Coffee Supply Chain Optimisation: The 2026 Consolidation

Coffee supply chain optimisation is the strategic process of managing green coffee procurement, logistics, and supplier relationships to maximise quality consistency, cost efficiency, and business resilience. In 2026, this process is being fundamentally reshaped by financial consolidation.

The Deal That Changes Everything

On February 2, 2026, the European Commission approved a deal that will reshape green coffee procurement for the next decade.

Hartree Partners Holdings — an energy trading firm backed by Oaktree Capital and Brookfield Corporation — completed its acquisition of Touton, a French multinational that trades nearly 10% of the world's cocoa and processes approximately 1.7 million bags of coffee annually.

This comes seven months after Hartree acquired ED&F Man Commodities, including Volcafe—one of the largest specialty coffee traders globally. In less than a year, a company most coffee professionals had never heard of has assembled one of the most powerful coffee supply chain networks in existence.

Key fact: With Volcafe and Touton combined, Hartree now controls processing capacity of 1.7 million 60kg bags annually, plus one of the world's largest specialty coffee trading networks, all under financial, not coffee, management.

What Is Coffee Supply Chain Optimisation. And Why Does Ownership Matter?

Here's what most roasters don't understand about green coffee procurement: the companies you buy from are increasingly owned by the same financial entities.

The brand names stay different. The salespeople remain familiar. But follow the ownership structure up a few levels, and you'll find the same investment funds pulling the strings.

Hartree isn't a coffee company. They're an energy and commodities trading firm that saw an opportunity in "soft commodities." Their business model: control supply chain infrastructure, optimise logistics across multiple commodity flows, and extract margin at every node.

True coffee supply chain optimisation requires understanding not just where your coffee comes from, but who controls the infrastructure between origin and your roastery. When financial logic replaces coffee logic at the trading level, priorities shift in ways that may not serve quality-focused roasters.

The Real Consequences for Green Coffee Procurement

Let me walk you through what consolidation means for a typical €1-5M revenue roaster trying to optimise their coffee supply chain in 2026.

First, fewer genuinely independent options. When the same ownership group controls multiple trading houses, the "competition" becomes theatrical. Prices align. Terms standardise. You might think you're diversifying by working with three importers, but if two report to the same parent company, you're not diversified at all.

Second, financial logic replaces coffee expertise. When a CFO in Connecticut makes allocation decisions about Ethiopian lots based on margin contribution analysis, relationship-based green coffee procurement becomes transactional commodity purchasing.

Third, your negotiating power erodes systematically. When fewer entities control more infrastructure, you become a price taker rather than a price maker. In a market where margins are already squeezed, this is potentially existential.

Case in point: When the Trump administration imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian coffee in 2025, exports to the US plummeted 46% in August alone. Roasters with concentrated supplier networks scrambled. Those with genuinely diversified green coffee procurement relationships adapted.

How to Optimise Your Coffee Supply Chain Against Consolidation

Consolidation isn't inherently evil. Large trading houses provide liquidity, logistics infrastructure, and risk management. The question is how you position your business to benefit from their scale while protecting against their leverage.

1. Map Your Actual Supply Chain Ownership

Do you know who ultimately owns the importers you work with? Not the brand name—the parent company. The investment group. Effective coffee supply chain optimisation starts with understanding the true structure of your procurement relationships.

2. Diversify Across Ownership Structures

True green coffee procurement diversification means sourcing from genuinely independent importers, producer cooperatives with direct export capabilities, and yes—some volume through major traders, but with clear eyes. Aim for at least 30% of volume through truly independent channels.

3. Invest in Sustainable Coffee Sourcing Relationships

"Our buyers stood by us when prices went down. We chose to support them when prices are higher. Our relationships with buyers are incredibly important."

That's Ashok Kuriyan, Managing Director of Balanoor Plantations in India. Sustainable coffee consulting emphasises this point: when you're a partner with history and mutual commitment, you get priority access and flexibility when markets get difficult.

4. Build Contractual Flexibility

Lock in relationships, not just prices. Multi-year partnerships with quality-focused importers give you priority allocation when supplies tighten. The roasters who survived 2025's volatility had strong relationships, not just big contracts.

What to Do This Week

Create a spreadsheet listing every green coffee supplier you've worked with in the past 24 months. For each one, research the ultimate parent company ownership. Follow the corporate structure as far as you can.

You might be surprised—or alarmed—at how few truly independent options you're using. Most roasters I consult with discover their "diversified" green coffee procurement is considerably more concentrated than they realised.

The best time to optimise your coffee supply chain was five years ago. The second best time is today.

Wall Street is betting that coffee's future belongs to those who control infrastructure. I'm betting it belongs to those who build relationships that infrastructure can't replicate.

Which side of that bet do you want your business to be on?

FAQ: Coffee Supply Chain Optimisation

What is coffee supply chain optimisation?

Coffee supply chain optimisation is the strategic management of green coffee procurement, logistics, and supplier relationships to maximise quality, cost efficiency, and resilience against market disruptions.

Who owns Volcafe now?

As of 2026, Volcafe is owned by Hartree Partners Holdings, an energy trading firm backed by Oaktree Capital and Brookfield Corporation. Hartree acquired Volcafe through its purchase of ED&F Man Commodities in 2025.

How can roasters diversify their green coffee procurement?

Roasters should diversify across ownership structures—not just company names. This means sourcing from genuinely independent importers, producer cooperatives with direct export capabilities, and maintaining at least 30% of volume through non-consolidated channels.

How I Can Help

Read more on my blog:

• The Consolidation Playbook: How Five Companies Will Own Your Coffee

• Ethical Coffee Sourcing Is Broken

• Coffee Marketing Strategy 2026: What the GWI Data Really Says

Join my community:

I've created an exclusive community for coffee professionals who want to share strategies and real solutions. A space where evolved coffee entrepreneurs connect, learn, and grow together. Join the community here.

Sources:

• Daily Coffee News, "EU Clears Hartree's Acquisition of Coffee and Cocoa Trader Touton" (February 2, 2026) https://dailycoffeenews.com/2026/02/02/eu-clears-hartrees-acquisition-of-coffee-and-cocoa-trader-touton/

• European Commission, Merger Case M.12189 - Hartree Partners Holdings / Touton https://ec.europa.eu/competition/mergers/cases1/202605/M_12189_10872525_153_4.pdf

• Perfect Daily Grind, "Last year was difficult for the coffee industry: Will 2026 be different?" (February 2, 2026) https://perfectdailygrind.com/2026/02/will-2026-be-different-coffee-industry-challenges/

• Reuters, "Cocoa trader Touton in exclusive talks to be sold to Hartree" (August 25, 2025) https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/cocoa-trader-touton-exclusive-talks-be-sold-hartree-2025-08-25/