But don’t just take our word for it! See our products on the shelves of all the major high street retailers, cash and carries, wholesalers and manufacturers nationwide.

We have 14 factories throughout the UK and Europe, so wherever you are based, you know that the quality service we provide is never far away. Our qualified personnel are always on hand to provide support in your sales and marketing operations and we pride ourselves on our expertise in private label and retail category management.

We like to do things properly here at FFI. All our factories are accredited to the BRC standard. We are accredited by the Soil Association for our organic coffee and chocolate drinks and we have a range of products that are sold according to FAIRTRADE guidelines, which respect the interests of producers.

This extends to everything we do, from the way we produce our goods to the relationships we enjoy with our customers and suppliers. Whatever your requirements for hot beverages, we would love to help. Our reputation within the industry and our unblemished track record should give you every confidence that we can.

Our Company History

FFI, in tandem with its sister company, FFI ( Manufacturing ) Ltd, supplies over 50 blue-chip customers throughout the UK, including leading retail multiples and symbol groups, with a broad portfolio of high quality ‘retailer brands’. Within this brief, the company has developed 400 different lines that include 75 different coffee blends, 50 roast and ground products, plus 40 other hot beverage products/blends.

As part of the Hamburg based Cafea Group, FFI(M) enjoys the backing and support of one of the European coffee industry’s major corporations, with 14 factories located around the world - six of which are Soil Association approved - and a reputation for unrivalled quality and service.

With expertise in time-saving and long-life soluble coffees and soluble coffee drinks, the Cafea Group is a company that specialises in successful private brands for leading retail businesses around the world. From its HQ in Hamburg, a major centre for world coffee trading, the Cafea Group co-ordinates coffee purchases for its production companies in Germany, Belgium, Venezuela, Poland and the U.K.

The UK arm incorporates European Coffee Corporation Ltd, which is the holding company for both FFI(M) and FFI : the latter being the group’s selling and marketing operation for Britain’s private label sector.

Our Strengths

One of the main strengths of the European Coffee Corporation is its commitment to research and development, with technologists constantly working on new and better products. Innovate or die. And this represents the philosophy upon which the entire organisation operates, the company anticipate demands in the world market and are in the forefront of the industry as regards new products, packing solutions and marketing trends. FFI understands its clients’ expectations and work hand-in-hand with them to create successful brands - their brands.”

A Seamless Operation

FFI, based at Kingston-upon-Thames, is essentially a service company, pulling together several different strands in order to create a high quality, seamless operation that gives its clients both a competitive edge and total peace of mind.

David Moulder, Chief Executive of FFI says, “The retailer’s name is now a guarantee of quality, and this means that they need to source first class suppliers for their coffee; suppliers who can meet their product development aspirations, demanding service levels, - quick turnaround of orders and punctual deliveries - and the requirements of the 1990 Food Act.”

The Future

The future looks genuinely exciting for FFI, with the company’s main objective being to develop sales of instant coffee for factories within the Cafea Group, and generally to expand the business over the next few years. This will incorporate diversification into the food service, catering and vending industries, as well as looking for innovative opportunities to market other products for its customers.

The first known coffee advertisement, a handbill produced in 1652 (the original is in the British Museum), proclaimed that coffee ‘quickens the spirits and makes the heart lightsome .... Is good against sore eyes .... Neither laxative nor restringent.' Indeed, with such a fine marketing campaign, it is little wonder that coffee gained its first real popularity as a beverage in the coffee houses of London.

It seems quite apt then that today, just a little way down the Thames, FFI is continuing a long tradition of marketing one of the world’s most popular products to an increasingly sophisticated market.