Darras Coffee Roasters – University Library

Darras Coffee Roasters operates a location in the new University Library of the University of Amsterdam, located at Vendelstraat 2-8 in the center of Amsterdam. The location is listed on the company’s public store page as “Amsterdam – University Library”. As such, the establishment is embedded within a library environment designed, according to the public description, for studying and meeting up.

According to the company’s own information, Darras Coffee Roasters is a family business that started as a coffee roastery in Amsterdam. Founder Fawzi Darras began roasting while working in restaurant supply. In its current form, the company is led by father and sons: Fawzi, Tristan, and Samer Darras. This family structure also serves as the starting point for the brand story that Darras uses in its public communications.

No separate opening date has been publicly documented for this location. However, it is established that the new University Library opened on September 1, 2025. Additionally, a public Instagram post from December 2, 2025, shows that the café was operational in the library on the Rokin at that time. Based on these two pieces of data, it can be determined that the business was active at the new location by the autumn of 2025 at the latest.

The concept combines coffee from their own roastery with food that, according to the company, is developed in-house based on family recipes and Middle Eastern spices. On the public store page, the location is positioned as part of a space where visitors can study, work, or meet. In doing so, the location aligns perfectly with the function of the library building.

The establishment uses coffee from Darras Coffee Roasters themselves. No guest roaster is mentioned in the public material reviewed. The company states that the blend consists of beans from Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Indonesia. According to the same source, these beans are roasted in Amsterdam by Fawzi Darras. The public information thus emphasizes an internal production chain within the company, while remaining limited regarding further details on origin or contract types.

The menu page for the library location features a broad, recognizable selection of espresso-based drinks and milk coffees. The offerings include espresso, lungo, Americano, filter coffee, espresso macchiato, cortado, cappuccino, flat white, latte, caramel latte, latte macchiato, and Arabic coffee. This overview suggests a menu that balances classic coffee preparations with sweeter variants.

Additionally, the same menu lists several cold beverages, including iced Americano, iced cappuccino, iced latte, iced caramel latte, and iced frappé cappuccino. Matcha and chai drinks are also part of the selection. There is no information on the public menu page regarding manual brew methods such as V60, Chemex, AeroPress, or siphon. Consequently, such methods have not been publicly confirmed for this location.

Beyond coffee, food plays a clear role in the concept. Company information states that ingredients are made in-house and prepared in a central kitchen in Sloterdijk. Public descriptions of ingredients mention homemade falafel and hummus, among others. For the location in the university library, this supports the image of a mixed offering of drinks and prepared dishes, rather than a shop focused exclusively on coffee.

Available sources do not provide a complete location-specific overview of the food menu at the library branch. However, general communication reveals that family recipes and Middle Eastern spices are recurring elements in the food component of Darras. This gives the location a culinary signature that aligns with the company’s broader formula.

The location is situated within a university building and is described in public information as part of a study and meeting environment. No public documentation was found regarding workshops, tastings, exhibitions, or recurring public activities at this specific site. Similarly, nothing has been publicly recorded regarding community collaborations or programming beyond its presence in the Universiteit van Amsterdam building.

Public documentation remains limited regarding sustainability and sourcing. The company mentions the countries of origin for the beans and the roasting location in Amsterdam. Certifications or concrete claims regarding organic practices, Fairtrade, direct trade, CO2 reporting, or waste reduction are not publicly documented for this location. Specific supplier relationships for the library location are also not publicly described.

No location-specific awards or press mentions are publicly documented for the Universiteitsbibliotheek branch. There is, however, media attention for other parts of the company, such as openings in Utrecht and Haarlem and a case study on menu photography. These publications relate to the broader Darras organization and not to the location in the Amsterdam university library itself.

Taken together, the available data provides a clear but defined picture. Darras Coffee Roasters in the Universiteitsbibliotheek of Amsterdam is a family-run location within an academic environment, featuring its own roasted coffee, a broad standard assortment of hot and cold coffee drinks, and a food offering that references family recipes and Middle Eastern flavors. At the same time, public documentation lacks further details on the opening date, events, sustainability, and location-specific recognition.