Melitta Group acquires majority stake in South Africa’s Caturra roastery 

SOUTH AFRICA – The Melitta Group, an internationally operating company, has announced its acquisition of a majority stake in the Caturra roastery located in Cape Town, South Africa.  

Managed by the Melitta Europe – Coffee Division in Bremen, Germany, the partnership marks a strategic move to expand Melitta’s presence in the African market. 

Caturra Roastery was founded in 1994 by Annette Becker and Ryan Palos, offering a range of products available in retail and hospitality channels.  

While Becker and Palos will retain a minority stake in the company, Melitta aims to leverage its expertise to drive growth and expansion in new markets. 

Matthias Rensch, Managing Director of Melitta Europe – Coffee Division, emphasized the importance of internationalizing the business to achieve growth targets.  

“We are convinced that we can make excellent use of the Melitta Group’s extensive expertise for the growth and expansion of Caturra – and that we can also open up numerous new sales opportunities on the African continent for the Melitta Group’s business units,” he said. 

The Melitta Group, established in 1908 by Melitta Bentz, is renowned for patenting the first paper coffee filter.  

The family-owned business is headquartered in Minden, Germany, and has expanded globally, offering a wide range of coffee products, machines, and filters. 

The acquisition comes amidst a surge in coffee prices due to adverse weather conditions affecting crops in key growing regions like Brazil and Vietnam.  

GlobalData reported a significant increase in coffee prices in March and early April, with Robusta beans closing at US$3,700 per tonne and Arabica hitting US$2.10 per pound, the highest level in over a year and a half. 

GlobalData predicts a slight decrease in total coffee production to 172.7 million bags, down from the previous estimate of 176 million, while consumption is expected to increase to 170.2 million bags.  

The industry has been depleting green coffee stocks rapidly to mitigate risks associated with futures market fluctuations. 

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