Coffee – The Biggest Port for Imports

The Port of Hamburg is the largest European import port for raw coffee and is the hub for the German, Scandinavian and East European market. Customers include traditional roasters, who need their coffee delivered directly to their production units, and traders who hold coffee in readiness for the roasters as well as the coffee exchanges.

Basically a difference is made between Arabica (highland) and Robusta beans: The German market is still a very strong sales market for good Arabica beans, whereas France, for example, is a purely Robusta market. These European and worldwide differences create special challenges when producing coffees for various markets.

Trade in coffee has a long tradition in Hamburg. The first coffee beans were shipped from the Near East to the port at the beginning of the 17th century. Coffee was also one of the reasons the historic warehouse quarter was built toward the end of the 19th century. The warehouses there provided constant storage conditions for the beans.