Swerl Coffee: Coffee Insurrection Hero Chapter #63

Published by Tanya in Coffee Insurrection Hero · 6 January 2023
Tags: Daniel, Beatriz, SwerlCoffee, Falkenberg, SpecialtyCoffee, CoffeeRoastery, Lisbon, Portugal

1- Introduce yourself: who are you, where are you from, where do you work and what’s your job.

We are Daniel from Falkenberg, Sweden and Beatriz from Lisbon, Portugal. We run our own coffee-roastery Swerl Coffee Roasters and rolling coffee-bar in the summer time. Daniel is full-time at the roastery, while Beatriz runs the coffee-bar and helps out at the roastery.

2- When and why did coffee become important to you?

Coffee became important to us around seven years ago when we first met, and knew directly we wanted to start our own business together. Since the beginning we realised coffee would be a big part of it. The combination of so much complexity around coffee, so much to learn plus the friendly and nerdy vibe in the community made us to thrive really well.

3- Do you remember the first coffee you had that was more than “just a cup of coffee”?

Both of us had our “aha” moment when traveling together in New Zealand. The first coffee-shop that we visited the second day we were there, had their roastery in-house and we got to be part of the process while drinking a coffee from Rwanda that tasted like nothing we’ve ever tried before. We got so into it that our vineyard visits got cancelled and the whole trip was instead about visiting the best coffee shops and roasteries.

4- What’s your favorite thing about going to work in the morning?

Neither of us are directly morning people so the drive to the roastery/ coffee-shop knowing that we have lots of great coffee just waiting for us makes our day.

5- What’s your favorite brewing method and why?

Pour-over is definitely our favourite brewing method. We’ve been really enjoying our Origami dripper with the Origami paper, gives a clean and juicy cup. When we are on the road we usually bring our Delter Press to get a similar experience.

6- Which is the best coffee you ever tasted?

We had a coffee from Colombia, grown and processed by Diego Bermudez and roasted by Manhattan Coffee Roasters in Rotterdam that still lingers in our mouths.

Tasted like lemon curd pie.

7- Is there a country of origin that you tend to favor coffee from? Why?

There is nothing that beats a great Kenyan coffee in the summer. The fresh crops usually arrive to us in just in time before summer kicks in which makes the juicy deep black currant sensation a great sign for summer is here.

8- Suggest us a roastery to check (not the one you working at/you use at work).

Where to start? Manhattan Coffee Roasters, Man VS Machine and Koppi are a few that instantly pops up in our mind.

9- What’s the most important things you’ve learnt while working in the business?

To be open minded, generous and have fun. Coffee can be very complicated and serious but it always possible to also make it playful and rewarding.

10- How your work and the specialty coffee world are coping with Covid and the new challenges for hospitality?

Our coffee-bar is only open during summer time and has solely outside sittings, so we have been lucky to have no direct loss in business.

11- How do you see the specialty coffee scene in 10 years?

We really hope that the specialty coffee survives the environmental impact. We probably will see more resistant hybrids and new process methods that make it more sustainable for producers. The community and interest around specialty will definitely until then grow stronger.

12- Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

We will be here, in the same location doing our coffee thing. We aim to have a tighter relationship with the producers and our customers, to be able to make greater positive impact for the community around us and the industry as a whole.

13- Any last word? Any tip or suggestion you wanna share with someone that want to start this path?

Be serious but not too serious, we all have to start somewhere so just start. Keep quality in mind but focus on having fun and don't be too self-critical.