (eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa). Provides fair prices to producers.
• Terres SolidairescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 December 2008Partnership with Belgian NGO Terres Solidaires for the Mano Mano project. Supports coffee-producing communities in the Chiapas region (southeast Mexico, Central America). Ensures healthy, natural, and equitable production conditions with legitimate profits for village communities.
• Faema, Visacrem, Futurmat (Professional Espresso Machines)coreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with professional espresso machine manufacturers for Horeca channel. Products include Faema E71 GTi A3, Visacrem Vetro, Futurmat Ariete F3 with varying group configurations and capacities.
• Rex-Royal, Necta (Automatic Machines and Vending)coreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for fully automatic and vending machines. Products include Rex-Royal S2, S300, S500 for hotels, restaurants, offices; Necta Brio-Up, Opera Touch, Krea Touch for vending solutions.
• Bravilor Bonamat (Instant Coffee Machines)coreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for freeze-dried coffee and instant solutions for collectives. Products include Turbo XL, Bolero 11 percolator, B20 filter coffee machine, and thermal brewers for high-volume service.
• Melitta, Jura, Dr Coffee (Office Coffee Machines)coreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for office and enterprise coffee solutions. Products include Melitta Solo, Jura Big X6, Dr Coffee F08 for automatic espresso and office coffee machines.
• Facotec (Pod/Capsule Machines)coreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for ESE pod and capsule machines for OCS and hospitality sector. Products include Facotec Z Coffee Pod and Z2 Coffee Pod with patented ACE system for automatic pod ejection.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xfacebook.com/cafeliegeoisofficiel
• Facebookfacebook.com/cafeliegeoisofficiel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/18936486
• Instagraminstagram.com/charlesliegeois

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Cafes Liegeois