Capsules, pods, beans, instant coffee: a Carte Noire format for every machine
Carte Noire capsules, pods, beans and instant coffee
Lungo n°6 Classique, Espresso n°7 Classique, Espresso n°9 Intense. Pure Arabica aluminium capsules, boxes of 30. Compatible with Nespresso Original machines (not Vertuo).
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Carte Noire soft pods for Senseo-type machines: Classique N°5 (100% Arabica), Corsé N°7 and Espresso Intense N°8 (Arabica and Robusta), in packs of 60 filter paper pods.
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Professionnel range in 1 kg bags: Équilibré (full-bodied, with notes of chocolate and dried fruit) and Aromatique (pure Arabica, milder). For automatic bean-to-cup machines.
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Carte Noire Classique freeze-dried instant coffee, a blend of Arabica and Robusta, in a 500 g professional format: vending machines, office, occasional use. Multi-brand instant coffee range.
View the range →Carte Noire was born in 1978 in France, when René Monnier — who had already founded Grand'Mère coffee in 1954 — decided to launch a premium brand in a French market then dominated by three players: Maison du Café, Grand'Mère and Jacques Vabre. The gamble: 100% Arabica sold at a higher price than its competitors, in flexible packaging fitted with an aroma-preserving valve, a first for a coffee brand, with an understated, refined visual identity.
The gamble paid off. Supported by advertising inspired by perfume campaigns and cinema, the brand became the leader in pure Arabica coffee as early as 1984, adopted its slogan ‘A coffee named desire’ in 1985 and established itself as one of France's heritage brands. Its ownership history, however, was eventful: in 1982, Carte Noire was acquired by the Swiss company Jacobs Suchard, then came under the ownership of Philip Morris / Kraft Foods, before joining Mondelez International in 2012 when Kraft split.
In February 2016, Italy's Lavazza — still a family-owned group based in Turin — acquired Carte Noire for around 750 million €: the European Commission had required the sale when Mondelez's coffee business merged with Douwe Egberts. Lavazza brought production of ground coffee, pods and capsules back to the historic Lavérune factory (Hérault) and modernised it. Carte Noire was then France's leading coffee brand, with around 20% of the retail coffee market (Nielsen, by volume). Today, the brand offers its coffee as Nespresso-compatible capsules, soft pods, ground coffee, beans and instant coffee.
What has defined Carte Noire since 1978: 4 pillars of expertise that explain its status as a French heritage brand of premium coffee.
In 1978, Carte Noire backed pure Arabica when the market mainly offered Arabica and Robusta blends; by 1984, it had become the leader in this segment. In our selection, the capsules, Classique N°5 pods and Professionnel Aromatique beans are pure Arabica; Corsé N°7 and Espresso Intense N°8 pods, Équilibré beans and instant coffee blend Arabica and Robusta.
Roasted in Lavérune (Hérault), near Montpellier: the brand's historic factory, modernised by Lavazza since 2016, roasts and packs ground coffee, soft pods and capsules.
A complete coffee ecosystem for the home: Nespresso Original-compatible aluminium capsules, Senseo-compatible soft pods, 1 kg coffee beans, ground coffee and instant coffee: a format for every machine.
Carte Noire is one of France's recognised heritage brands (identity, slogan, packaging). It was France's leading retail coffee brand when Lavazza acquired it in 2016 (around 20% market share by volume, Nielsen).
The 5 Carte Noire products most ordered by our customers across all ranges (Nespresso capsules, soft pods, beans).
Carte Noire was created in 1978 in France by René Monnier, who had already founded Grand'Mère in 1954. The idea was to launch a premium 100% Arabica brand, sold at a higher price than its competitors, in flexible packaging fitted with an aroma-preserving valve, a first for a coffee brand.
By 1984, it had become the leader in pure Arabica coffee, then adopted its slogan ‘A coffee named desire’ in 1985: today, it is one of France's heritage brands.
Since late February 2016, Carte Noire has belonged to the Italian Lavazza group, which acquired it for around 750 million €. The brand remains French: its ground coffee, pods and capsules are roasted at the historic Lavérune factory (Hérault).
Its successive owners:
The brand has not disappeared: Carte Noire is still produced and sold. In 2025, with Arabica prices having soared since 2023, a pricing dispute arose between the brand and a major supermarket chain: its flagship packs almost disappeared from the chain's shelves from June to September 2025. The dispute was resolved in early autumn, but it took several more months for the shelves to be restocked.
Find the Carte Noire range at Cafemalin: Nespresso-compatible capsules, soft pods, coffee beans and instant coffee for professional use.
Carte Noire ground coffee, soft pods and capsules are roasted and packed in France, at the historic Lavérune factory near Montpellier (Hérault), which Lavazza has been modernising since acquiring it in 2016.
The green coffee comes from several origins depending on the product: Central America, South America and Africa for our capsules, for example. The capsules, Classique N°5 pods and Aromatique beans are pure Arabica; Corsé N°7 and Espresso Intense N°8 pods, Équilibré beans and instant coffee blend Arabica and Robusta.
The two formats are not interchangeable — each works with a different machine system:
Check your machine before buying: a soft pod does not work in a Nespresso, and vice versa.
It is the coffee brand bought by the most households in France and the leading brand in supermarkets, according to the Lavazza group. Its strengths can be checked on the label: pure Arabica coffees in part of the range (capsules, Classique N°5 pods and Aromatique beans in our selection), an intensity stated for each product and, for ground coffee, pods and capsules, roasting in France.
The right coffee is still the one you enjoy with your machine: for a mild coffee, Lungo n°6 or Classique N°5 pods; for a full-bodied coffee, Espresso n°9 Intense or Espresso Intense N°8 pods. Carte Noire also offers organic coffees, and its coffee bean and soft pod ranges have been Rainforest Alliance certified since 2023.
The choice depends on your machine and how you use it:
Coffee beans ground on demand retain the most aroma; capsules and pods offer greater convenience.
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