Wakuli Vijzelgracht

Wakuli Vijzelgracht is a coffee bar located in the heart of Amsterdam at Vijzelgracht 37. The location is part of Wakuli, a Dutch coffee company that operates both as a consumer brand and through physical bars. In its public communications, the company positions these bars as spaces where visitors can enjoy Wakuli coffee and learn more about origin, flavor profiles, and the structure of the supply chain behind the coffee.

The roots of the shop lie with the broader Wakuli company. According to public information, the business started in 2018 as Wakulimarket and was rebranded as the consumer brand Wakuli in 2019. The company was founded by Yorick Bruins and Lukas Grosfeld. No public documentation was found regarding a separate founder’s role or an independent entrepreneurial story specifically for the Vijzelgracht location.

Public sources report that co-founder Yorick Bruins has a background working with cooperatives in Tanzania and experience as an agricultural advisor in East Africa. His background is also described as being in food and agricultural science. This expertise aligns with how Wakuli presents itself: not just as a seller of coffee, but as a company aiming to shorten the chain between producer and consumer.

The Vijzelgracht location became visible to the public in the spring of 2024. On March 30, 2024, Wakuli announced the opening of its newest bar at this address via Instagram. Shortly thereafter, De Buik van Amsterdam reported that the company had recently opened its sixth Amsterdam location at Vijzelgracht. As a result, this bar became part of an already established network within the city.

The bar serves coffee from its own brand, Wakuli. The company states that it roasts in its own roastery north of Amsterdam. In public help information, Wakuli lists Watergang as the location of its headquarters, distribution center, and roastery. According to the company, this ensures that the coffee processing remains close to the Amsterdam bars.

On the official page for the coffee bar, Wakuli lists three permanent drink categories: espresso, cappuccino, and filter coffee. This indicates that the shop focuses on both espresso-based drinks and filter coffee, whether brewed manually or in batches. No public documentation was found on the official pages consulted regarding other brewing methods, such as specific slow coffee techniques.

Additionally, Wakuli mentions seasonal drinks in its public menus. The English page lists items such as Tiramisu Latte and Chocolate Raspberry Cold Brew, while the Dutch page mentions Tiramisu Latte and Apple Pie Chai. This difference shows that the offerings in communication may vary by language version or timing, while the core assortment of coffee and milk-based drinks remains consistent.

Wakuli also links its bars to educational and social activities. Public information mentions coffee tasting workshops in Amsterdam, structured as cupping sessions. According to the description, these sessions cover topics such as cultivation, sourcing, roasting, and sensory evaluation. However, a recurring calendar of workshops, exhibitions, or tastings specifically linked to the Vijzelgracht location is not publicly documented.

Separately, several collaborations and activities are visible to the public. Public posts mention a partnership with Unfair Amsterdam, where Wakuli served coffee during an event and presented a limited UNFAIR/WAKULI blend. Additionally, Club Ommetje documented a walk along the Vijzelgracht that began with coffee at Wakuli and ended at Van Dobben. Such mentions place the bar within an urban network of events and encounters.

A central part of Wakuli’s public positioning is its approach to procurement. The company states that it works with farmer groups, cooperatives, and exporters through long-term partnerships. This setup is presented by Wakuli as the foundation of its own sourcing model. In public communications, the company also mentions concrete partnerships, including those in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Flores, and Brazil.

For 2025, Wakuli mentions 13 farmer groups from 12 origins on its main website, collectively representing 14,897 farmers. Additionally, the company states that an average of 7.87 dollars per kilo was paid to partners, compared to an average market price of 6.19 dollars. These figures are derived from Wakuli’s own public communications and demonstrate how the company quantifies its trading model.

Regarding sustainability, Wakuli claims to be building a regenerative coffee chain. In doing so, the company mentions soil improvement and a shift away from chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Wakuli further states that it does not purchase certified coffee, but does report that the company itself became B Corp certified in December 2022. B Lab lists a B Impact Score of 87.8 for Wakuli.

The location on the Vijzelgracht does not stand alone but is part of a broader growth story. World Coffee Portal reported that Wakuli was launched in 2019, opened its first physical location in 2022, and operated 15 locations in the Netherlands at the time of publication. At the end of 2025, the same platform reported that the company had raised an investment round of 5 million euros for further growth and international expansion.

For coffee drinkers following the specialty coffee sector, Wakuli Vijzelgracht primarily demonstrates how a brand-driven coffee company uses a bar as an extension of its supply chain narrative. Based on available information, the location functions simultaneously as a point of sale, a meeting place, and a communication tool. There is less public documentation regarding the independent, location-specific characteristics of the branch than there is about the company behind the bar.