Annual Report 2009 - melitta.info

36
Melitta Group Annual Report 2009
Melitta has been represented by subsidiaries in the USA
since the 1960s. The current headquarters are located in
Clearwater, Florida. The company operates its own filter
paper production and coffee roasting facilities. Its most
important distribution channel is the grocery trade.
Basis laid for future growth despite
modest growth
2009 was dominated by fierce price competition, also in
the USA. As a consequence, revenue from sales of our
top quality coffees was down in the period under review.
Nevertheless, Melitta USA used the year to lay the
foundation for long-term growth with a variety of measures.
These included revamping and relaunching its
existing range of coffees, launching new coffees and
beginning a successful cooperation for electric coffee
preparation devices.
Despite the success we already enjoyed with our coffee
specialties in the past, we decided to completely revamp
our coffee range in the past year. This included changing
the pack designs and implementing a range of
measures aimed at positioning the brand more in line
with the European concept of coffee enjoyment. One
main area of focus was our new coffee line: the “Café
Marty Miller
CEO
Collection”. We launched six premium coffee blends of
this new line in Philadelphia, accompanied by intensive
communication measures. In addition to this premium
line, we also developed a selection of coffees grown
under sustainable conditions.
Business in our filter paper segment made encouraging
progress, with growth in sales of filter bags and a record
market share for basket filters. We successfully drove the
distribution of our filter papers via all channels throughout
the nation. This also applies to our new bamboo
filters, with which we support the sustainable use of
natural resources.
Large-scale modernization of roasting plant
In order to ensure we can meet the targeted growth, we
intend to modernize our roasting plant. All production
processes will be improved: from coffee bean delivery, to
roasting and grinding, to packaging. We successfully
completed part of the project in 2009.
Attractive cooperation with Hamilton Beach
A licensing agreement with the leading manufacturer of
coffee machines and small appliances, Hamilton Beach,
now enables us to jointly develop and market Melitta ®
Melitta USA
Sales
in € ’000
2009
2008
Employees
Average
2009
2008
53,830
53,360
122
118
Capital expenditure
in € ’000
2009
2008
coffeemakers on the US market. This will help us establish
ourselves even more strongly as the specialist for
coffee enjoyment in the USA.
Outlook 2010:
Entering further markets
We have ambitious targets for 2010: starting with the
completion of the roasting plant modernization project.
Above all, we aim to strongly drive coffee sales in our
main markets. Our new “Café Collection” coffee line will
play a major role in these efforts. We will continue to
support sales of our filter papers with the aid of sales
promotion activities in order to defend our market
shares.
Melitta ®
2,774
1,308
Our brand for
coffee enjoyment.
Melitta USA 37