To start a coffee brand in Germany, prioritize compliance and unit economics before branding: register a UG/GmbH, file your Gewerbeanmeldung, and notify the Lebensmittelüberwachung with a HACCP plan for your roasting site. Secure a Steuernummer, USt-IdNr (for EU sales), and register for Kaffeesteuer with Zoll; roasted coffee is taxed at €2.19/kg (instant €4.78/kg), with monthly filings. Choose a 5–15 kg gas drum roaster, get Schornsteinfeger sign-off for flue and fire safety, and ensure emissions/odor control; import green coffee (CN 0901) to avoid EU duty, then roast domestically. Label per LMIV: product name, net weight, best-before, business address, origin if claimed; nutrition is generally exempt for pure coffee. Register under VerpackG in LUCID and license packaging with a dual system; obtain GS1 barcodes. For organic, certify with a DE-ÖKO control body and add “DE-ÖKO-XXX” and agriculture origin; for Fairtrade/Rainforest, secure licenses. Price using a contribution margin model: COGS (beans + roast loss + packaging + Kaffeesteuer + fulfillment) plus target gross margin ≥60% D2C, ≥30% wholesale. Launch D2C (Shopify DE, legal Impressum, DSGVO, Widerrufsrecht), test CAC via Meta/Google, and seed wholesale with cafés/offices. Join IHK, set up ELSTER for filings, and standardize roast profiles/QC with water spec and cupping protocol rigor.
