Lavazza acquires biggest French coffee label, Carte Noire

Market leader in France

Carte Noire’s 20 % market share in its home market means that Lavazza is the now “market leader in France, the fourth largest coffee market in the world and the second largest coffee market in Europe”, as CEO Antonio Baravalle said in a press release. With Carte Noire in its portfolio, Lavazza’s foreign share has risen from 50 % to 70 % of its turnover, but vice president Giuseppe Lavazza feels the group needs to reach a 2 billion dollar turnover if it is to continue its worldwide development.

The acquisition consists of Carte Noire’s assets in the European Economic Area (EEA), which is Carte Noire’s grounded and roasted coffee, its Nespresso-compatible capsules, its coffee filters and its factory in Lavérune (France). That particular factory deals with Carte Noire’s other activities, namely instant coffee, T-discs and its business-focused branch.

The deal still has to be presented to and approved by the labour unions, the European Commission and the antitrust authority. The European Commission had demanded the sale of Carte Noire if Mondelez and Douwe Egberts Master Blenders wanted to finalize their deal to become one of the coffee market’s largest competitors with a 5 billion euro turnover.