The Cafés Méo house celebrated its 90 years of existence in 2018. The company, which has been able to combine tradition and innovation, has been part of the regional heritage of the Hauts-de-France region for three generations.
The Cafés Méo house celebrated its 90 years of existence in 2018. The company, which has been able to combine tradition and innovation, has been part of the regional heritage of the Hauts-de-France region for three generations.
The brand was created by the Belgian brothers Jules and Emile Meauxsoone. Originally from the city of Warneton in Belgium, they settled in Lille in the early 1920's, fleeing the German occupation. In order to earn a living, they sold dairy products, poultry and coffee at local markets. They finally decided to specialize in the sale of 100% Arabica coffee and opened their first fine grocery store in 1928, rue Saint André in Lille. At the time, coffee was of poor quality and brands didn't yet exist.
They were among the first in France to obtain a licence for the direct importation of coffee beans, allowing them to obtain high quality coffee. They then decided to expand and opened several shops in the Lille metropolitan.
In 1945, after World War II, the Meauxsoone brothers created the Méo brand. The company becomes the first to sell coffee under its own brand and with its own shops. The coffee beans are roasted in front of the customers and the shops, without doors, allowed the smell of freshly roasted coffee to spread through the streets. In 1954, the master roasters opened a shop in Paris, rue Saint Lazare, which immediately met with great success. In the 1970's, Méo made its entry into the retail market in the Auchan supermarkets. In 1992, cafés Méo joins the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) and also the global compact, and then went on to engage in the business of fair trade with the Max Havelaar certification.
In 2012, cafés Méo merged with the family company Fichaux Industries, specialised in the manufacture of brands for distributors, in order to become the first French independent coffee roaster. The following year, the company innovates by creating their own capsules that are compatible with Nespresso machines.
In 2016, they invested in a third line of production of capsules : more efficient and 100% customizable.
In 2017, they go even further by proposing a new capsule certified 100% organic and compostable. The brand's products are available through many channels, online, in supermarkets or in their stores.
For even more conviviality, you can taste the cafés Méo in their two Parisian cafés or in Lille, place General de Gaulle, which offers a magnificent viewpoint of the Grand'Place.
Adresse : Café Méo
5 place du Général de Gaulle
59000 Lille
03 20 57 34 54
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Jessica from Comme des Français