Coffee Collective

Where it began

Coffee Collective started in 2007 as a roastery in Copenhagen. The first café followed in 2008 on Jægersborggade in Nørrebro, a small, slightly ramshackle room that drew coffee people from abroad long before the street became a destination.

The founders came with credentials. Klaus Thomsen won the World Barista Championship in 2006, one of a run of Danish winners in those years, and the founding group included national and world champions in barista and cup tasting work. They chose to build a company around shared values rather than their trophies.

A collective of farmer, roaster and barista

The name is literal. The triangular logo stands for the farmer, the roaster and the barista, and the idea is that quality only holds if all three are treated well.

From the start the company has bought directly from farms, cutting as many steps out of the supply chain as it can, so growers are paid more fairly. It went as far as trademarking the term “direct trade,” then set out principles for roasters rather than rules for farmers, and other roasters can adopt them if they meet the same transparency standard. The stated aim is to buy more from each farm instead of a little from many, which gives growers steadier income and the roaster better coffee.

The coffee is roasted light in the Danish style, the same school as Tim Wendelboe in Oslo. Roasting and production sit behind the Godthåbsvej café, and the company runs a roasting course for visitors who want to see the machines.

The room and the order

Jægersborggade moved in May 2017 from number 10 to number 57, a larger corner space decorated like a designer Copenhagen apartment. It is still a place where baristas serve as if from their own kitchen.

Hand-brewed filter is the specialty. A pour-over of a single-origin lot, a Kenya Kieni in one early account, shows the house style: clear, bright, fruit-forward.

In warm months there is espresso soft serve, typically back around May and gone by about September. It is silky, mild in flavor, and finished with a dusting of ground coffee.

What to know

Coffee Collective has grown to nine locations: eight in Copenhagen and one in Aarhus, with more than 100 staff. Besides Jægersborggade, the list includes Torvehallerne, the open bar inside the Nørrebro market hall, and the Godthåbsvej café that houses the roastery.

Each shop has its own character, so pick by mood. Jægersborggade suits a slow filter and a walk along the street’s small studios. Torvehallerne suits a quick stop between market stalls.

The company also publishes pricing and sourcing information on its site and mentions a forest project of its own as part of its sustainability commitments. Beans are sold for home brewing at the shops.