Interviews February 2023 | I KNOW JERRY FROM TORONTO

Who was in the February 2023 box?

Wise words and black & white birds in Mechelen (BE), feeling home in Tallinn (EE), having the fruitiest and tastiest Brazil in Pécs (HU) and finding the four elements of nature in Šahy (SK).

Mechelen - Belgium

Gijs Vanhee

His work reminds Jerry of Piet Parra, mostly birds rather than penguins play the main role here.
Black and white and the occasional color.
From Lino, litho to huge murals.
He also often uses pointed quotes, "Wise words are not written in books".
Recently, he had the chance to discover Eastern Europe, or have they had the chance to discover Gijs…

Hi Gijs,
can you briefly describe your life path as an artist?

That’s a hard one.
I loved drawing and creating things ever since I can remember.
From drawing silly figures on skateparks, and experimenting with spray cans to developing vector drawings on a computer.
It’s a bit like breathing.
I would get a lack of breath when I would commit to a job that keeps me away from being an artist, so in the end it’s the only thing I can at least try to do for a living..

How did you come up with the idea of a bird with a human body?

For a while I was using animals instead of human characters, just because I’ve found it more fun to draw.
But when I started traveling in my van in 2015, I needed to find a way to keep a bit of a diary with me.
To draw my daily adventures I started using a human body again, and I figured putting the head of a bird on them symbolizes the freedom I experienced during that period.
Later I stuck with the figure since I find it such a strong symbol now.
A bird that can not fly or a human that is free in its head.

Do you have a favorite art form, lino, litho, or mural?

I think murals will always be my sweet spot.
It has great power on it and it’s very physical.
But experimenting with a lot of other forms is giving me energy for creating.
At this very moment, I am even giving a try on a sculpture and I must admit it’s very satisfying.

As an artist, what else would you have liked to have done?

There are a lot of things I still want to do.
But if there is any regret, which I try not to have, then I would love to be able to play music.
I found music is the most storing way of expressing yourself and the most abstract way of art.
It’s just air that moves actually, and it’s magical.
And I totally suck at making it, hahaha

Recently, you had the honor of creating a mural in Bulgaria.
What has stayed with you from this adventure?

Sofia is an amazing city, I felt a really nice artistic vibe, a generation that is making the city alive is standing up there.
It somethings felt like Berlin twenty years ago.
It made clear to me that the prejudice we have sometimes about Eastern Europe is totally false.
Aso made some really good friends, which who I am still in contact.

You are from Mechelen,
can you give us some tips on what to visit here?

Go check out the walls of Mechelen Muurt, I curated twice this street art festival and there are really some gems you should see in person.
Also if you start hunting these murals you’ll pass by the beautiful historic buildings.

Like Jerry loves coffee, are you also that kind of person who spends whole days in coffee bars working/drawing?

I like coffee, but I can not imagine myself actually working in a coffee bar unless it is to paint their wall.
But I am also a bit lying since I am now typing this straight out of my favorite Coffee bar Kaffeeine in Mechelen, to escape the chaos in my atelier.

To finish, we are always looking for new artists to collaborate with.
Are there any you can recommend to us?

There are really a lot of talented people out there.
Is suggest walking the Mechelen Muurt tour and checking them out.

"Another coffee? "

Tallinn - Estonia

Kokomo

We had planned not to use too many of the same coffee roasters.
But we are so impressed with some of them, both the coffee and the branding, that we still can't resist asking for them a few more times in our box.
Jerry still hasn't had the chance to travel to this great country.
So we get a piece of them to us.

Tell us something about the people you work with.

Our team is very small, it’s just Roland and Mari, husband and wife.
We both love a great clean cup of filter coffee.
We make sure the coffee tastes good but also looks good, and arrives to customers as fresh as possible.
Our daily life is about finding a balance between family and business.

How is urban beekeeping going?

Still learning and also getting ready for the new season. Had a great harvest last summer.
From the urban hives, we had very intense floral flower honey and thick caramel-like honeydew honey.

Do you have a coffee-making ritual?

Our favorite ritual is Chemex.
Pouring steaming water in rounds can even be meditative.
Just take these three minutes without rushing and breathe in.

What is your idea of coffee happiness?

Well, it makes us happy when our coffee makes people happy.
And when they discover there is an amazing flavorful world behind it all.

Jerry doesn't really like all the experimental processes you come across in plentitude these days.
Interesting to taste but he can't manage to empty a full cup.
What are your thoughts on these experimental processes?

There's been a lot of experiments lately indeed.
We have roasted some.
But we have to agree that they can be interesting to taste but we still love a simple washed African or delicate natural Central American better.
All the 72h, 96h, 120h, etc fermentations taste the same in the end.
Sorry!

