Geels & Co.

More About Geels & Co.

Geels & Co. uses 1864 as its official founding year. According to the company’s history, Antonius Geels began trading in colonial goods around 1863. The business later focused on coffee, tea, and confectionery. In 1866, Geels moved to Warmoesstraat 67 in Amsterdam. The company remained tied to this street for 147 years, until the shop closed on April 26, 2013.

Family business and ownership

Leadership remained within the Geels family for several generations. Herman Geels became director in 1913, followed by Theo Geels as a partner in 1923. Piet-Hein Geels took over the directorship in 1969. In 2001, Esther Geels became the owner, representing the fifth generation of this family business.

In 2013, the business came under the ownership of Jeroen Tang. His direct operational leadership is also noted from 2014 onwards. Prior to this, Tang had worked in the telecom sector. After the closure of the Amsterdam shop, he chose to continue as an online enterprise. According to him, renovating the old building was not commercially attractive. Consequently, operations were relocated to Kikkertweg 22 in Wormerveer.

Roasting and blending

Geels states that the coffee is roasted weekly and packaged directly at the roastery. A described method for blends uses five coffees from individual origins. The roasting installation operates fully automatically, according to the company, and is set up in compliance with current environmental standards. The brand, model, capacity, and annual production volume of the equipment are not publicly recorded.

In the processing of coffee chaff, the roastery uses a system that, according to Geels, consumes up to 95 percent less water. A baseline for comparison and a measurement method have not been published. As a result, this saving cannot be independently assessed based on the available data.

Assortment and brewing

The current website lists four house blends, eight single-origin coffees, and one decaffeinated coffee. Another recent company profile mentions three blends and six origin coffees. Therefore, the public figures are not entirely consistent. The webshop categorizes its offerings into espresso, blends, origins, and specialty coffee.

Familiar product names include Espresso Donker, Piet-Hein Geels Melange, Dessert Mild, and Cafeïne Vrije. The listed origins are Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, and Indonesia. The coffee is available as whole beans and in grind sizes for espresso, cafetière, mokkapot, and filter.

Sourcing and Supply Chain

Geels states that since 2016, all purchased coffee falls under Rainforest Alliance certification. The company also mentions suppliers that participate in the 4C Association. The available product names indicate sourcing from at least four countries. Names of plantations, cooperatives, exporters, contract terms, and producer prices are not publicly documented.

The storage and handling of green coffee are managed by Seabridge. According to Geels, this partner has a warehouse of 20,000 square meters, with space for 450,000 bags. The green coffee is then transported in 1,000-kilogram big bags to the roastery.

Sustainability and Packaging

Geels reports that Seabridge uses solar energy, operates in a climate-neutral manner, and holds a GreenBuilding certificate from the European Commission. Part of the transport to the storage location is done by rail. This replaces several truck trips, according to the company. The big bags used are sent to a recycling process after delivery.

For Espresso Donker, it is established that this coffee is roasted in a climate-neutral manner and packaged in fully recyclable monofilm. No recent packaging check or public emissions report is available for the entire range. Therefore, this data does not automatically apply to all products.

Sales, machines, and locations

Geels sells directly through a webshop and also supplies offices and hospitality businesses. In addition, the company is an official dealer of JURA Professional. It supplies, installs, and demonstrates commercial coffee machines. During installation, it also provides guidance on operation, cleaning, and maintenance.

Orders are shipped via PostNL. Pickup is available by appointment in Wormerveer or at De Bakkerswinkel on Warmoesstraat 69 in Amsterdam. This Amsterdam location is solely for order pickup. It is not a documented café of Geels.

Showroom, team, and public activities

The location in Wormerveer features a showroom for coffee, tea, maintenance supplies, and coffee machines. Visits and pickups are conducted by appointment. A fixed menu, free opening hours, or regular bar service are not publicly described. Public cuppings, workshops, and recurring events are also not documented.

Jeroen Tang is listed as the owner and operational leader. Esther Geels initially contributed after the acquisition but left shortly after the move. Heidi Geels-Roos and Carla Geels are mentioned as employees, without public job descriptions. According to LinkedIn, the company falls into the category of two to ten employees. Roles such as head roaster, green coffee buyer, and quality controller are not publicly recorded.

Position within the industry

The available information depicts a business with a long retail history and a later shift toward online sales and commercial supply. Public sources describe origin countries, certification, distribution, and equipment, but offer little insight into producer prices, roasting capacity, and quality control. Coffee prices, competition results, and industry awards are also not publicly documented.

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