Overview
- Four LAP Coffee sites in Berlin were defaced with red paint and boycott slogans in recent days, marking an escalation from online criticism to street vandalism.
- Co-founder Ralph Hage said staff, neighbors and customers cleaned through the night and locations resumed service.
- LAP operates about 20 small takeaway branches across Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, offering cappuccinos for €2.50 and espressos for €1.50 made on full-automatic machines.
- Backers include HV Capital, FoodLabs, Insight Partners and Roundtable Ventures, while critics allege VC-funded dumping that threatens independent cafés.
- Defenders, including investor Paula Hübner Wehmeyer, condemn the attacks and argue formats like LAP can grow Germany’s out-of-home coffee market, where consumption is relatively low.