Brandmeesters

Brandmeesters is a coffee company featuring a roast store and espresso bar located at Maasstraat 84 in Amsterdam-Zuid. Founder Lammert Brouwers is recognized as a barista, roaster, and entrepreneur. According to company information, he began his journey into specialty coffee in Amsterdam in 1994 under the name Brandmeester’s Koffie.

There are some discrepancies regarding the founding date within their own public communications. The history page lists 1994 as the opening year, while the Amsterdam location pages mention November 16, 1993, as the date Brandmeesters established itself at Van Baerlestraat 13. Consequently, the exact start date remains slightly ambiguous based on these sources.

Brandmeesters associates the opening of their current Maasstraat location with October 28, 2023, though other sources mention their presence there since November 2023. The shop is located in the Zuid district. In its own positioning, Brandmeesters presents itself as a family business, using language that frames coffee as a ritual of mindfulness and a connection between passion and people.

The bar serves coffee roasted by Brandmeesters themselves. The company reports that it has been roasting in a micro-roastery in Boesingheliede since 2007. This combination is also highlighted on social media: a roastery in Boesingheliede paired with an espresso bar in Amsterdam. Their assortment includes both single origins and blends, with Aficionado cited on the history page as their first blend.

The drink menu shows that the espresso bar focuses on classic espresso and milk-based beverages. The menu features espresso, espresso macchiato, americano, cortado, cappuccino, flat white, and latte macchiato. Additionally, the menu lists other hot drinks, including matcha latte, chai latte, and dirty chai latte.

For slow filter brews, public information lists several methods, including V60, AeroPress, Clever Dripper, French Press, and Chemex. Furthermore, the location page for the Amsterdam bar mentions the use of a Modbar system, allowing the bar to seamlessly combine espresso equipment with various manual brew methods.

• Espresso and espresso macchiato
• Americano, cortado, cappuccino, and flat white
• Latte macchiato, matcha latte, chai latte, and dirty chai latte
• V60, AeroPress, Clever Dripper, French Press, and Chemex

According to Brandmeesters, the Maasstraat location features a dedicated space used for weekly workshops, tastings, and hosting corporate clients. Publicly available workshop information lists barista sessions on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. As such, the location serves an educational and business purpose alongside retail and preparation.

The content of these workshops is described in quite concrete terms. Participants receive information on coffee history, production, roasting, espresso preparation, milk steaming, and basic latte art. The emphasis is placed on practical knowledge of the supply chain and the technical skills behind every cup of coffee.

In November 2024, Brandmeesters documented a local collaboration called “Proef de Maas”. For this initiative, the company partnered with Patisserie Tout, De Zuivelhoeve, and Vis op Zuid, all of which are businesses located on the Maasstraat. Public sources thus mention workshops, tastings, and community-focused collaborations. No exhibitions were publicly documented in the reviewed material.

Brandmeesters states that sustainability has been a core focus since its founding. The company also mentions its membership in the Specialty Coffee Association. Furthermore, it reports the use of bio-based packaging and the repurposing of coffee grounds and waste. A post from 2019 provides more detail: the packaging is said to be over 85 percent bio-based, consisting largely of sugarcane and cellulose. According to that explanation, the material can be recycled after use.

Regarding sustainability information, Brandmeesters lists several certified coffees in its assortment. Equ&#23�;to and Sumatra Lintong are mentioned as organic or Skal-certified coffees. For Rainforest Alliance coffees, the company lists Floresta and Guatemala – El Platanillo. Regarding origin relationships, Brandmeesters mentions Fazenda do Lobo and EFICO, including the EFICO Foundation.

The details regarding Fazenda do Lobo cover solar panels, a protected section of the plantation, and limited pesticide use. Regarding the EFICO Foundation, Brandmeesters writes that the organization supports projects centered on farmer training, education, meals for employees’ children, and beehive projects. Additionally, the company reports that packaging is labeled by the Hartekamp Groep. For the roast store in Amsterdam, Brandmeesters also mentions biodegradable to-go cups and delivery via cargo bike to limit CO2 emissions.

Brandmeesters also appears in public mentions outside its own channels. I amsterdam features the company on its platform and lists the address on the Maasstraat. Koffietje includes Brandmeesters in an overview of coffee bars in Amsterdam and has a separate profile page featuring the address and documented brewing methods. Additionally, Brandmeesters itself documents its participation in The Amsterdam Coffee Festival in 2015. No publicly documented awards or distinctions appeared in the reviewed material.