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With many green coffee traders struggling, entering bankruptcy, or being acquired by larger companies, Cafe Imports is planning for an independent future. On September 21, the Minneapolis-based specialty coffee importer announced that it has transitioned to 100% employee ownership via an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP).
Cafe Imports founder Andrew Miller said the move aimed to ensure the independence of the company he founded 33 years ago. “Employee ownership allows us to preserve that independence, support the long-term future of the company, and continue investing in the people and relationships that have shaped who we are,” he said in the announcement.
The most widely-used form of employee ownership in the U.S., an ESOP is an employer-sponsored benefit plan that holds company shares for employees. The longer someone works there, the more shares they accrue, and they receive the payout when they leave or retire.
Cafe Imports currently has 68 employees based across four offices in the U.S., Germany, Australia, and Costa Rica. According to the company’s most recent progress report, more than half of the 68 have worked at Cafe Imports for over five years, and 25% have been there more than 10 years. “I am incredibly proud to hand the keys over to the folks who helped build this company and will carry it forward,” Miller said.
Market volatility in recent years has seen a number of coffee traders struggle, with several going bankrupt or being acquired. Mercon Coffee Group entered bankruptcy protection in 2023, and StoneX bought its specialty arm in 2024. The Brazilian traders Atlantica and Cafebras followed with their own bankruptcy filings in 2025. Sucafina also bought specialty importer Rehm & Co. in July after Rehm’s parent company, Benecke Coffee, entered insolvency in February owing more than $150 million to cooperatives in Honduras and Peru.
Read more on Cafe Imports’ ownership evolution here.
