HEMA Groningen-Paddepoel

HEMA Groningen-Paddepoel is a department store location featuring a restaurant and a takeaway counter. The store is located at Dierenriemstraat 136 in the Paddepoel neighborhood of Groningen. No separate founder or independent hospitality team for the restaurant is publicly described. The location is part of HEMA, which was founded in Amsterdam in 1926 by Leo Meyer and Arthur Isaac. They positioned the original department store as a shop for ordinary people.

The first opening date of the Paddepoel location is not publicly recorded. It is known, however, that the former store at Dierenriemstraat 200E closed on June 11, 2022. HEMA then operated temporarily from another spot in the shopping center. On November 10, 2022, the location at Dierenriemstraat 136 reopened after a renovation. According to available information, the renovated store covers approximately 1,100 square meters.

Upon reopening, the location adopted the HEMA-kitchen restaurant format. This concept focuses on freshly prepared dishes based on HEMA recipes. The counter offers salads, sandwiches, smoothies, juices, and soups, among other items. The restaurant is not separate from the department store but forms an integral part of the overall location. A takeaway service is also listed among the officially mentioned services.

Available information does not describe a separate coffee bar concept with its own branding or an independent barista approach. Coffee sales fall within the broader restaurant offering. As a result, this location differs from specialized coffee bars, which often explain their beans, brewing methods, and the origin of each coffee.

HEMA’s national restaurant menu lists regular coffee in various sizes, espresso, and double espresso. Cappuccino, latte macchiato, and Dutch coffee (koffie verkeerd) are also included. However, the national website does not confirm that every drink is always available at Groningen-Paddepoel. The offering may therefore vary by time or location.

In addition to the basic drinks, HEMA lists several variants with flavor additions. Examples include latte macchiato with caramel and stroopwafel, and a pistachio version. Seasonal iced coffees appear with whipped cream, pistachio, or stroopwafel-caramel. These drinks combine coffee with sweet flavors and toppings. They align more with a broad restaurant menu than with a menu focused on black coffee.

HEMA describes its coffee as espresso with milk. The published product information lists roasted Arabica and Robusta beans, but further details, such as the ratio between the two varieties, are missing. Roasting profiles, harvest years, and tasting notes are also not publicly documented for this location.

Smit & Dorlas is publicly named as the producer of an exclusive coffee blend for HEMA restaurants. However, the location page for Groningen-Paddepoel does not name a roaster for this specific site. As a result, it remains unconfirmed which blend is served at this location at any given time.

Little detail is also available regarding the brewing process. Espresso-based drinks are documented, but the type of machine used is not mentioned. Manual filter methods, such as pour-over, AeroPress, and French press, are not publicly described. There is also no information on recipes, grind size, dosing, or staff training at Paddepoel.

In its general communications, HEMA states that it collaborates with Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee farmers. According to the same information, the company uses aluminum-free bags for packaged coffee beans. These points apply to the broader coffee assortment and are not specifically linked to Paddepoel.

Smit & Dorlas describes relationships with Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade Max Havelaar, and organically certified suppliers. The roaster also mentions training programs to limit waste, for example regarding dosing, machine use, and maintenance. However, which certification applies to the blend used in HEMA restaurants is not evident from the available data.

No farm names, production regions, or direct-trade agreements have been published for the coffee at Groningen-Paddepoel. Traceability down to the plantation or cooperative level is also lacking. The term ‘sustainable’ was used in relation to the store’s appearance, without providing measurable environmental data about the restaurant.

HEMA Paddepoel was named a new member of the Groningen City Club in 2019. In May 2026, the location participated in the Food Month at Winkelcentrum Paddepoel. The announcement does not mention any separate coffee tasting, workshop, or barista activity. Other coffee courses, exhibitions, or location-specific tastings are also not publicly documented.

The location received attention in 2022 due to its reopening and new restaurant format. Earlier reporting from 2019 focused on a trial of a vegan hotdog. There are no known coffee awards, hospitality awards, or mentions in documented coffee rankings. Therefore, the profile of HEMA Groningen-Paddepoel is primarily that of a department store restaurant with a standard coffee offering.