Coffeecompany De Bol

Coffeecompany De Bol is located at Ferdinand Bolstraat 38 in De Pijp, Amsterdam-Zuid. The location operates under the broader Coffeecompany formula, a brand that, according to company documentation, was founded in Amsterdam in 1996 by Dick de Kock and Rick Bekkema. The company’s first location opened at Leidsestraat 60. As such, De Bol does not stand alone, but is part of a chain with a history dating back to the mid-nineties.

Public reports about the founders outline two different backgrounds. Dick de Kock came from the coffee trade, while Rick Bekkema previously ran a copy shop. These same reports mention that Bekkema was influenced by the coffee culture he encountered in New York and London. According to official company information, the original idea was to introduce a broader coffee culture to Amsterdam within an informal urban setting, emphasizing coffee as a craft.

This artisanal element is linked in company communications to the education and training of baristas. However, no exact opening date for the Ferdinand Bolstraat location was found in the researched public sources. It does appear that this location was publicly listed at this address by April 16, 2013, at the latest. The researched documentation thus shows that De Bol has been a visible part of Coffeecompany’s Amsterdam network since at least that period.

De Bol’s own location description explicitly places the shop within the context of De Pijp. It mentions a mix of regulars and visitors, as well as a terrace facing the street. Such descriptions primarily provide a glimpse into the daily function of the location within the neighborhood, but they do not provide a separately developed concept that stands apart from the broader Coffeecompany formula.

Regarding the coffee offering, De Bol follows the lines of the parent brand. Coffeecompany publicly states that it carries two espresso blends, Oude School and Nieuwe School. According to the company, these blends are roasted by Lincoln & York in England, based on a Coffeecompany recipe. Additionally, the company states that single-origin coffees and seasonal espressos are roasted in their own roastery in Amsterdam-Oost.

For drink preparation, Coffeecompany primarily uses an espresso base, brewed on La Marzocco espresso machines, according to public product information. The company’s public drink pages list options such as the flat white, cortado, iced latte, and flash brew. However, no fully location-specific menu or separate list of brewing methods was found for De Bol itself. Consequently, it remains unclear whether the branch has at any point offered a more limited or, conversely, a broader selection than the general company information suggests.

Public information regarding activities at the store level is limited. No public schedule was found for workshops, tastings, exhibitions, or recurring events specifically linked to De Bol. At a corporate level, Coffeecompany does state that its locations regularly organize performances and provide wall space to local designers and artists. For the Ferdinand Bolstraat location, such a program has not been separately documented in the sources researched.

There is, however, documentation regarding a social initiative that has been part of the organization for some time. According to its own reports, Coffeecompany has been running the “Donkere Dagen” campaign since 2008, donating coffee to De Regenboog Groep. The Instagram profile of De Bol also refers to this annual initiative. This represents a publicly visible initiative organized at the corporate level, but made recognizable locally through the store.

Another public mention does not concern events, but rather the use of the space. In an overview of Amsterdam cafés with reading tables, the Ferdinand Bolstraat location is specifically mentioned as a Coffeecompany site that fits this description. While this doesn't directly speak to programming, it does reflect how the space is positioned by external publications.

Regarding sourcing and origin, Coffeecompany communicates several core principles that are also relevant to De Bol, as no separate store-level policy was found. The company states that coffee is sourced through direct relationships with farmers or via partners who are transparent about the price paid to farmers. Additionally, the company claims to share exact origin and background information about the coffees it sells.

Furthermore, Coffeecompany reports involvement with Cup of Excellence, including providing judges and purchasing lots at auctions in previous years. For the De Bol location, no separate sustainability policy, distinct sourcing strategy, or independent certification framework has been publicly documented. The available information therefore indicates that the store primarily operates within the brand's central guidelines.

The publicly documented recognition of De Bol is modest and primarily local in nature. The location was mentioned at the Ferdinand Bolstraat address in 2013 and reappeared in 2024 in an overview of cafés with reading tables in Amsterdam. Additionally, Coffeecompany reports at a corporate level that it has organized an annual CC Barista Cup since 1998 and that the company's baristas frequently appear in the finals of national competitions. Such mentions refer to the organization as a whole, not to De Bol individually.

This distinction between corporate and store level is crucial. For De Bol, no individual awards, separate competition results, full menu, or exact opening year were identified in the public sources researched. The available material therefore primarily shows a branch that is well-embedded in the Amsterdam history and operational methods of Coffeecompany, but whose many specific details are not publicly detailed.