What Is Tchibo And Where Can You Find Its Coffee?

A European coffee favorite is coming to the U.S., and it is looking to take on the big coffee chains as it does so.

Tchibo, a Hamburg-based Germany coffee producer, is launching its roast and ground coffees in the U.S. in the upcoming weeks, Thomas Linemayr, CEO at Tchibo, told Bloomberg.

The coffee will be distributed by Rainmaker Food Solutions and will appear at retailers in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin, he said.

“We will cater toward more affluent, younger consumers and coffee connoisseurs,” Linemayr told Bloomberg. “We want to establish our company as a quality leader.”

Tchibo will sell both whole bean and roast & ground coffees as well as coffee machines that can grind coffee in the U.S. as it looks to take on Starbucks and Peet’s Coffee in its U.S. quest.

To do so, Linemayr said he will draw from his U.S. background at Lindt & Sprungli’s, where he took the chocolatier to the No. 3 best-selling brand in the U.S.

“We tried to understand the consumer and carefully built the brand -- it was quite a ride,” he said. “What I learned is that you must really forget what made you successful in Europe -- you need to learn how to conduct business in America.”

Tchibo has a long history in Europe dating back nearly 50 years. To date, it has more than 1,000 retail stores. The company reported annual sales just under $4 billion with its coffee comprising half of its revenue, Linemayr told the news outlet.

The U.S. roast and ground coffee market was a $4 billion industry in 2019, James Watson, market analyst for Rabobank, told Bloomberg. He said it is further driven by the coronavirus pandemic that is causing more coffee consumers to make coffee at home until they feel comfortable returning to coffee shops.