Roast Factory
Our philosophy
At Roast Factory, we believe coffee should taste good and feel good. That means more than just nailing the perfect roast profile. It means making sure everyone along the chain gets treated fairly.
We work directly with farmers and partners who share our values. They receive an honest price for their hard work, and in return, we get beautiful coffees to roast. Win–win, without the bitter aftertaste.
We’re a small team, which is exactly how we like it. No endless meetings, no layers of management. Just quick decisions, open conversations, and plenty of room to geek out over coffee.
Transparency is a big deal for us. That’s why we share the full story behind each coffee: where it comes from, who grew it, and yes, even the price breakdown. Because if you’re going to trust us with your daily brew, you deserve to know what’s in the cup (and behind it).
In the end, we roast with respect, honesty, and curiosity. Always trying to make coffee that’s as full of character as the people behind it. No sales nonsense, no fluffy promises. Just good coffee, roasted by people who care.
Sustainability
At Roast Factory, we’ve been working hard to make a positive impact. We bike for deliveries and recyclable boxes for business clients, small steps toward sustainability. But when farmers continue to overuse water, fertilizers, and outdated varieties, it feels like our efforts are just a drop in the ocean.
We’re committed to supporting sustainable coffee practices and have had countless discussions with farmers about improving quality. But as demand for high-quality coffee grows, so does market pressure. Even so, many farmers continue to believe in long-term relationships.
Even with rising C-market prices, we will continue to have fair discussions with farmers, aiming to keep coffee prices both fair and affordable.
Oh, and speaking of sustainability, we’ve also recently realized that our coffee bags, made out of sugar cane, cassava, and maize, weren’t as compostable as we thought. They were only effective if you placed them in the green bin and if they were industrially composted, which didn’t happen. So, after some coffee-fueled brainstorming, we’ve decided to switch to stronger, recyclable bags (as long as they go in the plastic bin). It’s a move toward a more sustainable choice, even if it means we’re now using plastic.
Highest quality
We try to visit all the farms we work with so we can discuss quality with the producers and also talk about future plans. We believe that the farmers play the most important role in producing high-quality coffee. If the green beans aren’t good, we will never make a delicious cappuccino. Most farmers we work with are more than aware of the changing climate and have already made huge steps in future-proof farming. As an example, in Colombia and Peru, organic coffee and agroforestry are already completely integrated. All coffee farmers we ever met are willing to produce “good” coffee, but it was the global market that demanded more coffee for a lower price. So the biggest problem with bad coffee quality is simply that we want to have cheaper coffee.
We are lucky that all the farmers we know are constantly working on creating a more sustainable coffee production. If you want to know about what they do, swing by the roastery and ask us.
At the roastery, we test all our coffees weekly so we are sure that we deliver coffee of the highest standard. We also try lots of samples from different origins to keep our taste buds sharp and also be aware of new stuff that we need to buy, so we can serve you that special coffee you need to taste.
All coffees are roasted on a Dutch handmade Giesen W15 coffee roaster.
Transparency
When we talk to farmers, we always like to ask what they need to continue producing good coffee in the future. Irrigation systems and stronger varieties are hot topics, as climate change is a significant concern for them.
On average, we pay around 30% more than the Fair Trade price to all the farmers involved. We visit them as often as we can to strengthen our relationships and build a supply chain that’s stronger than the global market.
We talk about how to tackle climate change, ever-changing market prices, agroforestry, sustainability, and more, all to produce consistently better coffee quality. However, we don’t dive into the world of labels. Please note that most labels are paid certifications, so obtaining a label means paying for it. Many labels don’t even check quality afterward; they are simply there to fill their own pockets. We talk to all the farmers regularly, so we know what they need. Honestly, almost all farmers want to be sustainable, but because we demand cheaper and more coffee, they have to change the way they work. Luckily, we’ve noticed that all the farmers we work with are not only aware of this year’s production but also have plans for the future. They can afford to make these changes because we pay them a fair price!
How it started
After years of working in different coffee bars, we decided in 2016 that it was time to bring specialty coffee to our hometown, The Hague. At that time, we noticed that many people still believed that all coffee was the same. Since we knew better, we had to tell the story and get people involved in the world of specialty coffee.
Over the years, a lot has changed in the coffee world. Endless difficulties crossed our path, but we kept focusing on our three most important goals. We aim to offer the highest quality coffee, while transparency and sustainability are equally important.
To achieve this, we decided to focus exclusively on The Hague and its surrounding cities. By concentrating on this small area, we can give each of our clients the personalized attention they deserve. Since we do everything on a bike, we can’t go too far.
We believe that building long-term relationships with coffee farmers begins with paying them a fair price. Together with these farmers, we work not only towards our future but also towards theirs. By doing this, we build relationships with farmers all over the world. Relationships that go beyond market prices and are built on trust and future plans for both farmers and roasters. All with the goal of making the best coffee possible.
