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Coffee Collective
1. Tell us about Coffee Collective and why did you guys start roasting coffee in Copenhagen?
We started roasting in a small shed near the airport in 2007 - just after Klaus won the World Barista Championships. Quickly we realised we needed to have a storefront where we could make people coffee so we opened our first coffee shop shortly after in 2008.
2. Where are you from and how did you get into coffee?
We as a Collective are Danish and all three Co-Founders and Co-Owners are from different parts of the country.They ended up in Copenhagen working for a coffee firm called Estate Coffee and after a few years realised they could create their own business which would be more unique. That's when Coffee Collective was born!
3. What is the best coffee experience you’ve had ever?
You may have heard of this mythical coffee varietal Geisha. Then the best one we have ever tasted is from a small farm in Bolivia called Takesi. They selected us to be the one and only roastery in Europe to carry their beans so that was an incredibly humbling moment - being selected by a coffee farmer to represent them.
4. What do you think about sustainability in the coffee industry?
Lots of coffee businesses are talking about it but to be honest, we feel not enough is being done. Trade wise there is a big movement to be transparent about prices paid to coffee producers. The aim would be to empower producers so they can start selling coffee at higher prices or at least understand the trade mechanisms to increase quality for higher earnings. Along the coffee supply chain, research also shows that the biggest environmental emissions come from coffee shops so we'd love to see more done there too. We've taken a stance and become a Certified B Corp. No certification is entirely perfect but it's a start for us to progress forward. We also have an internal 'Green Collective' group that will aim to ensure we are Carbon Neutral by 2022. It's the least we can do for the environment that is critical for our business to function.
5. Tell us about the coffees featuring in this months Brew Box?
Akmel Nuri - a natural processed Ethiopian coffee. The varieties at Akmel's farm as plentiful and as its a native species and not cultivated there are simply too many to list. You can expect a dynamic cup that is full of sweetness. The Drying takes roughly 10 - 15 days and Akmel and his team are vigilant so the coffee does not taste much of the natural processing (fermentation).
Finca Vista - a washed Guatemalan with some really crisp apple acidity yet aromas are not fruit driven at all. A more subtle caramel and nougat aroma profile that pairs well with this acidity.
Halo - another of those Ethiopians where the varieties are not known or referred to as 'Heirloom Varietals'. This is from a well known region called Yirgacheffe that is known for its floral notes in the coffee. The coffee is washed, dried on african raised beds and then taken to Addis Ababa for processing and export.
6. Tell us something uncoffee related about yourselves?
We all ride to work - even our CEO Peter Dupont. Copenhagen is a fantastic cycling city and often the fastest way to commute by bike. It's quite funny in the morning you often catch everyone pulling in to the bike racks at the same time so we go in and have coffee together at the roastery.
7. What's the plan for the future?
We hope to increase our work at origin, bringing more value back to the producers and buying more delicious coffees. Maybe there will be another coffee shop on the horizon but we'll have to wait and see what 2020 brings!