Cropster acquires Firescope to expand reach in Asian coffee market

Cropster has announced its acquisition of Firescope, a South Korea-based roasting software provider.

The acquisition marks a significant move by Cropster into the independent roasting market in Asia, where Firescope serves more than 3,000 small roasters in Korea, Japan, and across the region. Cropster has outlined plans for continued investment in the Firescope team, which will become the new sales and support hub for Cropster in Asia.

The deal also paves the way for Firescope's self-service solution for small roasters to be made available globally. This integration is aimed at supporting Cropster's strategy to create an end-to-end platform that covers the entire coffee supply chain, allowing even the smallest nano-roasters to participate on a global scale.

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."

Cropster was originally founded to help roasters enter the global coffee market on fair terms, and the company has indicated that the Firescope acquisition supports its ongoing commitment to making digital tools accessible for businesses of all sizes in the sector.

Jason Jin, Co-Founder & CEO of Firescope, commented on the integration of Firescope into Cropster, stating,

"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."

Cropster's acquisition has been supported by investment from Verdane, a European growth investor. The company is reportedly planning further acquisitions as part of its expansion efforts.

Ralph Karg, Director at Verdane, provided further insight on the company's direction, saying,

"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."

Following the acquisition, Firescope will continue to operate as a fully supported standalone product initially, with integration into the Cropster platform planned over the next twelve months. The merger is expected to expand Firescope's global reach and assist small roasters worldwide in leveraging data to improve their operations.

The integration will be designed to ensure scalability and a seamless user experience, allowing businesses to grow without disruption.

Cropster aims to simplify complex processes for coffee businesses with clear, data-driven decisions. The company's tools are used by roasters and cafés in over 100 countries. Examples include Ember Coffee in the United States, which adopted Cropster's technology to improve roasting consistency and efficiency, and WatchHouse in the United Kingdom and United States, where Cropster Cafe has helped the group grow its number of cafés while maintaining consistent drink quality and reducing equipment downtime.

Industry analysts project that the specialty coffee market will reach USD $180 billion by 2030, underscoring the significance of Cropster's renewed focus on this segment. The integration of Firescope's self-service solutions is expected to make it increasingly feasible for small-scale roasters to access advanced tools that have traditionally been available only to larger operations.