Company Overview
Profile
J.J. Darboven is a leader in the specialty coffee industry and has been recognized by MANAGER Magazine as one of the “100 Best Medium-sized Companies in Germany”. The company roasts high-quality arabica and robusta coffees and offers 50 coffee selections including single-origins, certifies organics, Fair Trade, proprietary blends, and the famous stomach friendly coffee, IDEE KAFFEE, which is being sold under the J.J. Darboven ® umbrella brand.
The majority of J.J. Darboven revenues is derived from its food service operation for hotels and restaurants, and its wholesale operation which serves supermarkets and other locations where fine coffees are sold. An important addition to the food service and wholesale operations is an enterprise that exclusively caters offices. J.J. Darboven also operates a small specialty gourmet shop chain under the name of J. Eilles. These shops concentrate on specialty teas, coffees, chocolates and wines. The newest addition to complement the operations is an e-commerce website (www.gourvita.com). The company is fully owned by the Darboven family by members of the 4th and 5th generations.
Highlights
Strong Brand in a Growing Market: Specialty coffee is becoming increasingly popular in Germany, and J.J Darboven is a premium brand in this market. With over 35’000 food service accounts and thousands of accounts served indirectly by the national supermarket chains, the popularity J.J. Darboven and its brands, and the strength of its name recognition are being leveraged to support continued growth.
Company Positioned for Growth: The Company has made major investments in its enterprise-wide information system, the expansion of its central production and distribution facility, sales and support personnel, and marketing – all designed to support continued growth. Darboven’s multi-channel distribution strategy provides widespread exposure to the brands in a variety of settings, ease of access to the product, and many tasting opportunities for consumer trial by the cup which subsequently leads to demand for sales. The interrelationship between recognizable presence in the hotel and restaurant segment, the supermarket chains, the offices, and the internet is designed to increase the consumer awareness as well as the brand equity efficiency.
Environmentally and Socially Responsible: J.J. Darboven is dedicated to conducting business in a manner that balances economic goals with environmental and social impacts on the local and global communities. From work initiated by the company’s environmental committee, to the programs undertaken at home and in coffee producing countries, Darboven strives to make a positive difference in the communities where it operates and does business. The company engages in several cultural and social community programs, and offers a yearly endowment to striving female entrepreneurs. To learn more about the company’s core values and the programs that reflect these values, visit the website about our Code of Conduct.
Background
J.J. Darboven began in 1866 as a local provider of roasted coffee for German households, where at the time it was common to purchase green coffee. Business grew steadily, even through the unification war of 1871 and World War I. Darboven’s 1st breakthrough was the 1927 patented invention of a reduced acid coffee, which was sold subsequently under the company’s 1st brand called IDEE KAFFEE- known as the famous stomach friendly. After World War II, Darboven grew through acquisitions of smaller competitors and entered the food service industry in a larger scale by the early 70’s.
Today, Darboven has a strong national presence and holds 12 companies in 8 European nations, mainly bordering Germany. The most popular sub-brands under the J.J. Darboven umbrella are: IDEE KAFFEE- the famous stomach friendly- EILLES Gourmet Kaffee, Mövenpick, Café Intención- Fair Trade-, and Alfredo Espresso. The last product being the most sold Espresso in the German hotel and restaurant industry.
Darboven is proud to work with partners such as Hilton, Deutsche Lufthansa, Sodexho, Metro, REWE, EDEKA, Pizza Hut, Mitchel & Buttlers, Kempinski, Fairmont, McDonalds, and many others that underline the strong fundament of the company.
