White Label Coffee

White Label Coffee is a coffee bar and roastery located in Amsterdam-West. The official website lists White Label West at Jan Evertsenstraat 136 in Amsterdam, while independent listings place the business at Jan Evertsenstraat 136 H, 1056 EK Amsterdam. The company was founded by Francesco Grassotti and Elmer Oomkens. According to public interviews, both began their journey in the coffee sector at Brandmeesters and later worked at Espressofabriek. Other profiles indicate they had already collaborated in various other Amsterdam cafés prior to that.

The opening of White Label West is publicly recorded in March 2014. In an interview, Elmer Oomkens states that the business opened that month. Coverage of the Amsterdam Coffee Festival cites Saturday, March 1, 2014, as the official opening date. According to festival reports, the founders first presented their plan to the Jan Evertsenstraat shopping street association before opening, seeking to ensure the concept would fit into the neighborhood.

On its own website, White Label describes its approach as focusing on the diversity of coffee. The company states that it roasts coffee in a way that highlights its natural diversity. In doing so, the company cites quality, openness, and collaboration as core principles throughout the entire supply chain. In interviews, the founders explain that the name White Label refers to a blank sheet or “carte blanche”. According to this explanation, openness plays a central role in their interaction with guests, business clients, and partners within the coffee chain.

White Label West uses coffee from its own roastery, which presents itself publicly as a specialty coffee roaster from Amsterdam. Public café listings mention espresso and filter coffee as staples of the menu. Additionally, the V60 is mentioned as a brewing method for filter coffee. A full, current drinks menu is not further detailed in the consulted public sources.

A dedicated blog post provides more detail on their espresso preparation. White Label serves espresso as a “double naked shot”. According to the explanation, this means a bottomless portafilter with a double basket is used. The same text mentions that every espresso-based drink in the bar is therefore prepared with a double shot. In later public communications, the company reports that all roasts are suitable for both espresso and filter. Since 2019, White Label no longer makes a separate distinction between filter and espresso roasts in its assortment.

The public webshop shows which coffees have recently been sold under the White Label name. Examples include Colombia La Piragua, Ethiopia Konga, and Colombia Monteblanco. These coffees are listed with public details regarding origin, variety, processing method, and the trading partners involved. This aligns the product offering with the company’s broader emphasis on origin information and processing differences.

• Espresso
• Filter coffee
• V60
• Double naked espresso as a documented brewing method

White Label operates not only as a coffee bar but also as a roastery with B2B activities. According to public wholesale information, the company works with coffee bars, cafés, restaurants, and offices. This includes support with equipment procurement and staff training. On Instagram, White Label also documents weekly sessions in the roastery for wholesale clients. According to the descriptions, these sessions cover coffee cupping, brewing, latte art, and related topics.

Public activities have also been recorded outside of daily operations. Collected Coffee reports that White Label organized “Sunday Sessions” featuring DJs in the roasting space connected to De School. Furthermore, public posts and festival coverage show that White Label participated in the Amsterdam Coffee Festival. This indicates a visible position within the Amsterdam specialty coffee sector, although this does not lead to direct conclusions regarding its size or market position.

In its public communications, White Label links quality to openness and collaboration within the supply chain. In a festival interview, the company states that transparency is essential for trading coffee in a fair manner. This is achieved through direct trade or via importers who share the same vision. In the same conversation, White Label explains their preference for working primarily with single origins rather than blends, reasoning that this provides more visibility for the farms and cooperatives.

Their own origin stories provide concrete examples of such relationships. In the story about Brazil, White Label mentions Bruno and Academia do Cafe as partners, noting that the company first purchased coffee from Bruno in 2015. In the Rwanda story, White Label thanks Lennart Clerkx of This Side Up and describes the relationship with the Coko washing station. The text mentions that the coffee was sourced year-round because the flavor, the people involved, and the value chain aligned with White Label’s way of working. Recent product pages also mention trading partners such as Primavera, Cafe Imports, Typica, and Coffee Quest. Independent sustainability certifications for their cafe or roasting operations are not documented in public sources.

Over the years, White Label has gained attention in trade and industry publications. In 2014, the Amsterdam Coffee Festival published a profile on the opening of their location in Amsterdam-West. The Coffee Vine featured a roaster profile on White Label in 2019. I amsterdam also included the business in its guide for cafes and bars, mentioning the location on Jan Evertsenstraat.

Additionally, several competition results are publicly documented. In 2019, White Label won the first Roast Masters competition at the Amsterdam Coffee Festival. In 2015, Floris van der Burg from White Label won the Dutch AeroPress Championship. According to a trade publication, founder Francesco Grassotti finished in third place in that same championship. Together, these mentions paint a picture of a company that has been present in both the Amsterdam coffee scene and the broader professional context since 2014.