Our way to coffee

A success story with pitfalls

A life before espresso

In 1984, Alexander Duhre had a business idea: he offered small craft businesses a telephone office service. This allowed the master bricklayer to be on the construction site and still be reachable for his customers. The service quickly expanded. The customers grew larger, the tasks more complex, and Alexander Duhre became a telecommunications specialist. Within 25 years, the small company had grown into a large service provider. In 2000, with 2,500 employees nationwide at the time, he took it public. The company's new focus: e-commerce.

In 2003, he stepped down as CEO of the company for health reasons.

A time of reorientation. How will one spend the rest of their life? What offers both joy and challenge?

2004 – The love for Italy turns into a passion for coffee

For over 30 years, Italy has been our favorite travel destination. The landscape, the lifestyle, and the love of simple yet high-quality food have always been an incentive to visit many places in Italy. And of course, we still enjoy sitting in small bars or traditional coffee houses to savor authentic Italian espresso or cappuccino.

Back in Germany, the selection of good espresso blends in retail stores is disappointing and very limited. Meanwhile, more and more people own expensive fully automatic coffee machines or brew their own espresso with a portafilter. So why not import Italian coffee directly and sell it online? After all, they have experience in e-commerce. Thought of it – done!

2005 – All beginnings are difficult

Together with a long-time companion, we begin to explore the market. Eckart Meyer speaks Italian and shares our passion for Italy. His enthusiasm for espresso is contagious and opens doors to our first roasters. But gaining their trust is difficult – bad experiences with other retailers who sold high-quality coffee at rock-bottom prices make the roasters cautious.

2007 – It hurts, but the coffee has to go!

We're slowly building a customer base in Germany. We were thrilled to receive ten orders on the first day. It's great for everyone; things are moving forward. But it soon becomes clear: direct imports are only profitable in pallet quantities, while our customers expect freshly roasted coffee. For the first three years, we repeatedly have to discard or give away beans because they don't meet our quality standards. We have to reluctantly drop some excellent roasters that are unknown in Germany. The solution: we need to ramp up our marketing efforts and order larger quantities of coffee from Italy more frequently.

2009 – Trials and Tribulations: ESE Pad Machines

Our enthusiasm for espresso pod machines led to some poor decisions. The open ESE pod system impressed us with its variety and quality. We invested in machines that we made available to small companies for testing. However, transport damage, lack of maintenance, and returns frustrated us. We pulled the plug, but remained loyal to the ESE system and continued to offer a wide selection of pods.

2012 – Vision and Direction

Only the finest coffees make it into our selection. In Italy, the highest quality blends – the so-called "BAR line" – are traditionally roasted for bars and restaurants. Single-origin coffees play only a minor role. The perfect blend of different varieties, the precise ratios, roasting time, and temperature showcase the roaster's artistry.

2015 – Our espresso family is growing

What would we be without our motivated team? For almost 10 years, Justin Bahner (Purchasing/Marketing) and Marc-Andre Matzkeit (IT/Shop Development) have been integral members of the Espresso family. As employees and shareholders, they are driving Espresso International's success into the future.

2018 – We need space

The business is growing and more warehouse space is needed. Thanks to our building complex, we can expand: fully digitized logistics across three large halls, administration in the same building – and when things get hectic, everyone pitches in.

2022 – Espresso Warehouse Sale

Since 2022, we have been seeking direct contact with our customers. Every first Saturday of the month, we open our doors in Hamburg and invite you to enjoy espresso, wine, and good conversation – an event that brings us just as much joy as it does our guests.

2024 – Arrived in the world of coffee

Espresso International has been offering an exclusive range of espresso coffees for over 20 years. We focus on family-run roasteries with long traditions, which we visit regularly. Suppliers have become friends, and we share insights into the art of coffee roasting with our customers. This allows us to understand the different preferences of espresso culture in southern and northern Italy.

We thank all our customers who have remained loyal to us for so long and look forward to continuing to present new discoveries from the world of coffee.