Koffiebranderij de Koepoort

More About Koffiebranderij de Koepoort

Koffiebranderij de Koepoort is a coffee company located in Serooskerke, on Walcheren. The company’s name refers to the historic Koepoort in Middelburg, where the roastery originally began according to its own description. The current public location is De Zompe 53 in Serooskerke. The company is registered with the KvK under number 22063847.

History and organization

Public records do not list a specific founding year or name the founders. Dennis Plantinga is listed as the owner, though he is not explicitly designated as the founder. Additionally, the original motivation for starting the roastery is not publicly documented in the available materials.

The team consists of several members with clearly defined roles. Dennis Plantinga is the point of contact for equipment, private label, trade, and wholesale. Sam Bruisten handles roasted and green coffee, hospitality orders, and wholesale. Mika van Belzen is mentioned as the logistics contact. Luuk van Langevelde, Menno Kasse, and Armaris Tilroe are also listed as SCA-certified baristas. Additionally, Armaris Tilroe conducts home-barista workshops.

Roasting and Equipment

The roastery states that they roast fresh coffee twice a week. According to their own guidelines, most coffees are delivered within two weeks. Coffee roasted more than four weeks prior is not sold. They explain that coffee requires several days to a week to degas after roasting. According to the roastery, some coffees only reach their peak flavor profile after a maximum of two weeks.

The company utilizes several different machines for roasting. A 60kg Kuban roaster is used for larger batches; according to the description, this machine can process a full bag per batch, yielding approximately 50kg of roasted coffee. For smaller batches and selected coffees, the roastery uses an electric Giesen W6e equipped with a Giesen Profiler. A Bellwether shoproaster is also mentioned, which is an electric, computer-controlled roaster with a batch capacity of 1.5kg.

Coffee Selection

The product range includes roasted coffee, green coffee beans, tea, barista tools, home equipment, professional machinery, and services including a mobile coffee bar and workshops. In the fresh roasted coffee category, 67 results were listed. This includes direct-trade specialty coffees, gourmet coffees, limited-edition 250g packs, tasting sets, gift sets, decaf, and ESE products.

The direct-trade specialty kilo category contained 29 results. The countries of origin in this category include Brazil, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Peru, Rwanda, Tanzania, Colombia, Kenya, and Myanmar. The gourmet kilo category contained 22 results, featuring names such as Brazil Yellow Bourbon, Burundi Arabica, Colombia Supremo, Costa Rica Tarrazu Amapola, Guatemala Huehuetenango, India Monsooned Malabar, Mexico Premium, and Michiel de Ruijter huisblend.

Sourcing and Origin

De Koepoort describes direct trade as sourcing based on direct relationships. In this context, the company mentions This Side Up as a partner and importing intermediary. The roastery also notes that “direct trade” is not a protected term, which is relevant as the definition can vary from one company to another.

Official origin information includes Brazil Capricornio, Colombia Argote, Congo Katana, Ethiopia Limmu Kossa, India SICC, Indonesia Ontosoroh, Kenya Sakami, Nicaragua Madrono, Uganda Zombo, Peru Churupampa, Rwanda Rushashi, and Tanzania Wanza. In June 2025, the entire De Koepoort team visited Brazil with Maarten and Lennart from This Side Up, visiting the supplier Capricornio Coffees. The report also mentions Ellen Fontana of Fazenda Fronteira and Luiz Saldanha of Fazenda California. For the 2025–2026 season, De Koepoort placed its first full container order of direct-trade coffee with these producers.

Sustainability and Certification

No roaster-wide Fairtrade, organic, UTZ, or Rainforest Alliance certification is documented for the company as a whole. However, there are certifications and designations per product or origin. Peru Finca Churupampa is listed as organic and Fair Trade certified. Ethiopia Sheka / Galeh is designated as “Direct trade – UN Biosphere”. Tanzania Aranga/Marangu has been locally organic certified by the Tanzania Organic Agriculture Movement since 2016. A waste management policy is not publicly documented in the provided material.

Location, sales, and reception

The location in Serooskerke serves multiple functions. Number 51A is designated for logistics and storage, while number 53 is used for the office, cupping room, and roastery. The location does not have a retail shop or a cafe. According to the documentation, visits are possible by appointment. Online orders can be prepared for pickup, but pickup without an appointment is not permitted.

The company serves private customers via its webshop and ships within Europe. Green coffee is offered via the webshop starting from 1kg. For wholesale, larger quantities are documented, including multiple pallets within Europe. Retail partners mentioned by the roastery include Ministerie van Chocolade and Kaasboerderij Schellach in Middelburg, Fancy Cooking in Vlissingen, and Espressobar Rost in Middelburg.

Workshops, mobile coffee bar, and public visibility

De Koepoort offers home-barista workshops covering coffee basics, filter methods, espresso variables, and latte art. The group size for these workshops ranges between four and eight participants. For customized workshops, groups of four to fifty people are mentioned, held either at the roastery or another location.

Additionally, the company operates four coffee vehicles based at their storage and roasting facility. These mobile bars include a Peugeot 504, a Piaggio APE, a DDR trailer, and the “Be your own Barista” concept. Publicly listed event clients include ADRZ ziekenhuizen, Amels/Damen, Delta, Roompot, Zeeland Nazomerfestival, and ZLM.

Available sources do not document any awards or competition titles for the roastery. However, there is mention of regional and professional recognition. In 2020, a profile appeared placing De Koepoort in Middelburg. In 2021, PZC published a profile of Dennis Plantinga as the owner in Serooskerke. Later mentions include a trip to Tanzania and Espressobar Rost in Middelburg, which used coffee from De Koepoort following a change in ownership.

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