The hidden conglomerate behind your morning cup of coffee
In short: From Peet's to Starbucks competitors, a single Luxembourg-based giant controls much of the world's coffee. But the empire's roots are more complex than a simple caffeine fix, involving massive acquisitions, family legacies, and a dark historical reckoning that still shapes the company's identity today.
JAB Holding Company, a German conglomerate headquartered in Luxembourg, has built a vast portfolio spanning consumer goods, luxury fashion, and fast food. In the coffee sector, the company's influence is immense. Through various acquisitions and mergers, JAB has held stakes in major players like Peet's Coffee & Tea, Caribou Coffee Company, and Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE). This includes brands such as Jacobs, Carte Noire, Gevalia, Kenco, Tassimo, Millicano, L'OR, Pilao, and Senseo.
The company's growth strategy has often involved massive, multi-billion dollar deals. A $13.9 billion buyout of Keurig Green Mountain was completed by JAB and various investors in March 2016. This was followed by the acquisition of Dr Pepper Snapple Group in 2018, with JAB owning 87% of the combined entity. Some of JAB's coffee roasters have been noted for using 'buy now, pay later' principles, sometimes requiring up to 300 days of financing from their suppliers.
Beneath this commercial success lies a complicated family history. Among the nine children adopted by the late Albert Reimann Jr., four hold ownership. comprise the Reimann family ownership. (1898–1984). In 2019, it was revealed that Albert Reimann Sr. and Albert Reimann Jr. showed fervent support for the Nazi party and Adolf Hitler. They reportedly profited from forced labor in their chemical business and their own home. To address this, the family established the Alfred Landecker foundation—named for a Jewish man sent to the Izbica Ghetto in 1942—to finance initiatives commemorating victims of Nazism and the Holocaust.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: JAB Holding Company
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