Löfbergs eyes opportunities in Eastern Europe following strong Baltic sales

Kent Pettersson will lead Löfbergs' new effort to attract eastern European business | Photo credit: The Löfbergs group

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Swedish coffee roaster Löfbergs has announced that it will seek new business opportunities in eastern European markets after finding success in Baltics.

The push eastwards will be led by the CEO of Löfbergs in Finland, Kent Pettersson, who took on the role in 2020.

Founded in Karlstad in 1906, a growing proportion of Löfbergs’ sales now come from international markets, with the company promoting that every second cup of its coffee is now sold outside its native Swedish market.

In recent years, Finland has gained ground as the roaster’s third largest international market and
the Baltic region now accounting for 17% of sales.

Löfbergs is now aiming to strengthen its position in neighbouring markets, including in Poland.

“We are still a challenger in many markets, where we stand out as a Swedish family-owned company. We have successfully managed this in Finland, where we have seen a huge growth the last years. Now, we will try to do the same in more markets,” said Pettersson.

“Löfbergs is a strong brand even outside of Sweden, and we will benefit from that. Poland is an interesting market that we have a great opportunity to enter. It would mean a lot for our business if we managed to lay our hands on some market shares here,” he added.

“We have great potential to grow in this part of Europe. The task includes securing a continuous growth in Finland and the Baltic region as well as finding developing possibilities in new markets,” said Anders Fredriksson, CEO of Löfbergs.

Despite seeking new opportunities in eastern Europe, Löfbergs has suspended all export to Russia and Belarus, and terminated all agreements with Russian and Belarusian participation in other countries following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

A second roastery in Karlstad, Sweden, which can produce 10,000 tons of coffee every year, was built by Löfbergs last year to meet increased market demand for whole bean coffee.