Horeca HC Rotterdam (coffee corner)

At HC Rotterdam on Hazelaarweg 2 in Rotterdam, the coffee corner is part of the hospitality offering in the club house. Available information does not describe the spot as a standalone coffee bar, but rather as an integral part of the bar and kitchen of the hockey club. As a result, the coffee corner is primarily situated in the context of sports, club life, and hospitality within Hillegersberg-Schiebroek.

According to club information, the current hospitality setup began on Thursday, December 1. The club magazine from 2023 places this change at the end of the previous year, indicating a start date in late 2022. Ross Heemskerk, Koen van Everdingen, and Florian Faasen took over the bar and hospitality operations in the club house at that time.

HC Rotterdam names Ross Heemskerk as the founder of Kitchen of Heemskerk. According to the club, he started that catering company thirteen years earlier and had already been working in the kitchen of HC Rotterdam for seven years. Koen van Everdingen had experience behind the bar at V.O.C., collaborated with Kitchen of Heemskerk, and supported Florian Faasen with bar operations and events. Florian Faasen had previously worked at Cafe Spiegel and restaurant Mangiare and was positioned as the face of the bar.

The concept focuses on bringing the bar and kitchen together under one umbrella. The club cites a better atmosphere in the club house, more usage opportunities, and the development of a sports bar as key benefits. HC Rotterdam also uses the term “living room of Hillegersberg” to describe the desired role of the club house. This phrasing aligns with the club’s own positioning and primarily describes the social function the hospitality sector is meant to fulfill.

The coffee corner emerged following a renovation during the winter break. HC Rotterdam’s communications state that coffee and tea were served from this new corner. The official opening was scheduled for Sunday, March 24, during DAKA Super Sunday. The opening was thus linked to an existing club day, rather than being a standalone coffee event.

Available data does not provide a complete picture of the design, capacity, or daily occupancy of the coffee corner. It is clear, however, that the spot is located within the club house and is intended for use around training sessions, matches, and club activities. Communications mention the coffee corner, among other things, as a place for parents during their children’s training sessions.

The documented coffee supplier is Santas Koffie. HC Rotterdam reported that the club and the hospitality team had extended the agreement with Santas Koffie by five years. In the same communication, it was stated that the Santas melange 010 Blend would be available at the bar in 600-gram tins starting May 1.

For coffee enthusiasts, it is particularly important to note that public sources do not show a complete coffee menu. No club information was found regarding specific brewing methods at the bar, such as espresso, filter coffee, or other preparation styles. While Santas Koffie describes categories like standard blend, quick filter, Fresh Brew, and beans in its own product information, it is not clear from the available information whether all these forms are used at the HC Rotterdam coffee corner.

The specific beverages mentioned for HC Rotterdam are coffee, tea, fresh mint tea, and fresh ginger tea. This keeps the publicly available information about the offering rather limited. There is no data on origin countries, roast profiles, coffee machines, grinders, or barista training included in the provided materials.

The coffee corner is part of a broader hospitality approach by the club. In the available sources, no coffee-focused workshops, tastings, or exhibitions at the coffee corner are documented. The activities mentioned primarily revolve around the clubhouse and the hockey association.

The club magazine mentions, among other things, Super Sundays, potential activities for the U18 and U16 teams, a mini camp, team BBQs, the Hockey Heaven Family Tournament, the Top Division Tournament for U10, and Summer Evening Hockey. Plans or ideas such as a soul train party, pub quiz, and cloverleaf tournament are also mentioned. Hospitality plays a supporting role within the club environment.

In addition, HC Rotterdam indicated a desire to involve members more in activities. Hospitality was thus described not only as a sales point but also as a means to encourage more frequent use of the clubhouse. This aligns with the broader ambition to better connect the bar, kitchen, and social space.

According to HC Rotterdam, materials were reused wherever possible during the renovation of the coffee corner. The club mentions old club boards for high tables, planks from the former front of the bar for the lower bar top, and furniture that received a second or third use in the clubhouse.

The collaboration with Santas Koffie is also linked to reuse in the available information. HC Rotterdam refers to the Rotterdam background of Santas Koffie, its CSR approach, and the attention to return packaging. Santas Koffie itself states that coffee is sold in returnable tins with a deposit and reuse. The company also mentions Fairtrade-certified coffee, CSR, Fairtrade, and Skal certification, work with people at a distance from the labor market, and circular tins that rotate more than 120 times.

The hospitality development at HC Rotterdam was covered in the club magazine “Home of Hockey”. The spring 2023 edition described the hospitality team and the new direction in the clubhouse. The spring 2024 edition noted that Kitchen of Heemskerk had been providing all hospitality at HC Rotterdam for over a year and that the back part of the bar had been renovated into a coffee corner.

In addition to this club information, there is a directory listing for bar H.C. Rotterdam with photos, opening hours, and a rating from Facebook data. This is not an editorial review of the coffee corner. No coffee-specific prices, rankings, or independent local press articles about the coffee corner were found in the provided information.