From bean to brew: How Hapag-Lloyd delivers coffee to your cup
Uncover the global journey of coffee beans and how Hapag-Lloyd ensures each cup reaches you with quality and care.
Global coffee consumption is steadily increasing. 2.6 billion cups are drunk every day. But have you ever wondered where your coffee actually comes from and what journey it takes to get into your cup? Coffee doesn't grow in Europe or North America, so how does it get there?
Around 80% of the world's coffee supply is transported by container ship, and Hapag-Lloyd is a key player in this global supply chain. For over 120 years, we have been shipping coffee beans from growing areas in Africa, Latin America and Asia to ports around the world. On average, one in every hundred containers on our ships contains coffee beans or coffee powder. Are you curious about how this transport process works? That's exactly what we'll be taking a look at today.
1 Import of coffee in the EU 2023, Eurostat
Hapag-Lloyd works with traders, producers and buyers of green coffee and transports around one million tons of coffee annually. Our guiding principle “A passion for shipping coffee” underscores our commitment to maintaining the highest quality standards in coffee transport. Germany is one of the most important transshipment centers for coffee worldwide: we transport around 60,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) of coffee annually. Most of the coffee (80%) is shipped to importing countries in containers as loose bulk cargo, while particularly high-quality green coffee beans with low harvest volumes continue to be packed in bags and transported in containers.
Coffee is a sensitive product that reacts to both odors and moisture. That is why we make sure that our containers are dry and odorless. To absorb residual moisture, we use dry bags in the containers.
As we want to ensure the best possible coffee transport, we have developed our own containers with steel floors that are chemical free, odorless and recyclable – properties that meet the strict requirements for maintaining coffee quality. Temperature fluctuations and humidity are the biggest challenges during shipping, as they can significantly affect the quality of the coffee. Therefore, we use jute mats in the containers to protect the beans from damage caused by condensation. On board our ships, we ensure that coffee containers are given special loading precautions. For example, we place them below deck if possible or protect them from rough weather conditions and temperature fluctuations.
In addition to our technical expertise, Hapag-Lloyd maintains a global network of coffee experts who work closely with producers and local traders and are informed about current market trends.
David Wulf, Sales Executive Special Cargo and coffee expert at Hapag-Lloyd, says: “Coffee is and remains a people business – a handshake still counts for a lot here. Our local colleagues are in close contact with coffee producers and are very well informed. In the coffee industry, traditional market structures meet increasing demand and the desire for rapid availability. This is where we come in and ensure the highest quality standards for our customers.”
Now that you know where your coffee comes from and how it gets into your cup, the next cup of coffee will surely taste even better. So sit back, relax, and enjoy!
© Hapag-Lloyd AG