Cropster and Verdane partner to
accelerate coffee industry innovation and growth

October 17, 2024

Press Release

For Immediate Release

October 17th, 2024 – Cropster, the leading software platform used by stakeholders across the entire coffee value chain, and Verdane, the European specialist growth investor, announce a partnership to further expand Cropster’s software offering and drive its international expansion.

The partnership will cement Cropster’s leading position as the coffee industry’s operating system, helping its stakeholders to produce and trade with consistent quality, reduce waste and transition into a fairer industry.

Cropster, the leading software platform for the coffee industry, and Verdane, the European specialist growth investor, have announced a partnership. The partners will build on Cropster’s successful development and long-standing customer relationships, further expand the company’s software offering, accelerate growth and consolidate Cropster’s global market-leading position as the operating system for the coffee industry.

Cropster’s software tools address the business-critical needs of coffee professionals who produce, buy, roast and sell coffee through wholesale and retail channels, both online and offline. The company’s tightly integrated suite of tools and real-time data analytics help coffee farmers, traders, roasters, and cafes to improve quality, consistency and efficiency from crop to cup to deliver the best coffee taste to their customers. As B-Corp certified businesses, Cropster and Verdane are united in driving the coffee industry’s transition into a more socially fair, economically sustainable, and environmentally responsible model. Together, they will continue to advance their commitment to reducing waste, ensuring fair trade practices, and promoting responsible production throughout the global coffee value chain.

With the partnership, Verdane acquires a majority stake and will support Cropster on its growth path, which includes both M&A and organic growth. Cropster identifies growth opportunities in the rising presence of specialty coffee in conventional coffee markets like the US and Europe, along with the trend of tea-drinking countries across Asia gradually substituting tea with coffee. Cropster and Verdane share a vision of creating equitable growth opportunities across the coffee industry.

Prior to founding Cropster in 2008, Andreas Idl, Norbert Niederhauser, and Martin Wiesinger collaborated closely with coffee farmers in Colombia to improve their supply chain integration. The founders aimed to enhance the living conditions of coffee farmers not just in Colombia, but globally. From this strategic vision, Cropster was born. Since that day, Cropster has expanded its global presence in recent years and works with well-known coffee companies in all market segments in over 100 countries. Customers include US supermarket Whole Foods, Starbucks and Blue Bottle.

As a B-Corp certified company and software developer of ESG features for the coffee industry, Cropster helps companies reduce their environmental impact. By using Cropster software, efficiency gains can be achieved at all stages of the value chain, raw materials can be used more efficiently, and waste volumes and CO2 emissions can be reduced. For example, the Cropster software uses artificial intelligence during the roasting process to significantly reduce the amount of over-roasted bean waste.

In addition, Cropster’s software tools help market participants navigate emerging regulatory environments, such as the EU’s forthcoming deforestation regulation to promote the consumption of deforestation-free products and assist them in managing the resulting administrative complexity.

Verdane’s partnership with Cropster is its eleventh investment in the DACH region in the last 12 months and its fourth transaction in Austria, signaling the strong growth potential for businesses in the region.

Dominik Schwarz, partner at Verdane, commented: “Andreas, Norbert and Martin as well as the entire Cropster team have demonstrated how to develop a successful software tool for the benefit of their customers and how to adapt it to the needs of more and more market participants along the value chain in the coffee market. From
day one, we have been impressed by the customer love, loyalty and community Cropster has built in the global roaster and coffee ecosystem as well as the strong value driven culture within the company.”

Ralph Karg, Director at Verdane, added: “We look forward to working with the team, contributing our in-house functional specialists, ecosystem, and expertise to build on Cropster’s achievements evidenced by its sustainable market-leading position, and to jointly write the next chapter of this remarkable growth story.”

Andreas Idl, CEO and co-founder at Cropster, said: “Verdane outshines the market. We are extremely happy to have found a new partner that shares our same values and who will join us as we take Cropster to the next level. We are confident of their expertise in software and their ability to work in international markets, as demonstrated by their excellent buy-and-build track record. Also, they fell in love with coffee really quickly.”

As both Cropster and Verdane continue to lead in their respective fields, they invite others in the coffee industry and beyond to join them in building a more sustainable, fair, and responsible future for everyone.

To learn more about their journey and how your business can contribute to positive social and environmental impact, visit www.cropster.com and www.verdane.com.