Simon Lévelt Ferdinand Bolstraat

Simon Lévelt Ferdinand Bolstraat is located at Ferdinand Bolstraat 154 in Amsterdam-Zuid, in the De Pijp neighborhood. The shop is part of Simon Lévelt, a company that traces its roots back to 1826. In that year, Simon Levelt opened a grocery store in Amsterdam, where coffee and tea were also sold. In public descriptions of the brand, Simon Lévelt is presented as a family business passed down through six generations.

No separate founder’s story was found specifically for the Ferdinand Bolstraat location. However, Thijmen de Loos is linked to this shop in public mentions. Consequently, available information emphasizes the location’s place within the broader Simon Lévelt network rather than a standalone local entrepreneur.

In September 2017, the shop took on a new role within the brand. The location was transformed into a pilot store to test a renewed retail approach. This setup focused on tasting, experiencing, and experimenting. According to trade publications, this meant a shift from a traditional store layout with a dominant counter to a more open space. Tasting tables and a freer flow were designed to give visitors more opportunity to explore products and brewing methods.

The location offers coffee and tea from Simon Lévelt. The company publicly states that all coffee is roasted in their own roastery in Haarlem. It is also noted that at the Ferdinand Bolstraat shop, coffee is ground fresh on-site. The grind is tailored to the customer’s specific brewing method or coffee machine. This approach places the shop at the intersection of retail and specialist consultancy, although a full public drinks menu for the location is not available.

Public information regarding specific brewing methods used in the shop is limited. Around the 2017 reopening, it was reported that tasting tables were developed where visitors could work with lesser-known brewing methods. However, a location-specific list of all methods demonstrated at that time has not been found publicly. Simon Lévelt does document brewing advice at the brand level for various forms of coffee preparation, including filter coffee, slow coffee, espresso, Chemex, moka pot, and cafetière.

Information regarding tea is similarly functional in nature. The location page mentions examples such as green tea, Earl Grey, and rooibos. A more extensive, location-specific overview of drinks or preparations was not found in the consulted public information. This creates the impression of a store where the assortment is primarily accessed via the brand structure, while local specifics are less extensively documented publicly.

In terms of sustainability, Simon Lévelt profiles itself publicly with a fully organic certified assortment of coffee and tea. The company states that products are grown without synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, according to organic farming standards. No deviating local sustainability policy was found for the Ferdinand Bolstraat location; the general corporate approach applies to this shop as well.

Additionally, Simon Lévelt documents packaging-free shopping in its own stores. Customers are welcome to bring their own containers or jars. Reusable cotton coffee bags and storage tins are also part of the retail model. Furthermore, the company publishes details about the packaging used, such as kraft paper, PEFC-certified paper, a wood cellulose inner layer, and the ability to recycle packaging via the paper waste stream.

In public communication regarding origin, Simon Lévelt mentions a long-term partnership with Fazendas Dutra in Minas Gerais, Brazil. According to the company, investments there have supported machinery with lower water consumption and solar panels. For tea, the first spring harvest from Selimbong Tea Garden in Darjeeling is mentioned, noting that transport occurs by sea rather than by air. Such examples speak primarily to the brand-wide supply chain approach rather than an exclusive profile of the Amsterdam location.

The best-documented local activity surrounding this shop is a Zero Waste Tour in Amsterdam. This route began at Simon Lévelt at Ferdinand Bolstraat 154 and passed several addresses where packaging-free shopping was central. In this context, the shop appears as a starting point within a broader urban movement focused on waste reduction and reusable packaging.

When it comes to other recurring activities, the public profile is more limited. No fixed workshops, tastings, exhibitions, or structural events specifically linked to this location were found. Additionally, supplementary local collaborations are not clearly documented in the available sources. Consequently, the shop’s public visibility stems primarily from its 2017 pilot function, its place within the Simon Lévelt formula, and its connection to packaging-free shopping.

Most media attention for Simon Lévelt Ferdinand Bolstraat focuses on the 2017 redesign. Dutch trade media described the store at the time as a pilot location for a new concept. An international publication on retail and design also highlighted the renewed layout and open design. Furthermore, the address is mentioned in an English-language overview of organic store addresses in Amsterdam.

Specific awards, formal rankings, or separate distinctions for this location did not emerge from the researched public information. As a result, the store remains primarily visible as a branch with a historical brand connection, an experimental role in concept development, and a clear link to organic products and low-packaging consumption.