Blanche Dael

More About Blanche Dael

Founded on April 17, 1878, by Guillaume Dael, Blanche Dael is locally renowned as the premier coffee roastery and tea packer in Maastricht. The original shop opened at Wolfstraat 28. In 1905, the company began roasting coffee in a smokehouse on Bonnefantenstraat. The name changed in 1928 to the current Maison Blanche Dael, named after the youngest daughter, Blanche, after she joined the business. Today, Albert Berghof leads the company. Representing the fourth generation, he has been active in the business since 1998. With 35 full-time employees in 2024, Blanche Dael profiles itself as a true family business that carefully bridges tradition and the future.

Quality, Philosophy, and Flavor Profiles

The roastery places a strong emphasis on craftsmanship, freshness, and transparency. A significant portion of the assortment consists of hand-selected single origins. For filter coffees, the focus is specifically on micro-roasts, where the unique character of the origin takes center stage rather than a heavy or dark roast. Many of these single origins score 80 or more SCA points, underscoring their clear positioning within the specialty coffee market.

The extensive range is clearly divided into segments such as Café Catalogue, Espresso, Lungo, Filter, Decafe, and Organic. Two particular lines immediately stand out:

Café Unique: Coffees originating from one specific origin area, region, or finca.
Café En Passant: Small batches with limited availability that frequently achieve high SCA scores.

Some standout coffees include the Colombia El Limon (84 SCA) with notes of watermelon, red fruits, peach, and chocolate, and the Costa Rica Finca Matinilla (84.5 SCA) with nuances of apple, stone fruit, and dried fruit. The Burundi Butihinda (83.5 SCA) and Sumatra Mandheling offer sweet, floral or spicy and caramel-like flavor profiles, respectively. For espresso lovers, there is the Caffè Ristretto; an intense, short Italian-style shot with hints of sweet tobacco and cocoa.

Sustainability and Direct Sourcing

The sourcing of top arabica’s is based on the principle of transparency. Blanche Dael maintains direct contact with coffee farmers, focusing on fair prices and helping farmers increase sustainability. A striking example of this is the collaboration in Kachalú, Santander, where the roastery works closely with Efico and the Colombian Coffee Federation (FNC).

In 2017, Blanche Dael won the Maastricht Award for building an energy-efficient roastery, demonstrating operational sustainability. Additionally, the company manages the Stichting Escuela Blanche Dael, an ANBI-registered charity focused on education for children in producing countries. According to the 2026 impact report, this foundation supported eight projects in one country with a budget of 68,822 euros. This program directly helped 448 coffee entrepreneurs and supported more than 155 coffee families. The foundation also finances barista training at Terra Nigra and contributes to the maintenance of four communal spaces.

Physical Locations and the Growth of Coffeelovers

After a search lasting over ten years, the company moved in 2020 to the Brikkenbouw at Aan de Brikkebouw 10. In this historic industrial building, production, offices, a coffee and tea shop, a café with a terrace, and classroom spaces are efficiently brought together. Meanwhile, the very first historic shop at Wolfstraat 28 in the city center remains open to the public.

To offer consumers a direct route to the coffee, Blanche Dael launched the sister concept Coffeelovers in 2000. This quickly grew into a regional chain. In the spring of 2023, the tenth location opened in Heerlen. The network then comprised six locations in Maastricht and separate branches in Venlo, Eindhoven, and Roermond, consistently employing internally trained baristas.

Education and Market Position

Knowledge sharing is an essential part of the brand experience. The location in the Brikkenbouw houses a Coffee School where various SCA and barista trainings are provided. Interested visitors can also take the Roastery Tour to learn, taste, and experience the fascinating process from bean to cup.

In the B2B market, the brand is a strong partner providing high-end espresso machines from manufacturers such as La Marzocco, Kees van der Westen, and Sanremo. The company’s driving role in the sector was evident in 2011; at the roastery’s initiative, Maastricht hosted the World of Coffee event, which attracted over 2,500 international visitors. With this, Limburg’s oldest traditional coffee roastery confirms its influence and dedication to quality coffee.

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