Kaffa Koffie & Theespecialiteiten

More About Kaffa Koffie & Theespecialiteiten

Kaffa Koffie & Tea Specialties is an Amsterdam coffee shop located at Czaar Peterstraat 130. The business has been associated with owner Marcos Desta since 2007, who is publicly recognized as the owner and face of the enterprise. The shop is situated in the Czaar Peterkwartier, a neighborhood that was undergoing significant change during the same period. Desta saw an opportunity there to start a shop while simultaneously contributing to increased activity in his own community.

Origins and Background

Desta’s personal background plays a clear role in the profile of Kaffa. He grew up in Ethiopia, where, according to available information, the family home was surrounded by coffee bushes. After arriving in the Netherlands, he turned his knowledge of Ethiopian coffee into a profession. For Kaffa, Desta was already involved in a plan from the early 1990s for Ethiopian coffee houses. That plan aimed to provide employment for Ethiopian refugees in the Netherlands.

The name and assortment of Kaffa align with that Ethiopian origin. In the public information about the business, the emphasis is on coffee from Ethiopia, with references to Kaffa or Kefa, Yergacheffe, and Sidamo. This positions the shop within a specific segment of the coffee market: coffee with a clear origin and a limited, documented product line.

Coffee Selection

The documented coffee offering consists of Kaffa, Yergacheffe, and Sidamo. Yergacheffe is described as coffee from South Ethiopia, located between the hills of Sidamo, near Yirgacheffe. Sidamo is described as Arabica from the Sidamo province in South Ethiopia. The coffee grows there on small plantations and is hand-picked when the cherries are ripe.

The webshop lists various packaging options and grind sizes. Coffee is available as 1 kg of beans, 250 grams of beans, 250 grams of cafetière grind, 250 grams of espresso grind, and 250 grams of drip filter grind. In 2014, it was reported that Kaffa sold single-origin coffees and no blends. No public documentation has been found regarding a current blend assortment.

Sourcing and roasting

According to available business information, Marcos Desta selects coffee in Ethiopia. This also involves contact with farmers. The coffee grows, according to the coffee description, at an altitude of around 1,500 meters. In 2023, it was reported that Kaffa sells only Arabica and no Robusta. It was also described at that time that the beans are roasted at a coffee roastery in Halfweg.

The chain of procurement and import is not fully documented in public records. In 2014, it was reported that Kaffa purchased coffee through intermediaries in Germany and Belgium, after which the coffee was shipped by sea and roasted in Halfweg. In 2023, it was reported that Desta traveled to Ethiopia once for coffee procurement, but that container-sized purchases were too large for a sole proprietorship. According to that description, he purchases through importers in the Netherlands or France. Publicly named farms or cooperations are not documented.

Roast Profile and Equipment

Limited public information is available regarding the roasting profile. In 2014, a shift was described from darker roasts to medium to light roasting. The name of the roastery in Halfweg is not publicly recorded in the available data. Neither the roasting machine used nor other technical equipment is publicly documented.

Sustainability and Transparency

Available information mentions direct contact with farmers in Ethiopia and checks on selection and quality. It is also noted that Desta ensures coffee is grown under proper conditions and purchased at a fair price. However, public documentation on formal certifications such as Fairtrade, organic, Rainforest Alliance, or B Corp is lacking. There is also no public information found regarding policies on waste, packaging reduction, emissions, recycling, or annual sustainability reporting.

Shop, delivery, and business clients

The physical shop on Czaar Peterstraat is open from Tuesday through Saturday, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The shop is closed on Mondays. The business is described as a shop primarily focused on the sale of coffee beans. In addition, Kaffa sells tea, coffee tins, teapots, cups, chocolate, and Ethiopian gift items. Some gift items are only available in the shop and not in the webshop.

In addition to in-store sales, Kaffa operates through orders via its own website, with in-store pickup as an option. The company also supplies businesses, cafés, and restaurants. For orders of 10 kilos of coffee or more, a Kaffamobiel is mentioned within the ring of Amsterdam. In 2023, it was described that this vehicle was used for deliveries to five or six companies.

Public activities and team

Several public activities around the shop have been documented. For its tenth anniversary in 2017, Kaffa asked ten illustrators to design a coffee tin. The involved names included Shamrock, Milo, Leendert Masselink, Bagilla, Gees Voorhees, Loes Vrielink, Thomas Rohlfs, Marije Wonder, Erik Kriek, and WSTNDRP. Rob Westendorp, or WSTNDRP, is also documented as the designer of the house style.

Kaffa was further mentioned as a provider at a Burendag neighborhood dinner on Veemkade on September 28, 2024, where 200 neighbors were served. In 2025, the shop was included in a walking route on sustainable trade and colonialism in the area around Czaar Peterstraat. Public information on regular workshops, recurring cuppings, a formal tasting room, or a café menu is not documented. A head roaster and additional team members are also not publicly named.

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