Bargermeer

Bargermeer in Emmen doesn't have a classic coffee street filled with crowded terraces, brunch spots, and espresso bars. The neighborhood has a different rhythm. Here, coffee is primarily associated with work, consultations, deliveries, breaks, and corporate hospitality. This makes the area interesting for coffee professionals who look beyond the traditional café market.

The background explains a lot. Bargermeer was once a lake of approximately 400 hectares between Noordbarge and Zuidbarge. After connecting to the Oranjekanaal between 1856–1858, the area dried up. Later, it grew into a vast industrial landscape featuring heavy industry, offices, trade, and logistics.

After the Second World War, the neighborhood developed a strong industrial identity. AKU/Enkalon began production in 1951, followed by Danlon in 1955. Later, companies such as DSM and Teijin Twaron arrived at the EMMTEC Industry & Business Park. In such an environment, coffee becomes less of a leisure culture and more of a daily work ritual.

“The local demand for coffee primarily comes from people who work there during the day. In 2026, Industrieterrein Bargermeer had only 32 residents and 15 households. At the same time, there were 1,403 addresses, 15 dwellings, and approximately 950 business locations. This disparity is what defines the market.”

“Consequently, peak hours don’t occur in the evenings or on Sunday afternoons. Instead, they align with early shifts, office openings, lunch breaks, meetings, and business visits. Coffee needs to be reliable, fast, affordable, and readily available. This profile is better suited to canteens, lunch counters, vending machines, and B2B delivery than to spontaneous weekend visits.”

“The most prominent coffee player in Bargermeer is Drents Bakkie, also known as Bakkie Koffie B.V., located at Phileas Foggstraat 22a. This local social coffee roastery gives the neighborhood a recognizable coffee identity. The company roasts and packs certified coffee, creating development and employment opportunities in the Emmen region.”

“The assortment is tailored to an accessible audience. Names like Bakkie Nicaragua, Bakkie Colombia, Bakkie Peru, and Bakkie Emmen combine origin with local recognition. Names such as Bakkie Liefde and Bakkie Puur also use simple, warm language. The 500-gram packages are listed with starting prices from “€8,49”.

“The roastery is open Monday through Friday, from 09:00 to 16:30. As such, Drents Bakkie is more of a public roastery than a classic café. Nevertheless, it remains the most credible destination for specialty coffee and impact coffee within the neighborhood.”

“In Bargermeer, coffee often appears in places that aren’t coffee shops. This says a lot about the local culture. At Total Artist on Kapitein Nemostraat 1B, for example, “always freshly brewed coffee” is highlighted, featuring a coffee corner, a sofa, and a reading table. Here, coffee enhances the customer experience within a retail and workshop environment.”

“Business events also use coffee as social infrastructure. Open Coffee Club Emmen organized a gathering on November 20, 2025, at Ondernemend Emmen on Kapitein Nemostraat 20. The meeting ran from 09:00 to 11:00 and cost “€10”, including coffee or tea.”

“Another example is Nautilusstraat 3, where Open Coffee Emmen announced a meetup for January 15, 2026. There, too, the focus was on meeting, exchanging ideas, and entrepreneurial networking, with coffee serving as an accessible connecting factor.”

“The same role is evident at social and public venues. De Nerf on Jacob le Mairestraat 291 has a canteen where visitors can have lunch or a coffee. The project office MM Bereikbaar on Tweede Bokslootweg 1 invites people to review plans over a cup of coffee.”

“Bargermeer has no established cluster of specialty cafés or historic coffee houses. The local and municipal sources researched mention no clear old coffee houses, brown cafés, or early espresso bars within the neighborhood itself. This absence of names is a significant finding.”

Alongside Drents Bakkie, Eetcafé & Snackbar Bargermeer on Nautilusstraat 1 is one of the few clear hospitality spots in the area. The establishment is open Monday through Friday, from 08:30 to 19:00. Its positioning focuses on lunch, snacks, and quick meals, rather than specialty coffee.

The sustainability side of coffee in Bargermeer is primarily driven by Drents Bakkie. The roastery collects coffee grounds and returns them to the soil to help trees and plants grow better. The company links this to CO2 reduction and circular impact.

The social aspect is just as important. Drents Bakkie provides development and employment opportunities for people distanced from the labor market. The move to Bargermeer was intended to enable growth, increasing production from approximately 200 kilos to 850 kilos of coffee per week. In this way, coffee here can literally create jobs.

The neighborhood itself is also at the start of a greener narrative. Bargermeer has been selected as one of four Drenthe sites within “Werklandschappen van de Toekomst” (Work Landscapes of the Future). This program focuses on greening, climate resilience, safety, health, and more attractive workplaces.

For café owners, roasters, and suppliers, the opportunity in Bargermeer does not lie in a standard high-street strategy. The neighborhood has few residents and limited evening or weekend foot traffic. Success depends instead on employees, meetings, catering, corporate subscriptions, mobile coffee services, and collaborations with local organizations.

The core message is clear: Bargermeer has an industrial coffee culture. Here, coffee is not a decoration, but a tool. It brings together employees, clients, entrepreneurs, and impact networks. Drents Bakkie gives that culture a face, combining local production, social value, and practical accessibility.