Coffee & Tasty

Coffee & Tasty is a specialty store in the center of Assen, located at Gedempte Singel 42. The business has been in operation since 2008. The original founder or founders are not mentioned in the available company information. In October 2021, the shop moved from Gedempte Singel 19 to its current address.

Melvin Hendriks and Olga Brouwer have been the owners since 2024. They noticed in February of that year that Coffee & Tasty was for sale and subsequently took over the business. Both have a background in retail. In 2022, they already purchased the webshop Hooimadam, which sells cooking bags. This product line was later incorporated into the physical assortment of Coffee & Tasty.

The business combines a physical store with an online shop. The assortment consists of coffee beans, loose-leaf tea, herbs, confectionery, gifts, coffee equipment, and cooking bags. As such, Coffee & Tasty functions primarily as a specialized retailer. Public information does not provide a complete picture of the hospitality activities or the number of seats.

For its coffee offering, the shop works with Dutch roasters. Mentioned are Mocca d’Or from Zwolle, Frans de Grebber Coffee Roasters from Meppel, and Boot Koffie from Baarn. Frans de Grebber roasts the coffees for the house brand Bartjes. Within that range, various blends and origins are established.

The Bartjes assortment includes a blend of 100% arabica and a combination of arabica and robusta. Additionally, there are decaffeinated beans and coffee from Costa Rica processed using the black honey method. The shop also sells coffee under the name Mocca d’Or. This range contains blends, single-origin coffees, organic variants, and decaffeinated products.

According to product information, Bartjes beans are suitable for super-automatic machines, semi-automatic machines, filter devices, percolators, and cafetières. Espresso, cappuccino, and filter coffee are also mentioned as possible preparations. These are recommendations for home use. It is not clear from public data which methods are applied daily behind the counter.

In addition to coffee, the assortment mentions chai latte and hot chocolate. A previous post on social media also showed a Pumpkin Spice Latte. However, a current and complete drink menu is not public. As a result, data on portions, prices, machines used, and the fixed offering in the shop are missing.

Coffee & Tasty states that it pays attention to organic and sustainably sourced products when selecting tea. Many herbs and spices are said to be wild-harvested and low in salt. For coffee, the company claims to discuss information about plantations with the roasters. Sometimes there is also direct contact with coffee farmers.

The webshop has a separate category for Fairtrade and organic coffee. This does not imply that the entire coffee offering carries a certification. Names of farms, paid purchase prices, and independently audited data on the supply chain are not published. No report is available that measures the sustainability of the entire business.

According to the company, the production of the Hooimadam cooking bags is managed internally, starting from the selection of wool and fabrics. The bag retains heat, allowing food to continue cooking without constant reheating. The collaboration with ReFurnitured aligns with local reuse initiatives. This organization restores furniture that might otherwise be discarded.

Coffee & Tasty supports ReFurnitured with coffee and tea and has occasionally provided financial support. Additionally, FC Assen named the business as a club sponsor in April 2026. In February 2026, the shop participated in a New Year's market for employees of the Prison Museum. Older reports also mention the Assen Havendagen and seasonal markets.

A fixed program of workshops, cuppings, exhibitions, or tastings is not publicly documented. However, the shop has appeared in various local and national listings. In 2018, Coffee & Tasty was included in a list of addresses for cappuccino and espresso. In 2026, the shop finished eighth based on votes in the gifts and specialty stores category of The Most Beautiful Shop in the Netherlands.

In 2020, a regional newspaper reported that then-owner Jeroen Abbing opened a second location in Coevorden. Assen was described as the existing first location. No national barista titles, coffee awards, or independently evaluated brand distinctions were found in the researched information.