Coffee roaster Matthew Algie bought by Tchibo

16-Aug-2016 - Last updated on 17-Aug-2016 at 08:27 GMT

Nick Snow from Tchibo (left) with Gary Nicol from Matthew Algie

Matthew Algie, the Glasgow-based independent coffee roaster, has been acquired by German coffee and foodservice business Tchibo for an undisclosed sum.

Tchibo said the deal illustrated its desire to further grow its coffee service business in the UK as well as across Europe.

It said it saw the opportunity to grow Matthew Algie’s Espresso Warehouse brand across Europe. The brand sells associated products and equipment to cafes, restaurants and hotels.

The senior management team also cited the Matthew Algie dedication to ethical trading, its training operations and technical customer support as reasons for the deal.

Existing management team

The deal with Tchibo will see the Matthew Algie brand retained in the UK with the company continuing to be run by its existing management team. Tchibo will use the acquisition to expand its operations in the UK and Ireland.

Nick Snow, md for Tchibo Coffee Service, said: “Matthew Algie stands out in the UK coffee trade for its unrivalled ‘farm-to-cup’ approach to ethical sourcing, its technical excellence with dedication to staff and customer training, and the opportunity to grow the Espresso Warehouse concept internationally.

“We are very keen to maintain Matthew Algie’s independence while providing it with the opportunity to drive innovation in the UK coffee service market. We will learn a lot from each other while both continuing to grow.”

Senior management team

Matthew Algie’s senior management team, include ceo Gary Nicol, sales and marketing director Brian O’Hagan, operations director Peter McGadey and technical director Ewan Reid.

Chairman Eric Hagman CBE said: “We believe this deal gives the company a major platform for further growth and to expand Matthew Algie’s operations across the UK with an eye on European markets also.

“Tchibo is the right partner to help us build on the achievements of the last few years and we are very excited about the future potential of the business.”

Nicol said the future looked positive for the company.

“We have always worked hard to deliver consistently high quality products and that won’t change going forward. The investment of Tchibo also speaks volumes for the results achieved by our skilled and committed workforce” he said.

“Our focus remains on our dedication to sustainable sourcing and great tasting coffee for our customers, but now with the complementary experience, products and services and routes to market offered by new partners Tchibo.”