The Groningen skyline by night. Cover Photo by Robin Mathlener on Unsplash.

Coffee is the fuel that keeps the wheels of the modern world turning, with 98 million cups consumed each day in the tea-loving UK alone (Source: British Coffee Association). The world's favourite pick-me-up is big business, and that puts it firmly in the sights of (you guessed it) big multinational corporations.

In the Netherlands, many of us are unashamedly devoted to Douwe Egberts, a historic Dutch brand that does a great job of maintaining its homely, comforting image. Unfortunately, though, the company was folded into JDE Peet's in 2020, and JDE Peet's is owned by Keurig Dr Pepper. So not so Dutch, and not so wholesome after all.

This development lead me down the rabbit hole of searching for alternatives that better align with my own values as a consumer. These are my 3 must-try recommendations from my local area, which I hope will inspire you to explore what your own city has to offer.

Brazil alone produces 63 Million 60kg bags of coffee beans per year. Source: USDA. Photo by Mike Kenneally on Unsplash.

#3 Dorothy's Coffee

About the brand: Dorothy Ngarina was born in Tanzania and moved to Leek, Groningen, in 2014. For every bag of beans sold, €1 goes towards paying the school fees of students studying at a technical school founded by Dorothy's father (Kibosho Vocational Training Centre, Tanzania).

About the coffee: I haven't tried everything Dorothy's Coffee has to offer, but I purchased the dark roast as a reliable, everyday coffee that I could use in my semi-automatic coffee machine. It's darker than many others I've tried, but if you're a fan of deeper, more toasted coffee flavours, you won't be disappointed.

Top tip: In addition to selling coffee beans and ground coffee, their web shop offers a variety of products made from coffee waste or byproducts, including body wash and firepit briquettes.

Find Dorothy's Coffee here.

The school founded by Dorothy's father stands near Mount Kilimanjaro. Photo by Sergey Pesterev on Unsplash.

#2 Black & Bloom

About the brand: Owned and operated by it's founder, this is a café and micro-roastery in one. They specialise in small batch, unique coffees from around the world. They have new batches available on a regular basis, offering the opportunity to explore a wide variety of beans.

About the coffee: If you like speciality coffee, this is the one for you. Whether it's for filter coffee, Aeropress, pour over, or just an espresso, Black & Bloom specialise in lighter roasts, taking care to get the very best flavours and aromas from each batch.

Top tip: If you're ever in the area, it's worth going out of your way to experience this café in person. Gerben Engelkes opened Black & Bloom in 2012 and you can find him behind the counter most days of the week. His passion and expertise really shines through, and the café itself has a calm, relaxed and intimate atmosphere.

Find Black & Bloom here.

Latte art, not at Black & Bloom, but of comparable quality. Photo by Pete Willis on Unsplash.

#1 Koffie Station

About the brand: Ever watched an online video of somebody doing a random task and thought to yourself, "I could do that?". That's what the founders of Koffie Station did after seeing a video of coffee being roasted in 2012, and it seems that they were right, they really could do that. Today the company operates its own roastery, providing speciality coffee to cafés and other businesses in and around the city of Groningen.

About the coffee: The brand tends to stock coffees from South America, with Brazil and Colombia featuring regularly, while still offering a wide range of coffees to suit all preferences. They tend to be lean more into the lighter roasts, which is a big plus for me, and they offer recommended beverages for each bag of beans (cappuccino, espresso, filter, etc).

Top tip: If you can't decide which variety to choose from, they offer a variety packet with three 250g bags of different beans, and a handy storage tin to keep them in.

You can find Koffie Station here.

A women enjoys coffee on-the-go in a wintry Groningen. Photo by Alexei Maridashvili on Unsplash.

Honourable mention

They aren't local, but Pure Africa is a Dutch brand offering a selection of really nice, good quality coffee beans, with a strong focus on direct trade, micro-credits, and working closely with those who produce the beans. You can find them here, and the Allemansvriend beans would be my personal recommendation.