Hapag-Lloyd has boosted its activities in the transportation of coffee by setting up Customer Service Coffee Desks.

“Coffee is an extremely sensitive natural product,” said Thorsten Haeser, chief commercial officer of Hapag-Lloyd AG. “The crucial factor for our customers worldwide is having a transport that is smooth, professional and tailored to the desires of each individual customer.”

For example, export customers in Brazil, which is the world’s largest coffee export market, will have access to a dedicated Export Coffee Desk, while Hamburg, which is Europe’s largest coffee-importing centre, will offer a corresponding Import Coffee Desk.

According to Hapag-Lloyd, it has already boosted its capacity in the most important export regions of South America and Asia. The company has also introduced the use of steel-floor containers, which enable the odourless transportation of coffee and provide better protection against moisture.

Approximately one in every 100 containers on Hapag-Lloyd’s vessels in filled with whole or ground coffee beans.

“The global coffee market is growing, especially in Asia,” said Haeser. “For example, we are seeing rising demand for coffee in countries such as China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea. Hapag-Lloyd is working intensely on additional sales measures to be able to serve its coffee customers even more flexibly and professionally.”