Grounded

Grounded Craft Coffee started in 2018 in an apartment in Rotterdam. The founders used a small sample roaster there to roast coffee. Later, the operation moved to a separate micro-roastery. Zahir Omar and Ibtesam Davids started the business together. Omar serves as the head roaster, while Davids handles marketing and brand development.

Omar is also the owner of the nearby café Booon. The roasting project began as a home hobby and later moved to storage space connected to Booon. Booon notes that the coffee served in the café is roasted by Grounded Craft Coffee.

On January 24, 2026, Grounded opened a coffee bar, shop, and working roastery at Proveniersstraat 46b. The opening was originally planned for December 2025. Issues with the power supply caused a delay. The new location brings together production, sales, and brewing.

Visitors can watch the roasting and brewing of coffee in the shop. The bar is the centerpiece of the space. This layout is designed to minimize the physical distance between staff and customers. Coffee is the main part of the offering, alongside a limited selection of food.

The available beans change daily. As a result, the selection of origins and coffees can also vary. Grounded states that it roasts slower and lighter than average. The company claims to work exclusively with beans it classifies as specialty coffee.

The coffee bar is directly connected to the in-house roastery. There is no public documentation on fixed guest roasters. On June 19, 2026, the online catalog listed twelve coffees. These were divided into espresso, filter, and omni-roast.

Examples included Bantu Blossom from Uganda for espresso and El Vergel Geisha from Colombia for filter. Bombe Lion from Ethiopia was listed as an omni-roast. El Dragon decaf from Colombia also fell into that category. Product pages provide information on the farm, producer, processing, and variety.

According to public listings, the bar serves espresso, filter coffee, and decaffeinated coffee. Plant-based milk is also available. Grounded publishes brewing guides for V60, Chemex, French press, espresso, and cappuccino. These guides do not indicate that every method is available at the bar daily. A complete, current drink menu is not available on the official website.

Grounded lists barista training as a business service. According to its own information, the team offers workshops and training for the hospitality industry, companies, and individuals. The roastery also uses cuppings to develop coffee and roast profiles for business clients. A fixed public schedule for cuppings is not documented.

Furthermore, Grounded reportedly collaborates with Rotterdam bakers, ceramicists, and artists. The names of all involved makers are not publicly recorded. In October 2025, the roastery participated in the pilot edition of Rotterdam Coffee Fest. The program included lectures, workshops, and panels, but did not link a specific workshop to Grounded.

Grounded states that it purchases coffee based on ethical and traceable criteria. The company also claims to take environmental impacts into account. These are its own principles; formal long-term contracts with importers or suppliers are not publicly described.

Production information does mention specific links in the supply chain. Examples include the Bombe Abore Station in Ethiopia, Asefa Dukamo Korma, and the Rwenzori chain in Uganda. Grounded also mentions Robinson Rozo’s El Vergel estate in Colombia.

For retail coffee, the company uses reusable PET packaging. A refund or discount of fifty cents applies upon return. Grounded states that the bottles are washed and reused. Refills are available in bags made of NatureFlex wood pulp film. According to the company, these are suitable for both home and industrial composting.

Grounded explicitly states that it is not fully sustainable. The packaging program is described as an effort to reduce environmental impact. No publicly documented prices or competition wins for the coffee bar are known.