Innovation Rooted in Tradition Over 160 Years of Expertise 

160th Company Anniversary

When Johann Joachim Darboven founded his company in Hamburg, it marked the beginning of an extraordinary success story that endures to this day. Starting out as an innovative mail-order business for roasted coffee and sugar cubes, the enterprise evolved into an international family-owned company that currently comprises 15 subsidiaries across nine countries. Its connection to the Port of Hamburg—a central hub for the trade of green coffee, tea, and cocoa from around the globe—has shaped the company’s identity from its inception to the present day.

Even 160 years after its founding, the values ​​at J.J. Darboven remain unchanged: as experts in hot beverages, our aim is to continue setting new standards for our customers through quality, sustainability, and innovation. With clear goals for the years ahead—such as responsible green coffee sourcing and fully recyclable packaging by 2030—J.J. Darboven is paving the way for a sustainable future.

Café Intención Shade Tree Project

Climate change poses major challenges for coffee cultivation worldwide. Since 2024, we have been making an active contribution through our shade tree project—working alongside coffee cooperatives in Honduras, Peru, and India, as well as our long-standing partner, Fairtrade.

Shade trees are strategically planted among the coffee plants. They play a vital role because coffee plants are shade-loving species; they are highly sensitive to temperature and experience stress when conditions become too hot and dry. This stress also makes them more susceptible to pests and diseases. However, shade trees do more than just provide protection from intense sunlight; depending on the species, they also improve the local microclimate, soil quality, and biodiversity. With certain tree varieties, coffee farmers can even harvest fruit, using the proceeds to supplement their income.

In this way, we are working step by step to safeguard the livelihoods of coffee farmers, which are currently under threat.

Senate Reception at Hamburg City Hall

On March 21, 2016, the long-established Hamburg company J.J. Darboven marked its 150th anniversary. The festivities kicked off with a Senate reception at Hamburg City Hall, which also saw the opening of the exhibition "150 Years of Coffee Culture," showcasing the history of J.J. Darboven.

The anniversary represented not only a century and a half of genuine coffee expertise and Hanseatic corporate culture but also an extraordinary success story closely linked to Hamburg.

In recognition of the company's special significance to the Hanseatic city, the then First Mayor, Olaf Scholz, invited Albert Darboven and numerous guests from the worlds of business, politics, and society to a celebratory reception at City Hall.

As Germany’s only national award for female founders, the IDEE-Förderpreis has long sent a powerful signal in support of female entrepreneurship. Through this award, J.J. Darboven highlights innovative business ideas, fosters entrepreneurial courage, and strengthens the role of women in business and innovation.

"Especially in times of major transformation, we need diverse perspectives and bold visions," emphasizes Albert Darboven, the award’s initiator and sponsor. The award’s name deliberately references the history of innovation behind IDEE KAFFEE while also symbolizing the courage to break new ground. Since 2023, Senator Dr. Melanie Leonhard—Head of the Authority for Economy, Labour and Innovation of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg—has served as the award’s patron.

Winners are selected by an independent panel of experts chaired by Prof. Dr. Rolf Eggert. Criteria for evaluation include the degree of innovation, economic viability, sustainability, and the founders' personal commitment. Since 2006, the award has also been presented in Poland under the name "IDEE-Grant."

The partnership between J.J. Darboven and TransFair e.V. began in 1993. From the outset, the company focused on achieving tangible improvements for coffee farmers. J.J. Darboven deliberately chose to collaborate with TransFair, whose staff regularly conduct on-site checks to ensure that Fairtrade premiums actually reach the producers and contribute to better living and working conditions.

Today, the Fairtrade seal can be found on numerous products in both organic supermarkets and discount stores. As a pioneer of Fairtrade in the coffee industry, Albert Darboven played a key role in establishing the Fairtrade seal as one of the most recognized labels in Germany. In addition to coffee, J.J. Darboven now offers Fairtrade-certified tea, cocoa, and sugar products. In recognition of this long-standing commitment, the company received the Fairtrade Award in the business category in 2009.

Expansion und Innovative Strength

After joining the family business in 1960, Albert Darboven assumed management responsibilities alongside his cousin Herbert Darboven in 1966. Herbert Darboven had joined the company back in 1955 and became the driving force behind the successful expansion of the foodservice business.

J.J. Darboven’s international expansion began in 1966 with the establishment of its first foreign subsidiary in the Netherlands. Numerous other branches were opened in the years that followed, and coffee trading companies in various European countries were acquired. To ensure rapid customer delivery and a local presence in international markets, J.J. Darboven built a tight network of sales partners and subsidiaries. In this way, a company that once shipped coffee and sugar to private households evolved into a successful international corporate group.

The second and third Generation

In 1915, J.J. Darboven registered the name "IDEE" as a trademark. With the launch of IDEE KAFFEE in 1927, Arthur Darboven and Prof. Karl Lendrich achieved a milestone in the history of coffee: a newly developed refining process made the coffee particularly gentle on the stomach while retaining its full aroma.

This patented process remains the foundation of IDEE KAFFEE to this day. The coffee was a huge success; production capacities had to be significantly expanded after only a short time. In 1920, Cäsar Darboven also expanded distribution to the foodservice sector, thereby opening up new markets.

World War II brought severe setbacks. Green coffee became scarce. Large-scale production of the coffee substitute blend KOFF began as early as 1939. In 1943, the Hamburg district of Hammerbrook—and with it the company headquarters—was largely destroyed by air raids. It was not until the currency reform of 1948 that J.J. Darboven began the process of rebuilding.

When the coffee arrived in the Post

On March 21, 1866, Johann Joachim Darboven took the step of becoming an independent entrepreneur at Brandsende 14 in Hamburg. Initially, his company officially operated as a "spice business." His shop sold items such as bread, milk, and—unusually for the time—pre-roasted coffee beans. Yet Johann Joachim Darboven was thinking ahead. Shortly thereafter, he revolutionized the coffee trade with an idea that was as simple as it was groundbreaking: supplying households in Hamburg and the surrounding area with roasted, pre-packaged coffee via mail order.

In addition, he had the sugar loaves common at the time cut into convenient cubes and delivered them along with the coffee. What seems a matter of course today was a minor sensation back then. In an era of raw coffee beans and bulky sugar loaves, this new service delighted Hanseatic housewives in particular, significantly easing their daily routines. The idea proved to be a huge success. Just three years later, J.J. Darboven’s product range included 144 different coffee varieties. At the first International Horticultural Exhibition in Hamburg in 1869, the company was awarded a silver medal for this exceptional diversity.