Proudly, we’re part of 230 years of forward thinking, expertise and innovation. Click through the slideshow for a view of how far we’ve come in an also-changing world.
1783
Volcafe’s parent company, ED&F Man, is founded in London by sugar-trader James Man.
1851
Salomon and Johann Georg Volkart found Volkart Brothers, to conduct trade between Switzerland and the Indian subcontinent.
1875
Volkart Brothers opens a branch office in southern India.
1882
The New York Coffee Exchange trades its first coffee contracts.
1950
Coffee becomes Volkart Brothers’ main activity. The company trades coffees from Latin America and has export companies in Brazil, Guatemala and Costa Rica.
1974
The term "specialty coffee" is coined (by trader Erna Knutsen) to differentiate between mass, commercial beans and the highest-quality coffees.
1979
Washed Arabica – the most common specialty coffee – represents 48 percent of global coffee production.
1989
Swiss conglomerate ERB acquires Volkart Brothers’ coffee business and renames it Volcafe.
2001
Volcafe launches Volcafe Specialty Coffee (VSC), to promote specialty coffee in the United States.
2004
ED&F Man acquires Volcafe, making it one of the world’s largest coffee merchants.
2014
Washed Arabica production falls below 26 percent of global coffee production.
2015
Volcafe researches and develops a global approach to sourcing sustainable, high-quality Arabica coffees.
2016
Volcafe Way is launched. Farmer support organization (FSO) teams are trained in nine countries. Programs in two more countries are underway.