Coffeelovers Universiteit

Coffeelovers Universiteit was part of the Maastricht-based Coffeelovers chain. The location was situated in the Student Services Centre of Maastricht University on Bonnefantenstraat 2. By June 19, 2026, the venue was no longer operating under that name. Coffeelovers handed over the space on May 1, 2026. After a renovation, Bandito Espresso opened there on May 18, 2026. Current information from the Student Services Centre lists Bandito Espresso as the operator.

The broader Coffeelovers organization was founded in 2000 as a sister company to the coffee roaster Blanche Dael. The concept served as a place where the knowledge and products of the roastery could be showcased. Albert Berghof is publicly named as the founder and owner of the chain. He joined the family business Blanche Dael in 1998 and later became its owner.

In 2024, Mireille Fitters stated that she joined the family business in 2001. According to her, she and Albert Berghof opened the first Coffeelovers at Plein 1992. The impetus was customer inquiries as to why Blanche Dael did not serve its own coffee. However, public sources do not consistently name her formally as a co-founder. The opening date and individual founders of the university branch are not publicly documented.

The branch was set up as a coffee bar within the Student Services Centre. Students and staff used the venue during study, work, or breaks. The menu included coffee, tea, pastries, and tosti’s. Wi-Fi was also available. In March 2026, manager Michiel Scheijen stated that the location increasingly functioned as a canteen for students and staff. According to him, Coffeelovers wanted to focus on larger locations. This decision was the background for leaving the premises.

Coffeelovers used coffee from Blanche Dael, the roastery in Maastricht linked to the chain. The organization described its venues as espresso bars offering black coffee, customized preparations, and hot or iced drinks. Trained baristas, according to the chain, ground fresh beans for every coffee and created latte art.

Public communications mention espresso and cappuccino, among other items. A social media post also revealed that the university location was testing a frappé recipe. The general menu for most locations included coffee, tea, smoothies, pastries, and tosti’s. No separate list of brewing methods for this location was published, making it impossible to determine whether the bar offered batch brew, hand filter, AeroPress, or French press.

The coffee bar also played a role in university activities. During the Get Involved information market in February 2017, Coffeelovers participated in a program that connected students with university and local organizations. On February 5, 2020, another Get Involved market took place at the visitor center in Coffeelovers. According to Maastricht University, twenty to thirty social organizations were involved. Match Maastricht and Maastricht Housing acted as organizers.

Music was also occasionally part of the program. During Popronde Maastricht in 2014, Coffeelovers and Blanche Dael organized performances at multiple locations. The band PAUW was scheduled to perform at Coffeelovers Universiteit on November 7, 2014. Specific coffee workshops, public tastings, or exhibitions at this location are not publicly documented.

No separate sustainability measures are described for the university location. However, Blanche Dael was the designated coffee supplier. The roastery communicates at a corporate level about fair trade, sustainable sourcing, fair raw material prices, and packaging with a lower environmental impact. Available information does not clarify which of these aspects were specifically applied at the university branch.

Blanche Dael B.V. has been certified as a B Corporation since February 2026, achieving a B Impact Score of 88.2. According to the accompanying profile, the company maintains relationships with coffee farmers and pays prices that should allow room for future production. This certification applies to Blanche Dael B.V. and not separately to the former coffee bar in the Student Services Centre. Other supplier relationships of the branch are not publicly recorded.

The departure received attention in local media in the spring of 2026. The university newspaper Observant reported in March that Coffeelovers would not renew its lease. On April 20, it was announced that Bandito Espresso would take over the space. RTV Maastricht and De Nieuwe Ster Maastricht also reported on the closure. Earlier, Visit Maastricht had included the location in an overview of Coffeelovers locations. Prices or rankings specifically assigned to Coffeelovers Universiteit are not publicly documented.