Café Elevator

“Café Elevator is a coffee and workspace concept in the Tarwewijk neighborhood of Rotterdam-Zuid. The establishment is located at Cillershoekstraat 1, 3081 BA Rotterdam, in Charlois. In public profile information, Café Elevator describes itself as “Coffee & Co-working” and as a community-driven creative co-working space. Consequently, the focus is not only on coffee, but also on working, networking, and local use of the space.”

“The coffee bar is situated within CultuurWerkplaats Tarwewijk. This location is housed in a former school building featuring a large inner courtyard. The cultuurwerkplaats is described as a project started in 2014 by engaged residents of Charlois, including socially active women, writers, and socio-cultural entrepreneurs. Café Elevator thus operates within a broader cultural and community-oriented context.”

“Little public information is available regarding the founding of Café Elevator. The names of the founders are not publicly documented, nor is an exact opening date mentioned in the available material. However, public activity dating from May 2025 mentions the address, opening hours, and the coffee and co-working concept. This provides a limited but useful glimpse into the visible startup phase of the bar.”

Café Elevator is located in Tarwewijk, a neighborhood in Charlois. Situated at Cillershoekstraat 1, the bar sits outside the center of Rotterdam. This is a notable detail in the evolution of the specialty coffee sector, as it shows that coffee concepts aren’t just confined to inner-city shopping streets. In this instance, the coffee bar is integrated into a cultural hub within a residential area.

Public profile information lists Tuesday as an opening day, with hours from 10:00 to 16:00. There is no further public documentation regarding opening hours for other days. Consequently, it can only be established that Tuesday was mentioned as a fixed public day at the time the information was recorded. For the sake of journalistic accuracy, it is important to remain explicit about this limitation.

Café Elevator is publicly linked to SOCOCO Coffee. A publication related to Café Elevator states that the coffee is brewed using fresh SOCOCO beans. Additionally, a LinkedIn post by Marielle Weggeman-Morsman mentions that SOCOCO Coffee supplies the beans. Thus, the coffee supplier for this bar is well-documented.

No public information regarding specific brewing methods at Café Elevator is available in the provided material. No methods such as espresso, filter coffee, hand brew, or batch brew are mentioned. Furthermore, specific drink preparations are not detailed, aside from general references to coffee and coffee drinks on-site. Therefore, any description of the offering must be limited to the established relationship with SOCOCO Coffee.

SOCOCO Coffee describes itself as a supplier that works directly with coffee farmers. According to available information, SOCOCO’s first coffee came directly from Guatemala. Later, collaborations with coffee farmers in Uganda are also mentioned. This data primarily describes the supplier; it does not automatically indicate which origin or bean is being served at Café Elevator at any given moment.

The documentation surrounding SOCOCO establishes a link between coffee, entrepreneurship, and Social Return on Investment. Perry van Gils is mentioned as the founder who combined coffee and entrepreneurship in 2018. FamilyBondsCoffee, led by Danny and Madeline Perez in Guatemala, is also mentioned. These names provide context to the origin stories associated with the supplier.

For Café Elevator itself, no separate sustainability claims have been documented, other than the use of SOCOCO beans. This distinction is important. While the supplier communicates about direct trade with farmers and social impact, the coffee bar is not described separately in the available material with its own measurable goals, certifications, or sustainability programs.

Café Elevator presents itself as a community-driven, creative co-working space. This positioning aligns with its location within CultuurWerkplaats Tarwewijk. Public descriptions characterize the cultuurwerkplaats as a venue for culture, encounters, and neighborhood-oriented activities. As a result, Café Elevator plays a role within a building that has long served a social and cultural function.

On June 28, 2025, a public summer event was announced at CultuurWerkplaats Tarwewijk. The program included live music, art, workshops, storytelling, food, coffee drinks, and socializing in the garden. This event was linked to the location at Cillershoekstraat 1. However, the available material does not demonstrate that Café Elevator itself was the organizer of specific workshops, tastings, or exhibitions.

South Explorer also describes CultuurWerkplaats Tarwewijk as a place featuring exhibitions, drop-in workshops, a garden or terrace, music, stories, food, and drinks. A tea and coffee bar within the building is also mentioned. This information confirms the broader function of the premises but does not provide a detailed overview of Café Elevator’s daily offerings.

Café Elevator serves as a small-scale, documented example of a coffee concept that intersects with professional work and neighborhood culture. The available data primarily highlights three threads: a location in Tarwewijk, a co-working profile, and a supplier relationship with SOCOCO Coffee. No public information regarding founders, exact start date, brewing methods, pricing, or a full drink menu was included in the provided material.

For readers following the specialty coffee sector, the value of this profile lies in its context. Café Elevator demonstrates how coffee in Rotterdam-Zuid can be linked to cultural infrastructure and shared workspaces. While the available facts remain limited, they provide a clear framework: a coffee bar located within CultuurWerkplaats Tarwewijk, with SOCOCO Coffee as the documented bean supplier.