Capsules, pods, granules, soluble: a Carte Noire format for every machine
Capsules, pods, granules, soluble Carte Noire
Lungo No. 6 Classic, Espresso No. 7 Classic, Espresso No. 9 Intense. Aluminum capsules, pure Arabica, boxes of 30. Compatible with Nespresso Original machines (not Vertuo).
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soft pods Carte Noire for Senseo type machines: Classic No. 5 (100% Arabica), Corsé No. 7 and Intense Espresso No. 8 (Arabica and Robusta), in packs of 60 filter paper pods.
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Professional range in 1 kg bags: Balanced (full-bodied, with notes of chocolate and dried fruit) and Aromatic (pure Arabica, milder). For automatic machines with grinders.
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Carte Noire Classic freeze-dried instant coffee , a blend of Arabica and Robusta, in a 500g professional format: vending machines, offices, occasional use. Multi-brand instant coffee aisle.
View the range →Carte Noire was founded in 1978 in France , when René Monnier —already the founder of Grand'Mère coffee in 1954—decided to launch a premium brand on the French market, then dominated by three players: Maison du Café , Grand'Mère , and Jacques Vabre . The gamble: a 100% Arabica coffee sold at a higher price than the competition, in a flexible package with an aroma-guarantee valve —a first for a coffee brand—with a sleek and refined graphic identity.
The gamble paid off. Boosted by advertising that drew on the codes of perfume and cinema, the brand became the number one pure Arabica coffee brand in 1984, adopted its slogan "A coffee named desire" , and established itself among France's heritage brands. However, its ownership history has been turbulent: in 1982, Carte Noire was acquired by the Swiss company Jacobs Suchard, then became part of Philip Morris/Kraft Foods, before joining Mondelez International in 2012 during the Kraft split.
In February 2016 , the Italian company Lavazza —still a Turin-based family group—acquired Carte Noire for approximately €750 million . The European Commission had mandated this sale during the merger of Mondelez's coffee business with Douwe Egberts. Lavazza brought the production of ground coffee, pods, and capsules Carte Noire was then the back to the historic factory in Lavérune (Hérault) and modernized it. leading coffee brand in France , with approximately 20% of the retail coffee market (Nielsen, by volume). Today, the brand offers its coffee in Nespresso-compatible capsules, soft pods, ground coffee, whole 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 focused on pure Arabica when the market mainly offered blends of Arabica and Robusta; by 1984, it had become the number one in this segment. In our selection, the capsules, the Classic N°5 pod, and the Professional Aromatic beans are pure Arabica; the Corsé N°7 and Espresso Intense N°8 pods, the Balanced beans, and the instant coffee blend Arabica and Robusta.
Roasting in Lavérune (Hérault), near Montpellier: the brand's historic factory, modernized by Lavazza since 2016, roasts and packages ground coffee, soft pods and capsules.
Complete home ecosystem: Nespresso Original compatible aluminum capsules, Senseo compatible soft pods, 1 kg coffee beans, ground and instant soluble coffee : a format for every machine.
Carte Noire is one of the French heritage brands (identity, slogan, packaging). It was the leading retail coffee brand in France at the time of its acquisition by Lavazza in 2016 (approximately 20% market share by volume, Nielsen).
The 5 most ordered Carte Noire products 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 the Grand'Mère in 1954. The idea was to launch a high-end 100% Arabica brand, sold at a higher price than competitors, in a flexible package with an aroma guarantee valve, a first for a coffee brand.
It became the number one pure Arabica coffee brand in 1984, then adopted its slogan "A coffee named desire" : today it is one of the French heritage brands.
Since the end of February 2016, Carte Noire has belonged to the Italian group Lavazza, which acquired it for approximately €750 million. The brand remains French: its ground coffee, pods and capsules are roasted in thehistoric factory in Lavérune (Hérault).
Its successive owners:
The brand hasn't disappeared: Carte Noire is still produced and sold. In 2025, as Arabica prices had been soaring since 2023, a price dispute arose between the company 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 the fall, but it took several more months for the shelves to be restocked.
Find the Carte Noire at Cafemalin : Nespresso compatible capsules, soft pods, coffee beans and professional soluble coffee.
ground coffee, soft pods and capsules Carte Noire are roasted and packaged in France, in thehistoric factory in Lavérune, near Montpellier (Hérault), which Lavazza has been modernizing since its acquisition in 2016.
Green coffee comes from various origins depending on the product: Central America , South America , and Africa for our capsules, for example. The capsules, the Classic No. 5 pod, and the Aromatic bean are pure Arabica; the Corsé No. 7 and Espresso Intense No. 8 pods, the Balanced bean, and the instant coffee blend Arabica and Robusta.
The two formats are not interchangeable — each format works with a different machine system:
Check your machine before buying: a soft pod does not on a Nespresso, and vice versa.
It's the coffee brand purchased by the most households in France and the number one in supermarkets, according to the Lavazza group. Its strengths are evident on the label: pure Arabica in part of the range (capsules, Classic N°5 pods and Aromatic beans from our selection), an intensity indicated on each product and, for ground coffee, pods and capsules, roasting in France.
The best coffee is the one you like best on your machine: for a mild coffee, the Lungo No. 6 or the Classic No. 5 pod; for a strong coffee, theIntense Espresso No. 9 or the Intense Espresso No. 8 pod. Carte Noire also offers organic coffees, and its ranges of whole bean and soft pod coffees have been Rainforest Alliance certified since 2023.
The choice depends on your machine and your intended use :
Freshly ground coffee beans retain the most aroma; capsules and pods offer greater convenience.
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