A caffeine boost for global trade EU trade deals help Austrian coffee house energise markets around the world

• EU trade deals with Mexico and Morocco in 2000 and Egypt in 2004 helped expand Coffeeshop Company by reducing the administration needed to enter those markets.

• Coffeeshop Company now has over 300 franchises serving 25 million cups of coffee a year and employing 4 500 people.

For centuries, Vienna has been famous for its coffee houses. Coffeeshop Company, which opened its first shop there in 1999, has a new take on the Viennese coffee house, involving roasting coffee, developing coffee machines and creating an authentic atmosphere under one roof. EU trade deals with Mexico and Morocco in 2000 and Egypt in 2004 helped to turn Coffeeshop Company into a global franchise by reducing the administration needed to enter those markets. This lowered the cost of establishing franchises, making products cheaper. Coffeeshop Company now has over 300 franchises serving 25 million cups of coffee a year and employing 4 500 people.

These include 36 in Egypt and 6 in Mexico, with 54 set to open in Egypt and 100 in Mexico and the USA in the next five years. Coffeeshop Company already has a big presence in Hungary, Slovakia and Russia. One of the next target-markets will be Iran where they plan to open up to 70 stores. The business was founded by the Schärf family and remains part of the Schärf Group, which was established in the 1950s and is an important employer in Neusiedl am See where it is based.

Did you know? • At the headquarters of Austria’s Coffeeshop GmbH

alone, 450 staff benefit directly from the export business. Globally the company employs more than 4 000 staff.

• In its 300 cafés worldwide, Schärf Coffeeshop GmbH serves around 25 million cups of coffee every year.

     

 

                                               

                     

In 2014 Austria imported approximately 1.6 million bags of coffee (60 kg each). Around three-quarters of these were consumed; the remainder was refined locally and exported.

“To expand successfully you need vision and to be well prepared. EU trade agreements with major export markets such as Mexico, Egypt and Turkey play an important role because they help us to save time and costs. The reduction in regulatory trade barriers allows us to offer our products and services under better conditions on the various markets.”

The EU-Mexico Trade Agreement The Trade Agreement between the EU and Mexico entered into force in October 2000. It covers trade in goods and services and includes specific chapters on access to public procurement markets, competition, intellectual property rights and investment. The agreement has been the subject of renewed discussion between the two partners, with forthcoming plans to upgrade the agreement to better reflect the economic trends of the day. Find out more about the EU’s trade relations with Mexico: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/mexico/ Check out more examples of small businesses that export from the EU: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/exporter-stories

Austria is a country of coffee drinkers. With a per capita consumption of 8.3 kilos each year, Austria ranks third in Europe.

Marco Schärf, COO, Coffeeshop Company Did you know?

• More than 430 000 cups of coffee are served each year in the 6 Mexican branches of the Austrian coffee house chain.

• Coffeeshop Company plans to open up to 100 new coffee houses in Mexico over the next 5 years.