Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group
An Italian vertically integrated coffee and beverage group with consumer brands, professional equipment, cafés, roasting operations, and global distribution.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group is an Italian coffee and beverage company headquartered in Bologna. The group developed from Massimo Zanetti's expansion in the coffee sector during the 1970s, including his acquisition of Segafredo, a historic coffee producer whose brand became central to the business. From that base, the company built an integrated international operation covering coffee sourcing, trading, processing, roasting, packaging, distribution, food-service supply, professional espresso equipment, and branded cafés. The group's portfolio includes consumer coffee names such as Segafredo Zanetti, Chock full o'Nuts, Chase & Sanborn, MJB, Hills Bros., and Kauai Coffee. It also has interests in tea and other beverage-related categories through brands including Meira, Brodies, and Tiktak, as well as coffee and spice products in selected markets. The portfolio reflects a multi-brand strategy designed to address different national markets, retail channels, price points, and consumption occasions rather than relying on a single global label. Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group operates roasting facilities and an international distribution network of subsidiaries and authorized dealers. Its United States division, Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA, has been associated with roasting plants in Suffolk, Virginia, and Moonachie, New Jersey, and with Kauai Coffee Company in Hawaii. The group also manufactures professional coffee equipment and espresso machines under the La San Marco name. Its downstream presence includes a network of more than 600 Segafredo Zanetti Espresso cafés worldwide, extending the business beyond packaged coffee into hospitality and out-of-home consumption. The company expanded through acquisitions during the 2010s and early 2020s. In 2014 it acquired Boncafe Group, strengthening its position in coffee distribution and food service. In 2019 it added Australia's Bean Alliance, a network associated with specialty and niche beverage brands, and Portugal's Cafés Nandi, a food-service coffee business. Later that year it acquired Café Pacaembu, a longstanding Brazilian coffee name, broadening its presence in the Brazilian market. Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group was publicly listed on the STAR segment of Borsa Italiana from June 2015 until February 2021. MZB Holding, controlled by Massimo Zanetti through MZ Industries, launched a voluntary takeover offer in September 2020 with the objective of delisting the company. The delisting was completed on 15 February 2021, returning the parent company to private ownership. The group continues to operate internationally as a vertically integrated coffee organization. Its scale is based on the combination of branded consumer products, industrial roasting, professional equipment, cafés, food-service operations, and geographic diversification. Sustainability has also been part of the group's public corporate assessment. In 2022, Standard Ethics assigned the company an E+ rating in its Italian food and beverage sustainability benchmark, where EEE represented the highest level and F the lowest. This rating indicates that, in that assessment, the group's sustainability alignment was below average. The group therefore combines considerable international coffee-sector scale with a business model spanning the full value chain and a broad collection of regional and global brands.
History
Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group traces its development to Massimo Zanetti's expansion in the coffee business during the 1970s. After moving to Bologna, Zanetti acquired Segafredo, a historic Italian coffee producer. The Segafredo name became the foundation of a broader coffee platform, while the company progressively expanded from branded coffee into industrial roasting, international trading, distribution, equipment, and food service. The group pursued vertical integration across the coffee value chain. Its activities came to include the sourcing and trading of green coffee, processing and roasting, packaging, distribution, and the operation of regional subsidiaries and authorized dealer networks. This structure allowed the company to serve supermarkets, cafés, restaurants, hotels, vending and other institutional customers, while also supporting branded retail products. The company eventually operated roasting plants in multiple countries and distributed products in roughly 100 markets. A key element of the group’s international strategy was the assembly of a portfolio of established regional and national brands. In addition to Segafredo Zanetti, the portfolio included Chock full o'Nuts, Chase & Sanborn, MJB, Hills Bros., and Kauai Coffee, alongside tea, spice, and other beverage names such as Meira, Brodies, and Tiktak. The portfolio model gave the group access to different consumer segments and geographic markets while preserving the identities of acquired brands. The United States became an important operating market. Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA developed roasting and distribution activities, including facilities in Suffolk, Virginia, and Moonachie, New Jersey. The United States business also included Kauai Coffee Company, associated with a coffee farm on Kauai and with the production and marketing of Hawaiian-grown coffee. These assets complemented the group's global sourcing and roasting network. The group also expanded downstream. It manufactured professional bar equipment and espresso machines through La San Marco and operated a large international network of Segafredo Zanetti Espresso cafés. This combination gave the company exposure to both packaged coffee and the out-of-home coffee experience, while professional equipment supported relationships with cafés and food-service customers. Acquisitions accelerated during the 2010s. In May 2014, Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group acquired Boncafe Group, strengthening its international coffee and food-service platform. The parent company subsequently became publicly traded on the STAR segment of Borsa Italiana in June 2015. The listing provided a public-market structure during a period of geographic and portfolio expansion, although the group remained controlled by interests associated with Massimo Zanetti. In 2019, the company continued its acquisition-led growth. It acquired Australia's Bean Alliance, a network connected with niche and specialty beverage brands, and Portugal's Cafés Nandi, which operated in food service. In October of the same year, the group acquired Café Pacaembu, a historic Brazilian coffee brand. These transactions broadened the group's regional reach and added businesses with different channel and brand profiles. The public-company phase ended after MZB Holding S.p.A., controlled by Massimo Zanetti through MZ Industries S.A., announced a voluntary takeover offer on 29 September 2020. The offer was designed to consolidate ownership and delist Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group. The delisting took effect on 15 February 2021, after which the parent company was no longer traded on Borsa Italiana. The group remains an international coffee and beverage organization with activities spanning consumer brands, roasting, distribution, food service, professional equipment, and cafés. Its scale comes from combining a global operating network with a diversified brand house rather than from a single uniform consumer identity. In 2022, Standard Ethics assigned the company an E+ sustainability rating in its Italian food and beverage benchmark. The assessment placed the group below average on that particular sustainability scale and forms part of the public record concerning its environmental, social, and governance positioning.
