Since January 4, 2017, Kaffeemacher has been a eigene GmbH. We have separated from our parent company, unternehmen mitte, and are taking the step into independence. Kaffeemacher has, in a sense, come of age.
Over 4 years we were able to develop, experiment, and gain clarity about what defines us and how we want to work. This has resulted in a clear vision, which we will pursue even more consistently with our new founding and independence.
Connecting and networking
As the goal of the new Kaffeemacher GmbH, we have established in our articles of association our intention to act associatively and equitably across the entire coffee value chain.
On one hand, we will continue our own activities, especially in Schulungsbereich and training, around the topic of coffee. We began with training courses in the gastronomy sector, and more recently have increasingly trained roasteries. In the future, we want to become even more active in coffee-producing countries through training and networking.
Beyond that, Kaffeemacher will also participate in cafés, roasteries, and farms; in terms of content, networking, and as a shareholder.
In doing so, we want to continue to act neutrally in the coffee market and work in a connecting manner – between specialty and commercial, between Arabica and Robusta, between fully automatic and semi-automatic machines, between barista and producer, etc.
Social business and purpose-driven
We have conceived the Kaffeemacher GmbH as "non-profit," though we do not mean this in the tax-law sense. The GmbH operates in a purpose- and mission-oriented way, not profit-oriented. We see profit as a tool for fulfilling our purpose. According to our articles, profit cannot be privatized, and shareholders can only withdraw from the GmbH at the par value of their shares. In other words, the company's profit is reinvested and deployed along the entire coffee value chain in accordance with our articles. For us, equity and balance are paramount, since margins in coffee-producing countries are significantly lower than in the countries of primary consumption at the end of the chain.
Kaffeemacher GmbH begins with two shareholders. Benjamin Hohlmann is the principal shareholder and managing director of Kaffeemacher GmbH. Felix Hohlmann, as managing director of Café frühlings, which will become a subsidiary of Kaffeemacher GmbH in the future, is also a shareholder of Kaffeemacher GmbH.
Within the framework of Kaffeemacher GmbH, new projects can and should be allowed to develop, and then, when strong enough to stand on their own feet, become independent companies. The condition for this is that they organize themselves in the manner described above and understand profit as a means to fulfill their business purpose. The purpose should always revolve around people and coffee. Then we are on this journey together.
In recent years, Kaffeemacher has become a platform and community of coffee trainers, experts, partner companies, and baristas. Many work in different companies and share their passion and knowledge at Kaffeemacher.
We look forward to many good coffees, good collaboration, and intensive exchange,
Benjamin and Felix Hohlmann for Kaffeemacher
