Fleur de Café

More About Fleur de Café

Fleur de Café began in 2007 as a modest hobby in an attic in Diepenveen. Founders Marc and Eugénie Steenhuis steadily expanded the business. Initial growth stemmed from a successful hospitality concept centered around loose leaf tea. In 2013, the company moved to a spacious premises on the Hamburgweg in Deventer. A year later, they began roasting their own coffee in-house. Today, the facility spans over a thousand square meters and the team consists of 23 employees. Management divides tasks clearly: Director Marc focuses on the coffee and espresso machines, while Director Eugénie leads procurement, the tea division, and marketing.

Innovation and Precision in the Roasting Process

The roastery in Deventer is the beating heart of the company. Production manager Erwin and his team operate five coffee roasters here. Machine capacity ranges from 250 grams to 60 kilos per batch. The machinery received a major technological upgrade in 2018 with a Loring S70 Peregrine. This modern machine reduces gas consumption by as much as eighty percent compared to traditional roasters.

The roasting team uses fixed, digitally stored roast profiles. This guarantees extremely consistent quality for every production run. The roasters cool the beans without water, a technique that completely excludes quenching. Fleur de Café places a high value on freshness. The coffee is considered fresh for up to two months after the roast date. After one year, the coffee reaches its final consumption limit.

Diversity in Flavor and Origin

The current green coffee assortment includes approximately sixty varieties from twenty different countries. Procurement focuses on single origin, organic, and direct trade coffees. Direct trade lines are established with farmers in Uganda, Ethiopia, East Timor, and Nicaragua. In Nicaragua, the roastery works closely with the Ferrufino family of Finca Aurora.

From these green beans, the team creates several well-known blends. Some of the signature compositions in their range include:

Primero Melange: The most popular blend (75% arabica, 25% robusta) featuring beans from Brazil, Honduras, and Vietnam. This coffee offers notes of cocoa and a subtle sweetness.
Espresso Magnifique: A 100% arabica blend suitable for all brewing methods, characterized by hints of chocolate and mocha.
Grand Cru: A light-roasted blend (95% arabica) with fruity accents and cocoa.
Style Italien: A dark roast with 20% robusta, designed for a classic espresso or milk-based drinks.
AOC: The mild house blend of 100% arabica, sourced from Costa Rica, Kenya, and Colombia.

Market Leader in Loose Leaf Tea

Alongside the coffee roastery, the tea division plays an indispensable role in the business operations. Local publications have repeatedly named Fleur de Café as a market leader in loose leaf tea. The retail range now includes over 140 varieties of loose tea, approximately twenty of which are organically certified. For offices and workplaces, twelve flavors are offered in tea bags. Furthermore, the company is innovating with sustainable packaging materials; the tea bags are completely plastic-free, made from plant-based materials, and are compostable. This tea segment also offers an accessible entry point, with private label tea available starting from a minimum order of just three kilos.

Private Label and Total Solutions

More than half of the total coffee production now consists of private label assignments. The company designs custom blends and provides full-color packaging. The minimum order for personalized coffee ranges between 32 and 56 kilos, while private label coffee pods start at 1,800 units.

Fleur de Café also offers a comprehensive package for the hospitality sector, offices, and resellers in Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Since 2012, the company has sold more than 250 barista machines annually from brands such as La Marzocco, Fracino, and Nivona. Technical specialists handle the installation and maintenance. This broad professional expertise ensures additional visibility in the market. In January 2025, the company shared its expertise during the Coffee Special at the Horeca Vakbeurs in Hardenberg. They also recently presented a mobile, gas-powered coffee cart in collaboration with Multiwagon.

Sustainability and Circular Entrepreneurship

Sustainability is deeply woven into the company’s philosophy. The roof of the Deventer facility is equipped with 252 solar panels. Combined with the efficient Loring roaster, this results in an energy and emissions reduction of up to ninety percent. The sales team contributes to this by driving fully electric vehicles.

Since 2011, the company has held the SKAL certification for organic products. Furthermore, circular operations are given a local and concrete form. Every month, the roastery receives approximately two hundred jute coffee sacks. The company repurposes these bags, along with cardboard and coffee husks, through local partners. An oyster mushroom grower in Deventer and the Trajectum foundation structurally use these waste materials, successfully putting the company’s circular vision into practice.

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