Nestled in the heart of Berlin, Fjord Coffee Roasters has been on a mission since 2016 to revolutionize the coffee experience. Their mantra? To seek the rare and exotic, uncovering coffee’s hidden gems while championing sustainability and innovation. Fjord’s journey intertwines two vital aspects of the coffee supply chain: evolving the coffee culture while ensuring economic sustainability for coffee farmers. By collaborating with world-class producers, Fjord not just roasting beans but orchestrating experiments that yield new and groundbreaking flavors.
Origins
Fjord Coffee Roasters was established in 2016 by the visionaries behind two iconic specialty coffee shops, Father Carpenter and Silo. With their shared experience and expertise, they embarked on a mission to uncover rare and unique coffee flavors, all while creating a space where high-quality coffee is accessible to everyone.
Fjord’s approach is the seamless integration of each owners talents. Kresten excels in coffee and product innovation, Morgan specializes in sales and advertising, and James masters copywriting and strategic planning. This collaborative ethos is central to their success, avoiding gaps often seen in the coffee industry.
What sets Fjord apart is their focus on rarity. Working hand-in-hand with farmers, they seek sought-after lots that are as valuable to coffee connoisseurs all the while ensuring fair profits to the producers. This partnership is about taste and redefining coffee’s potential while honouring its origins. Each gorgeus box from Fjord (the boxes really are quite gorgeous!) tells a story of soil, sun, and the hands that brought it to life.
Craft Meets Science: The Art of Roasting
For Fjord, roasting is a craft that demands discipline and perpetual learning. Their 1950’s cast-iron Probat roaster is the star of the show. These old Probats are famed in the coffee world for their stable heat retention. The Probat Roaster is the stage where heat, airflow, and drum speed are transformed into an intricate formula of timing and temperature. Fjord’s philosophy is simple: the brilliance of a coffee’s flavour lies in its origin not at roasting, and the roasters job is to draw out the “truth” of the bean with honesty and clarity.
By blending conduction and convection heat, Fjord ensures each bean is roasted to perfection. Light roasts, with their harder beans, require a delicate touch to de-gas fully and bloom into their peak flavors, typically around 5-14 days post-roast. Darker roasts, with their brittleness, reveal their magic earlier. And while “fresh” coffee might sound appealing, Fjord dispels myths with science: coffee’s flavor peaks when given time to rest and release CO2, avoiding the ‘sparkly’ muted notes of overly fresh brews.
Beyond Industry Trends
But, Fjord Coffee’s commitment to sustainability goes beyond industry trends. The team addresses challenges like coffee remoistening, a significant issue in Colombia due to high-altitude and humid climates. By exploring innovative drying techniques and even considering purchasing farms, Fjord enhances quality at every stage.
Think fresh coffee is better? According to Fjord, this lacks nuance. Today’s focus on freshness can be traced to Starbucks who were rightly doing battle against old tinned coffee. Fjord demystifies the concept of freshness, revealing that coffee’s sweet spot isn’t the day it’s roasted but instead the days and weeks that follow. Washed coffees shine best between 6-14 days, while natural or anaerobic varieties hit their stride between 10-25 days. Stale coffee – like the old tinned stuff – has no vibrancy and tastes flat and lifeless.
Brewing Success: Fjord’s Journey with Erik Freudenberg
Fjord’s passion for excellence found a kindred spirit in Erik Freudenberg, a university student turned coffee aficionado. Winner of the 2023 Brewers Cup, Erik chose a Peruvian Geisha varietal roasted by Fjord, celebrating its delicate florality and vibrant fruitiness. His work with Fjord exemplifies their shared commitment to elevating coffee on a global stage.
With a mission rooted in rarity and sustainability, Fjord Coffee Roasters is more than a roastery; it’s a leader in the global coffee world. From their experimental roasting techniques to their advocacy for coffee farmers, Fjord transforms every cup into an unforgettable experience.
Responsible Shipping
Often when we launch a far-away guest roaster on our social media someone will comment that “Oh that’s great, so the coffee shipped from Central America to Germany only to ship to North America? Nice CO2 footprint, Pedaal.”
You know what? Fair point. However, our strategy with guest roasts is to combine them into the boxes of the bicycle brands we import. There is a lot of empty space in a typical bicycle box! This helps us maximize logistical cubic feet and lower costs. It also allows us to have a blast exposing our customers to interesting roasters; who – like the bike companies we import – tend to do things with more innovation, and certainly more precision.
