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Investment study · Edition 5 · 2026

The Coffee Roasting Business in France · 2026 Study

B2B manufacturing, not a coffee shop: buy green coffee, roast it and sell it to hospitality (CHR), shops, direct-to-consumer (DTC) and private label. Where the margin really is and how not to die of working capital.

119 pages · 88 sections + Decision Pack + simulator2026 France data and taxGO/NO-GO roasting simulator (§20·A)41 quotes and voices of French roasters

€299/ individual licence

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The thesis: you don't win by roasting, you win in the CHANNEL and the mix; green coffee is 60–75% of cost and in a historic crisis (arabica +190% since 2023)
The tax finding: roasted coffee in a bag is taxed at 5.5% VAT in France (Art. 278-0 bis CGI), not 20%; served in a cup, 10%
The tariff favours roasting in France: green coffee 0% vs imported roasted 7.5%; and why the micro-roaster is NOT an ICPE facility
Real economics: break-even 1,372 kg/month, GO ≥ 2,000 kg/month, capital €85,000 minimum / €105,000–120,000 prudent, and the real risk (financing expensive, prepaid green-coffee stock; the Cafés Legal case, liquidated Dec 2024)
Roasting simulator (§20·A): P&L, a 2D GO / NO-GO matrix by payback and a tornado, plus the channel map (CHR, shops, DTC, private label) and the qualities (SCA scale ≥80, origins, importers such as Belco, EUDR)

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What's included

From green coffee to sales channel

Each section answers a concrete question that anyone about to set up a roastery in France asks.

The thesis: the margin is in the channel, not the roast

Roasting is the easy part; the money is made in the channel mix (CHR, shops, DTC, private label) and in the product mix. Green coffee is 60–75% of cost and the arabica crisis (+190% since 2023) squeezes everything else.

The '5.5%' VAT that decides your price

Roasted coffee in a bag is taxed at 5.5% VAT in France (Art. 278-0 bis CGI), not 20%; served in a cup, 10%. The tax finding that orders your pricing by channel and your margin.

The tariff plays in your favour

Imported green coffee at 0% versus imported roasted at 7.5%: the structural advantage of roasting in France over buying already-roasted beans abroad. And why the micro-roaster does not fall under the ICPE regime.

The focus format: the specialty micro-roaster

The 5–15 kg roaster as the base case, with roastery-café, private-label and industrial variants: what changes the CAPEX, the channel and the margin in each one.

Real economics: break-even, GO and capital

Break-even 1,372 kg/month, a healthy GO ≥ 2,000 kg/month, capital of €85,000 minimum and €105,000–120,000 prudent, with the line-by-line P&L and green-coffee cost as the dominant variable.

The real risk: working capital

It isn't the roast, it's financing expensive, prepaid green-coffee stock while you collect at 30–60 days. The Cafés Legal case (liquidated December 2024) as a warning, and how to size the cash cushion.

The roasting simulator (the Edition 5 highlight)

A 2D GO / NO-GO matrix by payback with P&L and a tornado (§20·A): the spreadsheet solved on paper so you know whether your roastery makes money before you start, given volume, channel and green price.

Qualities, origins and importers

SCA scale ≥80, origins, green-coffee prices and importers (Belco), plus the EUDR: how to buy green well, which is where 60–75% of your cost is decided.

Contents

88 sections

01 Executive summary and GO/NO-GO verdict

02 The market on one page: French coffee roasting

03 Why roasting, why now (the specialty wave)

04 What a roastery is (and isn't): B2B manufacturing

05 The focus format: the specialty micro-roaster

06 The variants: roastery-café, private label, industrial

07 The thesis: the margin is in the channel, not the roast

08 Green coffee: 60–75% of cost and the arabica crisis

09 The SCA scale ≥80, origins and roast profiles

10 Buying green: importers, Belco, contracts, EUDR

11 What it costs to set up: the roastery CAPEX

12 The 5–15 kg roaster and equipment (packing, grinder)

13 The roastery P&L and break-even (1,372 kg/month)

14 The roasting simulator: does your roastery make money?

15 Working capital: the real risk (the Cafés Legal case)

16 The CHR/hospitality channel: contracts, loan, margins

17 The shops and grocers channel: resale and margins

18 The DTC/e-commerce channel and coffee subscription

19 Private label: volume without a brand

20 The coffee VAT: the 5.5% bag vs the 10% cup

21 The tariff: green 0% vs imported roasted 7.5%

22 ICPE regime: why the micro-roaster stays out

23 Legal form, tax regime and social contributions

24 Food hygiene, traceability and labelling

25 The competitive map: Nestlé, JDE, Lavazza (81%)

26 The ~750 artisan roasters and the regional white space

27 Location and logistics: outside Paris/Lyon

28 Brand, narrative and content of a roaster

29 Staffing, training and workshop operations

30 Pricing by channel, mix and the margin engineering

A Risks, scenarios and the 90-day plan

Preview

A look inside

Professional design, verified data and clear charts in every section.

A sample of pages from the study. The full version includes all tables, charts, the simulator and sources.

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Frequently asked

Before you buy

What format do I receive?

A PDF ready to read on any device or to print. You receive it by email immediately after payment.

Which country does the data refer to?

All economic, tax and cost figures are in euros (€) and refer to France.

What language is the study in?

This study is available in English, and also in Spanish, German and French.