In Helsingborg, Sweden, between Gothenburg and Copenhagen, you’ll find one of Sweden’s finest coffee bars, Koppi. So, coffee lovers, look to Sweden!
The charming café has a vibrant atmosphere with a mix of on the go customers, people in the seating area socializing with friends, or catching up on work. Some are only dropping by to buy one of their eight varieties of beans.
The two owners, barista champions Anne Lunell and Charles Nystrand have a taste for both great coffee and design and founded Koppi in 2007. Koppi has since then been described as the best café in Sweden with words like welcoming, pleasant, attractive, talented, world class and delicious.
“Our aim is to be one of the best roasters in the world by buying, roasting, brewing and serving coffee from the world’s best coffee producers,” they say.
Anne and Charles offer consistently delicious and surprising coffees. They work extremely hard to build direct relationships with farmers and travel to origin as often as possible.
The cafe space is unique with its large glass enclosed roaster, storage and cupping rooms. The dining space is also big, bright and contemporary, but warm and comfortable with flowers And wood paneled accent wall. The coffees are all roasted carefully to shine in their espresso and Aeropress or pour-over brews.
Anne and Charles coffee career started while they studied, working with coffee part time, and in 2005 Charles won the Swedish Barista Championship and was offered a job at a roasting company in Oslo, Norway. The following year, Anne won the same title and has been on the Swedish national team at the Nordic Barista Cup four times.
They both moved to Oslo and started their coffee careers full-time there. After two yhears they received a call from Niklas Eksted, chef and owner of Restaurant Ekstedt in Stockholm, telling them that his restaurant space in Helsingborg was for sale. They signed the contract within two weeks.
On their website they state: “We strive to buy the world’s finest coffee through as few intermediaries as possible and co-operate with small and passionate producers, who care for their crops, their co-workers and the environment.”
Nine years into the business, Koppi is now established as a popular brand due to their flavorful beans, roasted at the back of the flagship café. Buying their coffee directly from the producers or through as few distributors as possible, ensures that the producers are paid well under fair and just working conditions.
“The process of buying coffee is easier now compared to when we started,” says Anne. “We are continuously looking for unique and complex coffees that showcase the absolute best of their origin. By adjusting our roasting profile for each coffee we are able to bring out all the delicate flavors, notes and aromas that are characteristic to each varietal, processing method and origin.”
Koppi has established relationships with five producers in Costa Rica which they have been visiting for the past six years. They spend time with the families, see the progress at the farms and choose what micro-lots to buy.
A new Koppi shop will open in the brand new Malmö Saluhall in November 2016.
If you are staying in Copenhagen or Malmo, the 1 – 2 hour train ride to Helsingborg is doable in a day. Be sure to taste their sandwiches as well. It’s a total experience!
Coffee Lovers, Look to Sweden, written by Tor Kjolberg
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