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By Nikolaus Gruendahl
Dresden. Karsten Lehmann, Managing Director of Dresdner Kaffee- und Kakaorösterei, can't stop talking. To mark the 25th anniversary of his company, he has invited people to visit the coffee and cocoa roastery.
The company began in 1999 in Grumbach, with the simple sale of coffee machines and pre-roasted beans. In 2006, the company began producing its own roasted coffee with a five-kilo roaster. In 2010, the roastery moved to the Dresden industrial estate, as production there was possible 24/7 and the company wanted to use Dresden as a brand. The company now has a 60-kilo roaster and produces 80 tons of coffee a year with its eleven employees. With the SIB Innovations- und Beteiligungsgesellschaft as a partner, the roastery now wants to grow further.
SIB Innovations- und Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden. It does not require guarantees and can therefore support riskier projects. In the case of the coffee and cocoa roasting company, SIB sees growth potential and is therefore supporting the company with capital.
Coffee is the favorite drink in Germany. This is also shown by the increasing consumption and the ever-growing variety of coffee products. As of April 15, coffee prices are expected to rise by between 50 cents and 1 euro per pound. This was recently announced by market leader Tchibo due to rising costs. The company is regarded as a signal provider for prices in the sector and is generally the only supplier to report on its price trends.
As a first step, SIB has provided the roastery with €250,000. This sum will be used to increase the company's equity and thus strengthen its scope for action. In the medium term, two goals are to be pursued: Firstly, the roastery wants to increase its production capacity by 50-60 tons. Secondly, further product lines are to be developed.
"Coffee experience world"
© Photo: Nikolaus Gründahl
One of these planned developments is the roastery building. So far, "coffee seminars" and guided tours have been held on site. However, a "coffee experience world" is soon to be created there. It will also be possible to book the premises for events such as music evenings or political events.
In order to implement these plans, the roastery has already purchased Meschwitzstrasse 3 and 5 and started to gut and renovate the old buildings. The renovation and relocation will cost Lehmann and his team €120,000. However, the owner does not want to talk about the purchase price of the property. The space on the industrial site is in high demand and there are long lists of rental and purchase inquiries.
However, this was only the first step. The SIB says it is prepared to support the entrepreneur Karsten Lehmann in a second and third step. The parties involved are not yet revealing what these steps might look like.
The roasting
As a roasting company, the brand essence lies in the fact that the raw bean is further processed and gains in flavor during processing. The roaster shown in the picture works in such a way that the beans are roasted at 200-210 degrees for 15-18 minutes. After this, the acids in the coffee are reduced to almost zero and the coffee should develop the desired aroma. With the help of SIB Innovations- und Beteiligungsgesellschaft, Karsten Lehmann hopes to be prepared for another 25 years of coffee and cocoa roasting.
