Bitterzoet Coffee Roasters

More About Bitterzoet Coffee Roasters

Bitterzoet Coffee Roasters is a micro-roastery in Den Haag, with deep roots in Delft. Beau Meijer is one of the driving forces behind this project. The roastery focuses entirely on specialty coffee. The company aims to pay tribute to the hard work of the coffee farmer; therefore, they consciously roast the beans in small batches. To achieve this, they use a classic Giesen drum roaster, a machine built in the Netherlands.

Bitterzoet consistently opts for light to light-medium roast profiles. This approach aligns perfectly with the modern, Scandinavian style of coffee roasting. The goal is always to create a complex, sweet, and balanced cup of coffee. After roasting, they put the coffee through extensive cupping sessions. Sometimes, multiple test roasts are required to achieve the perfect flavor profile. Friday is the company’s dedicated roasting day, after which they typically ship the fresh beans within two to three days.

Transparency and Fair Pricing

Transparency is an absolute core value for this The Hague-based roastery. Their current online selection consists exclusively of six unique single-origin coffees. On the product pages’s, they share highly detailed information with the consumer, including the farmer, variety, region, altitude, and specific processing method. Notably, they also openly communicate the exact purchase price per kilo.

These purchase prices currently range from $10.53 to $17.53 per kilo. For direct imports, they collaborate with established partners such as Cofinet, Grounds Specialty Coffee, and YD Selects. The aim is to build long-term relationships with farmers, avoiding the anonymous sourcing of large, commercial coffee lots.

A Palette of Complex Flavors

The assortment showcases a broad yet carefully curated range of processing methods. The roastery offers washed, honey, and natural processed coffees. Below is an overview of the key origins from the current collection:

Colombia La Divisa: Farmer Sebastian Gomez produces this Castillo at an altitude of 1700 meters. The beans are anaerobically washed for thirty hours. The tasting notes are jackfruit, cookies, plum, and dark chocolate. Bitterzoet specifically aims for a clean taste, without heavy fermentation.
Ethiopia Buku Abel (China Beauty): Grown by Xiaoxiao Kang at over 2200 meters. Although it is a natural coffee, it tastes remarkably clean and delicate, offering notes of apricot, currant, and strawberry cream.
Costa Rica Noble Esperanza SL28: This coffee from Francisco and Kattia features a ‘white honey’ process. It is noteworthy that this farm holds an official Regenified certificate for sustainability.
Colombia Buena Vista Bourbon Aruzi: Produced by Javier and Maidy Quintero. The soft flavors of nectarine, red berry, and jasmine tea remain intact even as the coffee cools.
Costa Rica Los Campos Milenio: The Ramírez-Navarro family has managed their own micro-mill since 2015. This honey-processed coffee offers creamy notes of vanilla, hazelnut, orange, and peach.

Visual Identity and Local Roots

Bitterzoet’s visual identity reflects their natural philosophy. The design is heavily inspired by the Solanum dulcamara, also known as the bittersweet nightshade. The berries of this plant slowly change color from red to pink, creating a thoughtful botanical parallel to the ripening of coffee cherries. Artist Joosje Bosch translated this narrative into the packaging design. The labels focus primarily on origin and complex tasting notes, rather than lifestyle elements.

Bitterzoet supplies both retail consumers and professional hospitality clients through a professional wholesale program. They offer their fresh coffee in convenient 250-gram bags and bulk one-kilo packaging. In Den Haag, their beans are served at locations such as DuckRabbit Coffee Brewers and Thrive Coffee House. At Thrive Coffee House, they also organize educational workshops on filter coffee. In this way, the roastery is steadily building a strong, visible community within the Zuid-Holland coffee scene.

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