120 Years of Coffee Passion: Löfbergs Creates Value from Karlstad to the World

From a small family business in 1906 to an international coffee brand, Löfbergs has stayed true to its roots: entrepreneurial spirit, sustainable values, and a deep passion for great coffee. Today, the fourth generation continues to blend tradition with innovation—creating impact both locally and globally.

“The courage to invest, act, and lead the way has been with us since the very beginning,” says Kathrine Löfberg, Chair of the Board at Löfbergs coffee roastery and the parent company Bröderna Löfberg AB. “The ‘purple thread’ running through our guiding principles is that passion for great coffee should permeate everything we do.”

Löfbergs’ signature color—purple—has its own story. In the 1920s, it became common to package roasted and ground coffee. To make it easier for customers and shop assistants, Löfbergs color-coded its blends. The purple package of Löfbergs Lyxblandning quickly became the most popular, and soon everyone was asking for “Löfbergs Lila.”

“I think it’s a beautiful story of how our brand emerged a hundred years ago in close interaction with our customers.”

Generations Driving Growth and Innovation

Each generation of the family business has taken significant steps forward. The first Löfberg brothers focused locally; the second saw the potential to expand nationwide. The third explored opportunities beyond the home—cafés, restaurants, workplaces, trains, and hotels—a long-term strategy that made Löfbergs the market leader in Sweden within the Out of Home segment.

“When the borders to the Baltics opened, we were ready to take the first steps toward internationalization—a journey that soon continued to our Nordic neighbors, Poland, and the UK. Today, coffee consumption is even growing in traditionally tea-drinking countries like India and China.”

Sustainability at the Core Since the 1980s

Sustainability has always been central—economically, socially, and environmentally.

“We introduced an environmental policy as early as the 1980s and were the first to replace aluminum in our packaging with more sustainable materials. Our organic coffee was launched long before there was any real demand."

Global Responsibility: Supporting Coffee Farmers Worldwide

Investments in social sustainability take place both locally in Karlstad and Värmland, and globally in coffee-exporting countries.

“Millions of people and many families depend on coffee cultivation for their livelihood. Coffee often provides income, while other crops are grown for subsistence.”
Together with other stakeholders, Löfbergs has created a platform to drive traceability in the industry. Fair trade and transparency are becoming increasingly important and are demanded by customers.

“We value close relationships with coffee growers and remain committed to our strategy of buying directly in producing countries, with few intermediaries.”

Local Engagement: Investing in Community and Youth

In 2023, Löfbergs established the Association Support Fund, distributing SEK 500,000 annually to associations across Värmland. So far, 150 associations in culture, sports, and social activities have benefited from this welcome support.

Kathrine Löfberg is personally involved as a board member of Junior Achievement Värmland.

“It’s important both for our own recruitment and for Värmland’s future skills supply to inspire young people toward entrepreneurship and innovation. We’ve supported Junior Achievement Värmland in various ways since its start 45 years ago.”

Collaboration and Regional Strengths

Kathrine describes Värmland’s business community as open and collaborative. People know each other and easily form productive partnerships, which is especially important now in major issues like electricity supply and infrastructure. Like previous generations in the family business, she sees value in contributing and gladly participates in future-oriented discussions and roundtables when possible.

The food industry, where Löfbergs is one of the most active players, has been highlighted as one of the region’s strengths.

“There is a clear commitment from the public sector to create favorable conditions for companies to grow, invest, and establish themselves. I also find the connection to the university very valuable—there is both important research and future talent.

”Future Vision: Growth and Urban Development

The fourth generation of owners is focused on taking new positions as an international company and has made significant investments for the future. In a new area east of the city, Löfbergs has recently established both a warehouse and a new coffee roastery. Plans include consolidating all production in Välsviken.

Future visions also include contributing to Karlstad’s development.

“We want to make the area around Löfbergskajen even more vibrant with housing, walking paths, social spaces, cafés, and new businesses. There will also be something exciting happening with the coffee tower, to the delight of Karlstad residents.”
“No one needs to worry—it will, of course, continue to smell like coffee in Karlstad.”

Löfbergs

Löfbergs is a family-owned coffee roastery founded in Karlstad in 1906 by brothers Josef, Anders, and John Löfberg. Today, the company is run by the fourth generation and is known for its focus on taste, sustainability, and responsibility—from bean to cup. Most of the coffee is roasted in Karlstad and sold in about ten core markets in Northern Europe. Löfbergs has subsidiaries in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and the UK. The parent company Bröderna Löfberg AB consists of AB Anders Löfberg (Löfbergs coffee roastery), Löfberg Invest, and Löfberg Fastigheter.

Employees: 330, of which about 160 in Karlstad
Coffee business turnover: SEK 2,765 million (2024)
Website: www.lofbergs.se

Written by: Katarina Averås

Photo credits: Roger Borgelid