Coffee companies fined

German cartel authority fines coffee companies - 6/9/2010 5:34:26 AM

German regulators say they are fining several coffee companies a total of euro30 million for illegal price fixing.

The Bonn-based Federal Cartel Office said Wednesday that it has fined eight German coffee companies or their local subsidiaries Tchibo, J.J. Darboven, Melitta, Kraft Foods, Seeberger, Westhoff, Lavazza and Segafredo Zanetti.

The regulatory agency says the coffee companies met between 1997 and 2008 and coordinated wholesale price increases or cuts.
The German regulator earlier fined Tchibo, Melitta and another coffee company in December in another price fixing case.