Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/612330
54 STiR tea & coffee industry international / Issue 6, 2015 (December/January) Katrien Pauwels observing the beans drying in the warm Ethiopian sun Belgium: Emerging on the specialty scene Belgium is known for its big pots of black filtered coffee, observes Moniek Smit, writer and editor of Belgium and Netherlands Guide to Coffee, with added creamer and sugar. Simi- lar to France, the concept of the barista is still fairly new, while the gap between the speciality coffee and the traditional cafes remains large. A traditional market outside of the home, Young states that the adoption of single serve in the home, on brewers like those manufactured by Nespresso, has helped bridge this gap, increasing consumer interest in speciality coffee chains and independent artisan coffee shops. Shifting away from the traditional view of coffee was a challenge that cofound- ers, Katrien Pauwels and Tom Janssen of Belgium's Or Coffee Roasters delved into immediately. "The easiest thing would have been to take up the family business," said Pauwels. "But you would have these old fashioned customers who are not al- ways open to the new view of coffee," she said. Instead Janssen and Pauwels encour- aged their customers to rethink the concept of coffee. "Sometimes we have to approach them and take them up from the level that they are. We learned and we listened, and we adapted the menu," said Pauwels. Or Cof- fee Roasters found success with patience, and recently opened their fourth coffee bar. Pauwels said her goal is to continue to awaken her clients' palettes, take care of her customers, and bring them to the next level of appreciation. "People need to be more aware of what is behind the cup of coffee, we want to bring our cus- tomers to this higher level and share the information with Belgium," said Pauwels. Netherlands: Advancing quickly Here again, single serve helped spur the interest for a quality brew beginning with Jacobs Douwe Egberts introduction of the Senseo brewing system in the 1990s. "Single serve changed consumers prac- tices, they are not making big pots any- more, they make their favorite cup of coffee for themselves," said Smit. "It also changed the out-of-home experience, be- cause people wanted a better coffee than what they were drinking at home. They started to taste and compare coffee." Tom Janssen roasting at Belgium's Or Coffee Roasters. OR Coffee Roasters, Belgium