8 min.
23.5.2024
Gut and heart is the way to innovation at Peter Larsen Kaffe
Text
Signe Poulsen
Photo:
Peter Larsen Kaffe
The Peter Larsen Kaffe logo is characterized by its sweeping letters, which some might find a bit old-fashioned. However, this stands in sharp contrast to the impression you get of the Viborg-based company upon closer acquaintance.
Product development and new angles on how coffee can be used are at the top of the agenda.
- We are probably more innovative than we realize in our day-to-day work, says Michael Bisgaard, Commercial Director at Peter Larsen Kaffe.
- But rethinking the category is also necessary when we are a handful of large brands competing for consumers' attention on the shelves.
Innovation is more than just a buzzword. It is a business strategy. The company combines sustainability, technology, and new thinking to develop the coffee solutions of the future.
A more sustainable coffee industry
Coffee production has a major environmental impact, and at Peter Larsen Kaffe, they are very aware of the industry's challenges. From ensuring better working conditions for coffee farmers to minimizing waste and developing new packaging solutions, sustainability is a central part of their strategy.
They were also the first to serve organic, Fair Trade, and cold-brewed bottled coffee to the Danes. And they are 100% powered by biogas and wind energy.
- Employees should feel that everyone truly has the opportunity to influence our development with their ideas. That is motivating. Just as it is to feel that the path from decision to action is short once a good idea is there, says Michael.
Annette Wisler Houmann, who has worked at Peter Larsen Kaffe for over 25 years, started as an office trainee and is now a product manager:
- And we are very conscious that all our innovation and the company as a whole must run on a solid and correct foundation. This applies to everything from ensuring compliance with food legislation to serving customers with accurate product data.
Coffee production has a major environmental impact, and at Peter Larsen Kaffe, they are very aware of the industry's challenges. From ensuring better working conditions for coffee farmers to minimizing waste and developing new packaging solutions, sustainability is a central part of their strategy.
They were also the first to serve organic, Fair Trade, and cold-brewed bottled coffee to the Danes. And they are 100% powered by biogas and wind energy.
- Employees should feel that everyone truly has the opportunity to influence our development with their ideas. That is motivating. Just as it is to feel that the path from decision to action is short once a good idea is there, says Michael.
Annette Wisler Houmann, who has worked at Peter Larsen Kaffe for over 25 years, started as an office trainee and is now a product manager:
- And we are very conscious that all our innovation and the company as a whole must run on a solid and correct foundation. This applies to everything from ensuring compliance with food legislation to serving customers with accurate product data.
Accurate master data forms a solid foundation
Inventory management is the cornerstone of the foundation for innovation. Several years ago, barcodes were introduced throughout the picking warehouse in Viborg. Each storage location is marked with a barcode that is scanned when items are put away or picked for an order. The pallets were labeled with GS1-128 labels with information including product shelf life and the pallet's unique "license plate" - SSCC number.
- Barcodes are simply indispensable. They help reduce waste, among other things, because we have an overview of which items, including their shelf life, are located where in the warehouse, says Jonas Bach Boel, warehouse clerk.
This is the journey Annette has experienced with product master data over the last ten years:
- It has evolved as more of our customers have jumped on the bandwagon, and our prioritization of the area has increased accordingly. Master data is an important part of our collaboration with our customers. All data must be accessible to our customers, and we always focus on delivering data on time.
- We focus heavily on speaking to people, not Excel spreadsheets. We believe in building relationships with customers and being flexible. We also see GS1Trade Sync as part of the relationship with our customers, Michael concludes.
Coffee is a fruit
Coffee beans are the seeds inside a coffee cherry. The coffee cherry is green when unripe and red when ripe. The cherry is picked, and the pulp is dried away to reach the caffeine-rich bean, which is later roasted before use.
Over 60 coffee varieties in the world
The most popular coffee variety is called Arabica. It is the mildest variety and accounts for 70-75% of global coffee production. A solid second place goes to the Robusta variety, which accounts for 20-30% of global coffee production and is often used in instant coffee due to its stronger flavor.
Coffee originates from Ethiopia
The story goes that a shepherd in the Kaffa province of Ethiopia noticed that his goats became energized after eating coffee cherries. He then experimented with turning the coffee cherries into the hot, black drink we know today. Later, coffee reached Yemen via the port city of Mocha, and from there, it spread to the rest of the world.
We have been drinking coffee since the 1600s
Back then, beans were roasted in a pan and subsequently ground as finely as possible using a mortar and pestle. At that time, coffee was reserved for the elite, such as priests and manor owners.
FUN FACTS
- Danes consume nearly four billion cups of coffee a year, a figure that has been declining since 2014.
- Men drink more coffee than women.
- 84% drink coffee in the morning, while 49% drink coffee in the afternoon.
- When we drink coffee outside the home, it is typically at the workplace.
- Interest in organic and sustainable coffee is on the rise. Women have a greater interest in sustainable and organic coffee than men.
Source: Dansk Kaffeinformation.
