Munich Startup: What does your startup do? What problem are you solving?
Volker Meyer-Lücke; Founder and CEO: Our goal is to take specialty coffee out of its niche with Alrighty and make the industry fairer and more socially responsible. To do this, we support the underdogs in coffee and place a special focus on protecting diversity. Because: The coffee sector is unfair and faces various challenges – lack of transparency, structural discrimination, environmental protection, and the impacts of climate change, to name just a few. The current generation of coffee growers is aging and finding no successors. Women typically have little chance of succeeding in the industry. Many African countries are being left behind by coffee export giants like Brazil or Vietnam. In the end, this means that fewer and fewer producers and countries of origin are involved. This leads to less diversity – both in the industry and in flavor – and to the loss of livelihoods in coffee-growing regions.
Rethinking coffee
Munich Startup: But that already exists!
Volker Meyer-Lücke: With Alrighty, we want to rethink coffee holistically. To do this, we developed the Caretrade philosophy and support those who have had relatively fewer opportunities in the coffee industry so far: young farmers, women, and farmers from Africa. Every Alrighty bean is sourced responsibly – ecologically, economically, and socially. All farmers use tools like soil analysis, crop diversification, and shade growing, thereby contributing to environmentally sustainable agriculture. We pay consistently fair prices that are significantly above commodity market prices to provide farmers with secure livelihoods, and we actively combat the gender gap as well as structural and geographical discrimination.
When it comes to packaging, we avoid aluminum and use only pure-grade plastic so it can be recycled. In addition, we opened the first Alrighty roastery in Munich, where the focus is clearly on innovation and sustainability with a previously unique, resource-efficient energy supply for the roaster. At the same time, the roastery is a café and event venue where coffee-related events take place regularly. We want to change the industry positively together, have fun doing it, and educate – without finger-wagging.
A brand that’s fun
Munich Startup: What’s your founding story?
Volker Meyer-Lücke: We all have a background in the beverage industry, share a passionate enthusiasm for coffee, and set ourselves the goal of putting the people involved in coffee farming at the center. My co-founder Daniel Rizzotti has over two decades of experience in marketing and sales in retail and gastronomy – including at Dallmayr, where we met. After starting my coffee career in 1988 at a coffee roaster in Bremen, I was a senior officer (Prokurist) at Dallmayr from 2000 to 2022. Our third co-founder, Sebastian Kroth, who previously worked in marketing at The Coca-Cola Company for 13 years, also has a great passion for coffee, always brings a fresh perspective to our topics, and enriches our team with a new viewpoint. Together, we want to rethink coffee with Alrighty, make specialty coffee accessible to the mainstream, and create a brand that’s fun – without compromising on quality and values.
Challenges in the coffee market
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Volker Meyer-Lücke: The biggest challenge was building a company from the ground up – from constructing physical infrastructure to distributing the finished product. Right now, the coffee market is as challenging as I’ve experienced in 35 years. This makes sourcing coffee significantly more complex and difficult. Additionally, the European regulation on deforestation-free supply chains (EUDR) will change the market. This means: To protect climate and biodiversity, companies must ensure as of January 1, 2025, that imported products like cocoa, soy, or coffee sold in the EU come from areas where forests have not been cleared or damaged. This is an important step for environmental protection.
At the same time, this means that for every coffee to be brought to the European market, the exact plot where it was grown must be documented. This poses existential challenges, especially for smallholders in fragmented coffee-growing regions like Ethiopia or Kenya, because due to local trading and marketing structures, it’s often difficult or impossible to determine the exact origin of the beans. If the directive is not adapted, it will make sourcing coffee from the underdogs we support even more difficult.
Alrighty wants to take specialty coffee out of its niche
Munich Startup: Where do you want to be in one year, and where in five years?
Volker Meyer-Lücke: Our overarching goal is to take high-quality, responsibly grown specialty coffee out of its niche and into everyday life. In one year, we want to strengthen our presence in retail and gastronomy. In five years, we see revenue potential between 50 and 100 million euros, which corresponds to a production volume of up to 5,000 tons annually.
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup hub so far?
Volker Meyer-Lücke: We see Munich – and in particular our location in Werksviertel – as an optimal location. The Werksviertel is a thriving spot, is one of the most ambitious construction projects, and is green, urban, and sustainable – which perfectly matches our philosophy.
Munich Startup: Risk or security?
Volker Meyer-Lücke: Going from employment to self-employment is probably always a bigger risk. But life is full of risks, and from my perspective, you should always follow your convictions.
