Selma’s Nordic Bakery & Specialty Coffee (Centrum)

Selma’s Nordic Bakery & Specialty Coffee is a family-owned business with two locations in Amsterdam. The central location is situated at Herenstraat 35, in the vicinity of Centrum and Jordaan. The business is described on its own channels as a Nordic artisan bakery and café with a focus on specialty coffee. The Herenstraat location is listed with opening hours from 8:30 to 17:00, every day of the week.

The origins of Selma’s lie in Amsterdam-West. An interview from January 2017 noted that Selma’s Nordic Bakery had opened approximately a week earlier on Jan van Galenstraat. Public social profiles list “EST. 2016”. In 2022, it was reported that a second location would open on Herenstraat, bringing the concept to the heart of Amsterdam.

The business is run by Anna and Jorrit. Anna is described as a Swedish-Finnish baker, while Jorrit, who is Dutch, focuses on the business side. The name Selma refers to Anna’s grandmother, who, according to the company description, opened a café in Helsinki later in life. Family recipes formed the foundation for Nordic recipes that have been adapted to contemporary tastes.

The bakery component plays a visible role in Selma’s profile. Available information highlights items such as cinnamon buns, cardamom buns, vegan cinnamon buns, vegan banana bread, chocoballs, sourdough breads, and grilled sourdough sandwiches. The company’s own product information states that much of the food is made almost entirely in-house. Pickled onions, pickled beets, gravlax, and smoked salmon are also cited as examples of their in-house preparations.

For coffee, Selma’s partners with Stooker Specialty Coffee. The espresso mentioned is Capricornio from Stooker. According to the product description, this coffee is grown in Brazil, under the Tropic of Capricorn. The description cites red and yellow Bourbon cherries as the base. In available information, this coffee is associated with cappuccinos and lattes.

Official product information explicitly documents the espresso. A public menu for the Jan van Galenstraat location also lists espresso macchiato, cortado, americano, filter, cappuccino, latte, and flat white. That specific drink list was not available on the consulted page for the central location. For the Herenstraat location, primarily address details and a range of bakery and lunch products are visible. As a result, the exact current coffee list for the central location remains limited in interpretation based on this data.

The combination of bakery and coffee fits within the broader café concept. The focus is not only on espresso but also on products positioned around breakfast, lunch, and sweet pastries. Earlier publications about the Amsterdam-West location mentioned filter coffee, cappuccino, and tea. For the central location, fewer specific details about brewing methods have been recorded.

Selma’s states that its food uses local products and largely consists of organic ingredients. The product information mentions organic animal products, such as milk, butter, and eggs. According to this information, the eggs are freshly delivered by a local farm. It is also noted that cinnamon buns and cardamom buns are made entirely from organic ingredients.

According to the company description, the menu is not fixed. Availability varies, partly to limit food waste. This aligns with the stated choice of local, seasonal, and, where possible, organic ingredients. The sourdough rye bread is described as using organic ingredients, including rye flour, cracked rye, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, salt, and rye malt flour.

Origin is also highlighted regarding coffee. The description of Capricornio refers to a group of twelve small farmers in the Brazilian region of Paraná. Luiz Saldanha and José Antonio Rezende are named in this context. The information further notes that these producers have worked on environmental measures, such as more efficient water use during processing and reducing CO2 emissions.

Selma’s also appears in public sources as a meeting place for Scandinavian-oriented activities. The Swedish Chamber of Commerce documented a Fettisdagen and Sunday Fika gathering in February 2020 at Jan van Galenstraat. In February 2022, another Fettisdagen gathering at Selma’s was mentioned, with thanks to the café for a Swedish Semle fika in Amsterdam.

In addition to the cafés, Selma’s offers catering for business meetings and parties. The mentioned options include breakfast, lunch, sweet products, sourdough sandwiches, soups, lunch salads, and pastries. No data has been recorded in available public information regarding workshops, tastings, or exhibitions specifically at the Herenstraat location.

The establishment has been mentioned by multiple media and platforms. I amsterdam lists Selma’s as a bakery and café in Amsterdam-West and the city center. Other publications have covered the opening in Amsterdam-West, the second location on Herenstraat, and Selma’s place within Scandinavian-oriented hospitality in Amsterdam. Based on available information, no formal prizes or awards have been documented.