- 2022
Sustainability benchmark assessment
[1]Standard Ethics assigned the group an E+ rating in its Italian food and beverage sustainability benchmark.
- 2021
Delisting completed
[1]The parent company was removed from Borsa Italiana on 15 February 2021.
- 2020
Voluntary takeover offer announced
[1]MZB Holding launched a voluntary takeover offer intended to consolidate ownership and delist the listed parent.
- 2019
Expansion through Bean Alliance and Cafés Nandi
[1]The group acquired Australia's Bean Alliance and Portugal's Cafés Nandi, adding niche-brand and food-service capabilities.
- 2019
Café Pacaembu acquisition
[1]The group took over Café Pacaembu, a historic São Paulo coffee name.
- 2015
Borsa Italiana listing
[1]Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group S.p.A. began trading on the STAR segment of Borsa Italiana.
- 2014
Boncafe Group acquisition
[1]The company acquired Boncafe Group, expanding its international coffee and food-service activities.
- 1970
Massimo Zanetti begins building the coffee business
[1]Massimo Zanetti developed the business during the 1970s after moving to Bologna and entering the coffee sector.
- 1970
Segafredo becomes the foundation of the group
[1]Zanetti acquired the historic coffee producer Segafredo, establishing the brand platform around which the later group developed.
Products and positioning
A vertically integrated, multi-brand international coffee and beverage group serving retail, food service, professional equipment, and café channels.
Coffee
Segafredo Zanetti
The group's central Italian coffee brand, sold through retail, food-service, professional, and café channels. Segafredo products are associated with espresso and other roasted coffee formats, while the Segafredo Zanetti Espresso network extends the brand into branded cafés.
Coffee
Kauai Coffee
A Hawaiian coffee business connected with coffee cultivation and production on Kauai. It gives the group an origin-focused coffee proposition alongside its broader international roasting and consumer-brand portfolio.
Coffee
Hills Bros. Coffee
An established coffee brand in the group's consumer portfolio, primarily associated with packaged coffee products in the United States and other selected markets.
Coffee
Chock full o'Nuts
A historic consumer coffee brand owned within the group's international portfolio. It represents the company's use of established regional names alongside Segafredo and other coffee labels.
Coffee
Chase & Sanborn
A long-established coffee name included in the group's consumer-brand portfolio, serving as one of its North American packaged-coffee assets.
Coffee
MJB
A packaged coffee brand held by the group and marketed as part of its collection of established consumer coffee labels.
Professional coffee equipment
La San Marco
The group's professional equipment brand, manufacturing commercial bar equipment and espresso machines for cafés, restaurants, and other food-service operators.
Cafés
Segafredo Zanetti Espresso
An international network of branded cafés that brings the group's coffee offer directly to consumers in hospitality and out-of-home settings. The network has more than 600 locations worldwide according to the reference material.
Tea and beverages
Meira, Brodies, and Tiktak
These brands broaden the portfolio beyond coffee into tea and related beverage categories, supporting the group's multi-category approach in selected markets.
Brand decisions
2021
Return the parent company to private ownershipStrategyBackground
Following the voluntary takeover process, the group ended its period as a company listed on the STAR segment of Borsa Italiana.
Action taken
The company's shares were delisted on 15 February 2021.
Aftermath
The group continued as a privately held international coffee and beverage business.
2020
Launch a voluntary takeover offerM&ABackground
The controlling interests associated with Massimo Zanetti sought to consolidate ownership of the listed parent and remove it from the stock market.
Action taken
MZB Holding S.p.A., controlled by Massimo Zanetti through MZ Industries S.A., promoted a total voluntary takeover bid on 29 September 2020.
Aftermath
The process resulted in the delisting of Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group from Borsa Italiana on 15 February 2021.
2014
Acquire Boncafe GroupM&ABackground
The group sought to expand its international coffee distribution and food-service presence.
Action taken
Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group acquired Boncafe Group in May 2014.
Aftermath
The acquisition strengthened the group's international operating platform and broadened its food-service activities.
Acquisition consideration. (May 2014)
Sources1 sources
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