BeanBrothers

BeanBrothers from Eindhoven has stood for coffee with character since 2009. Founder Arjan van der Hoek traded his military career for roasting beans and, together with partner Gipke, built a tight-knit 'brotherhood' around flavor, fair trade, and craftsmanship. Today the small city roastery enjoys a big reputation: 9/10 in the AD Coffee Test, a customer score of 4.8/5, and a loyal audience that craves freshly roasted beans. This article explores BeanBrothers' path and the lessons it offers the coffee world.

The story began with a mobile espresso bar at festivals. Within five years a permanent spot followed in a 200-year-old warehouse at Bergstraat 14a. There the team roasts small batches weekly on a Giesen roaster, so the beans find their way to customers within days. Thanks to that focus on freshness, they even sold 140 bags per day via the webshop during the lockdown.

At its peak, the brotherhood counted ten coffee professionals. When events disappeared in 2020, the couple remained resilient and switched to online sales and local bicycle delivery. The episode showed how a small team can survive through flexibility and a sense of community.

BeanBrothers lives by the motto 'Making Bitter Better'. The roast curves are deliberately balanced: not too dark, not too light, just long enough to let each bean's character sing. Weekly cuppings, logged profiles, and direct feedback keep quality sharp.

Ethics are as important as flavor. The roaster pays farmers from, among others, Brazil, Honduras, and Uganda a price well above the market, without intermediaries. Transparency makes every origin story visible on the packaging, from altitude to farmers' names.

• The Brotherhood blend: Nicaragua, Brazil, and Honduras, tastes of red fruit, milk chocolate, and cane sugar.
• Bruno (Brazil): full body, soft milk chocolate and almond, finishes creamy.
• Mauricio Salaverria (El Salvador): medium body, bright acidity, caramel and red fruit.
• Elmer & Aristides (Honduras): 100% organic, caramel, marzipan and mandarin.
• Nafuna Bugisu (Uganda): powerful, dark chocolate, salted caramel, creamy finish.
• Six flavor profiles help customers quickly find their favorite, each with its own color.

The color coding on the bags makes choosing easy. A green 'Generous Brother' points to nutty sweetness, while pink 'Delicate Brother' promises subtle floral notes.

Experimentation is part of the brand’s DNA. Founder Arjan learned to roast without formal training, thousands of test batches yielded insight into how changes in temperature and time steer mouthfeel. That curiosity resulted in fifth place and a 9/10 score in the AD Coffee Test 2016, a reward for years of fine-tuning.

The drive to discover doesn’t stop. Each week micro-lots appear in small runs, sometimes a Kenyan peaberry, then again an Ethiopian natural. Cupping sessions in the bar invite customers to taste along and share feedback, giving the community a direct say in future releases.

Packaging follows the same care. All 250-gram bags are biodegradable, larger sizes will get the same upgrade soon. Plans for 2025 include fully plastic-free packaging, expanding direct trade, and a glamping project 'Eindje Buiten' where guests sip BeanBrothers coffee among the fruit trees each day.

In Eindhoven, the city roastery serves as a learning space. Barista trainings for hospitality, workshops for home baristas, and pop-up coffee bars at Dutch Design Week bring specialty coffee to a wider audience. The result is a lively scene where quality becomes the norm.

The team acts as an ambassador. Baristas are trained as all-round coffee experts who not only extract espresso but also tell stories. This welcoming approach earned BeanBrothers a 4.8/5 customer rating; visitors especially praise the passion and clear explanations with every cup.

BeanBrothers proves that small can taste big. A clear story, a fair supply chain, strong branding, and continuous renewal deliver a model that inspires roasters and coffee fans. Anyone following the market sees here how passion and pragmatism come together in a cup that tastes better and feels better.