FOUNDING BY JOHANN JOACHIM DARBOVEN

On 21 March 1866 Johan Joachim Darboven took the leap towards independence in Hamburg. Amongst other products, his business sold bread, milk and - unusually for that time - pre-roasted coffee beans. What else set “J.J. Darboven” apart from the others? Later the young entrepreneur began making use of the daily postal service to deliver packaged coffee and sugar cubes to his customers. This service proved to be hugely popular in the days of raw coffee beans and bulky sugar loaves.

Anchored in Hamburg, active internationally

Hamburg is home to J.J. Darboven. This metropolis has always represented the headquarters of our traditional company and the Hanseatic values are deeply ingrained within the family business. But it hasn’t just been values such as reliability, stability and respect for people that have accompanied J.J. Darboven for 150 years. The vision and prudence necessary to carry a business into the future and position it on the world market have also played a significant role.

An internationally active trading company with around 900 employees and 16 subsidiaries in ten European countries has emerged out of the Hamburg coffee business. These include the production units in Hamburg, Sauerlach, Lucerne and Graz. Awareness of tradition does not get in the way of a modern business strategy at J.J. Darboven. Instead it forms the foundation of this Hamburg company’s identity towards the world.