Further acquisitions planned as Cropster deploys sizeable war chest from European growth investor Verdane
Self-service solution for small roasters key to digitalizing entire coffee supply-chain
INNSBRUCK, Austria--BUSINESS WIRE--
Cropster, the global software for coffee businesses, today announced its acquisition of Firescope, a South Korea-based developer of innovative roasting software.
The acquisition gives Cropster a strong foothold in the independent roasting market where Firescope has established itself as the leading provider to more than 3,000 small roasters in Korea, Japan and Asia. Underlining Cropster’s commitment to the rapidly growing Asian market the deal includes plans for continued investment in the Firescope team as it becomes the company’s new sales and support hub in the region.
The deal will also see Firescope’s unique self-service solution for small roasters made available globally after integration into Cropster’s platform, providing a key component as the company creates the first end-to-end platform covering the entire coffee supply-chain.
Andreas Idl, Co-Founder & CEO of Cropster, said“Our vision is to digitalize the entire coffee supply-chain from initial production, through the roasting and sales process, to high-quality distribution through cafés. Firescope is an important part of the puzzle but we intend to acquire several more companies to realise our ‘crop-to-cup’ vision.”
Jason Jin, Co-Founder & CEO of Firescope, added: “Firescope’s success in South Korea and other Asian markets laid the foundation for our next phase. Joining Cropster provides us with the resources and reach necessary to bring our solutions to small roasters worldwide. We’re excited to join Cropster, whose deep industry expertise will help us improve how roasters access and utilize data to grow.”
Ralph Karg, Director at Verdane, added: “With the acquisition of Firescope, Cropster can now connect passionate micro roasters to its ecosystem, helping them bring their specialty coffee products into the global supply chain to support growth. Asia plays a vital role in the expansion of specialty coffee, and with this agreement, Cropster is now positioned as the leading provider throughout the region."
Firescope to Continue with Seamless Integration into Cropster's Ecosystem
Firescope will remain a fully supported standalone product initially, with plans to integrate into the Cropster portfolio over the next 12 months. The merger will expand Firescope’s global reach, helping small roasters worldwide harness the power of data. The integration means customers will benefit from scalability and integration to support their growth without interruption.
Cropster empowers coffee businesses to simplify complex processes with clear, data-driven decisions — a reason it’s already trusted by leading coffee companies worldwide:
- In the U.S., Ember Coffee was growing fast but relying too much on intuition. Cropster Roast gave them real-time insights into roasting and inventory, helping them launch new coffees in half the time and produce more batches every day. This meant better quality for customers and less wasted time and stock for the team. Case study
- Meanwhile, WatchHouse in the UK and U.S. used Cropster Cafe to scale from 8 to over 20 cafés without losing consistency. By combining tasting feedback with hard data, they trained baristas faster, reduced machine downtime, and maintained more than 95% drink consistency across all locations. Case study
About Cropster: Cropster provides software for the entire coffee value chain, from producers to roasters to cafés. Its products — Roast, Origin, and Cafe — deliver real-time data and insights to improve quality, efficiency, and profitability. Founded in 2008, Cropster supports thousands of businesses in over 100 countries. Learn more at www.cropster.com.
About Firescope: Firescope is a software developer based in South Korea, specializing in data-driven solutions that empower small roasters to optimize their roasting processes and improve efficiency. Learn more at eng.firescope.io.
About Verdane: Verdane is a specialist growth buyout investment firm that partners with tech-enabled and sustainable businesses that help to digitalise and decarbonise the European economy. The flexible mandates of Verdane funds allow it to invest as a majority or minority control investor, replacement or growth capital, in single companies or in portfolios of companies. Verdane has raised €9 billion in capital and its funds have made more than 200 investments in fast-growing businesses since 2003.
Try Firescope today: https://eng.firescope.io or discover Cropster: https://www.cropster.com and see how these tools can help you optimize your coffee business.
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For More Information
Contact: Fire on the Hill on behalf of Cropster [email protected] or Daria Novak, [email protected]
