EP1659 Part 4 of 5 | What Happens When a Coffee Trader Becomes Insolvent? (Benecke Coffee) | Map It Forward
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Episode Description
This is Part 4 of a five-part series of The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward examining what happened between Benecke Coffee in Germany and coffee cooperatives in Peru pursuing claims for coffee they say remains unpaid.
In Part 3, the cooperatives explained how delayed payments became an insolvency issue and how they entered the German creditor process.
Now the question becomes: what happens when an international coffee trader becomes insolvent, and the businesses waiting to be paid are cooperatives thousands of kilometres away?
Podcast host Lee Safar is joined again by Emerson Carrasco, General Manager of Sanchirio Palomar Cooperative; Anabel Barrientos, General Manager of Ubiriki Valley Cooperative; and Óscar Inocente, a lawyer working with the affected Peruvian cooperatives. Ana Maria Donneys from Café Primitivo joins as translator.
Óscar Inocente discusses the cooperatives’ attempts to obtain clearer information from the insolvency administration and pursue retention-of-title claims over coffee they say remained unpaid.
The episode also clarifies that Sucafina did not purchase Benecke Coffee. According to information provided directly to Map It Forward, Sucafina acquired Rehm-related assets from the insolvency estate.
Anabel then explains how the unpaid amounts have affected Ubiriki Valley Cooperative. She says planned producer payments, training, inputs and other activities were disrupted, while available financing was reduced by roughly half.
She says this reduced the cooperative’s ability to contract coffee from around 90 containers to roughly 45.
Emerson also raises a key unresolved question around one Sanchirio shipment. He says the administration stated that the coffee had been sold on 26 September 2025, while the cooperative’s shipping trace shows the container arriving in Hamburg on 10 October.
The cooperative is seeking documentation to understand when the coffee was actually sold and how it is being treated inside the insolvency.
In Part 5, we ask what the wider coffee industry should learn from the case.
Correction: Arthur E. Darboven ceased serving as Managing Director of the Benecke management company on 25 April 2024. His ownership position and any continuing involvement after that date remain under investigation.
Connect with our guests here:
Anabel Barrientos
https://www.linkedin.com/company/cooperativa-cafetalera-valle-ubiriki
gerencia@ubiriki.com.pe
Emerson Carrasco
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emerson-carrasco-791b9871/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/sanchirio-pe
ecarrasco@sanchirio.com
Oscar Innocente
oinocente@hotmail.com
WhatsApp +51 995 147 869
https://www.linkedin.com/in/oinocente/
For media, contact Nataly Fabrikantova
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataly-fabrikantova-82609219a/
Editorial Note:
This series concerns an active insolvency and ongoing creditor claims. Statements concerning Benecke Coffee, the insolvency administration, professional fees, asset sales and other parties reflect the accounts and perspectives of participants unless otherwise identified. Allegations should not be understood as findings of wrongdoing.