Harar Coffee

Harar Coffee is a coffee shop located at Tweede Hugo de Grootstraat 22 in Amsterdam-West, near Westerpark. The shop focuses on coffee from Ethiopia and sells it through a physical store and an online shop. Owner Masho Fantaye started the business around 2009 or 2010. An exact opening date has not been publicly recorded.

Fantaye was born and raised in Harar, a city in Ethiopia. The name of the business refers to this birthplace. According to her own description, her family home was situated among coffee plants. Her parents taught her how to care for the plants and how to select, roast, and grind coffee beans.

Family history also played a role in the founding of the business. Fantaye’s great-grandparents reportedly established a coffee company, which was later continued by her parents. The plantation was nationalized in 1978. Approximately 35 years before a 2024 interview, Fantaye moved to the Netherlands. She initially worked there as a secretary.

The shop combines the sale of coffee beans with the serving of hot and cold drinks. According to the company, the assortment consists of single-origin coffees from Ethiopia. This means the coffee comes from one country and a named region, rather than being a blend from various countries. Availability may vary by harvest and season.

The shop on Tweede Hugo de Grootstraat was renovated and reopened on November 29, 2014. During this reopening, there were tastings, coffee roasting demonstrations, and food offerings. There is no current public event calendar for the location.

The online assortment includes, among others, Jimma, Keffa, Gesha, Nekemte, Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, and Zege. Super Abole and a decaffeinated Sidamo are also mentioned. Other parts of the website also list Harar and Abole. Not every variety needs to be available year-round.

For Jimma coffee, customers can choose between whole beans or various grind sizes. The mentioned options are suitable for espresso, filter coffee, mokkapot, and cafetière. These choices primarily show how the beans are sold for home use. They do not provide a complete picture of the current brewing methods behind the bar.

Espresso, cappuccino, and americano were listed as drinks in the Amsterdam shop in 2024. An older shop profile also mentioned latte. Additionally, at the coffee corner of Harar Coffee in The American Book Center, hot coffee, tea, and iced coffee are offered. A complete and current drink menu is not publicly available.

In 2020, Harar Coffee reported that the company had acquired its own coffee roaster. At that time, beans were roasted daily in small quantities. In 2024, Fantaye stated that roasting in the shop was no longer permitted by the municipality. The current roasting location and any potential external roasting partner have not been publicly disclosed.

According to the company, Fantaye travels to Ethiopia approximately every six months to select coffee. An earlier description mentioned one or two trips per year. The mentioned origin regions are Harar, Jimma, Kaffa, Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, Nekemte, Bench Maji, and Zege.

The company states that the coffees are grown organically. It is also claimed that fairtrade coffee is purchased when sufficient supply is available. However, the website does not list any certifying organizations, certificate numbers, or public audit documents. As a result, these claims cannot be independently verified based on the available information.

The Zege coffee mentions Stefan E. Bös and InterAmerican Coffee GmbH. This product was reportedly developed in collaboration with seven monasteries and residents of the Zege peninsula. No specific farms, cooperatives, or producer organizations are listed for the other current coffees.

Harar Coffee also has a coffee corner at The American Book Center in Amsterdam. The bookstore lists the company as an independent enterprise and one of its collaboration partners. The coffee corner was open during various events at the store.

In addition, Harar Coffee offers business services. According to the company, workshops can be part of arrangements with offices and hospitality businesses. No fixed dates or recurring public programs are mentioned. The company also states that tips from the shop go to a family in Addis Ababa.

Since 2013, the business has received attention from outlets such as Het Parool, NPO Radio 5, Mister Barish, De Westkrant, and Barts Boekje. A 2016 article about an international coffee award concerned the Ethiopian producer Ahmed Legesse and his coffee lot. The award was not given to Harar Coffee. No separate award for the company has been publicly documented.