"It is great to be back and please, come and visit!"

Pécs - Hungary

Cracker Jack

Jerry has rarely had filter coffees from Brazil that he really liked.
But when cupping these coffees, Brazil came out as the fruitiest and tastiest of them all!
So hands up for Cracker Jack Coffee from Pécs Hungary.

How did your coffee project begin?

All members of the team have been working in different segments of the coffee industry for a long time, but the idea of starting a roastery came up a little over three years ago.
Balázs, our head roaster, has a long background as a barista and has had several insights into the world of roasting, which gave him the courage to start CrackerJack.

Where did the name Cracker Jack come from?

Yes, it's a pun really, of course, from the term "crack".
There's an American slang, I think, for crackerjack, which we really liked.
From there we started brainstorming and our mascot, the dragon Jack, was born.
Our name and logo are actually his signature.

What is your favorite coffee that you have recently served and how was it prepared?

The most difficult question.
Each member of the staff has a different favorite, but we're all hooked on Brazilian Manga Larga, which you've chosen, much to our delight.

At home, what is your secret to making the best coffee?

In my opinion, in addition to good coffee, good quality water and good equipment, the atmosphere at home is also very important.
If you make yourself a coffee on a weekend morning while you're still a bit sleepy and it puts you in a really good place, then it's definitely the best coffee.

If not drinking coffee, what do you drink?

We are all big tea lovers too, so we drink a lot of tea, especially in winter.
In addition, our good friends ZUZMO make fermented soft drinks with water kefir, which also sell very well.
And on days off, of course, good beers and wines are always on the agenda.

When we’re in your town what do we need to do?

Pécs is a tiny but beautiful city, full of Roman and Ottoman monuments, with magnificent buildings, at the foot of a mountain.
A stroll around the city center is a good idea, but a trip to Mecsek Mountain is also a must.
If you're passing by, text us and we'll tell you all the secrets and details about the city!

To finish, we are always looking for new artists and coffee roasters to collaborate with.
Are there any you guys can recommend to us?

Luckily for you (and for us), it's a pretty classic artist town, so it's easy to recommend good ones.
Scham is definitely worth writing about, he drew Jack and is an excellent graphic artist.
Next to him, RenyaGyar's socially infused drawings are genius, but we also love Odorbenceistvan's work.

"Thank you so much for including us in the package, we hope you enjoy our coffees and like our roaster and the city where we live and work.
Have a great experience and delicious coffee from Hungary."

Šahy - Slovakia

COFFEEIN

When Jerry was little he sometimes watched Avatar "the last airbender"
The logo of this coffee roaster reminds him of it.
For those who know it, they may also see the similarities.
Growing, roasting and brewing coffee also requires the four elements of nature.
And the better you manage these the better the coffee tastes 🙂.

What cause or element in coffee drives you?

First of all,
hello, and thanks for choosing our coffee.
I am a coffee-passionate maniac since 2011.
I started to roast in 2014 on a small huky500 and now we are roasting on a 7,5kg coffeetool from Greece.
Coffee drives me to the taste and the story of farmers.
Our claim is “in every cup of coffee is a story”.
So we are doing a direct trade and meeting our farmers.
Right now I am in Indonesia, Java and choosing and meeting the farmers we want to work with.

Is there a connection between your logo and Avatar “The last Airbender”?

No.
The logo is a symbol of wandering.
It's an Ethiopian boy from Gimbi who was sent by his shaman for coffee to Yirgacheffe when they heard for the first time about the “magic fruit” they discovered there.
He is holding the magic bean in his hands and returning it to his tribe in Gimbi.
This wandering is also a symbol of our roastery.
Same as the boy we are traveling for coffee and bringing it back to our customers.

Do you still brew coffee at home?
And what is your favorite method?

yes, of course, I like the Kalita or v60-02 most.
My best method is 30g coffee 1:14 ratio for 3min brew time.
With this method, I drink every coffee for filter.

When you're not roasting, what are you like to do then?

I have a 4 yo daughter so I am a father and she is my hobby :D
Also, I like to go bicycling or do some cardio, football, or weight lifting.
I also studying online marketing, it's also my hobby.

Are there any projects you and the team are excited to be working on now or in the future?

Yes, we are discovering Indonesia and we will want to bring the best coffees from here.
It's a very nice country with nice people and the soil, the climate, everything is perfect.
There is a big potential in this country. c
But of course, we have a lot of other projects.
We are helping Ethiopian farmers with trimming, and in Uganda, we helped to build a processing station.
Our policy is to give back some % of income to the farmers we work with.

Jerry has never heard of Šahy.
Can you give us a tour?

It's a small city in the middle of the Europe, Slovakia.
It has only 8000 capitals, but it was established in the year 893.
A lot of kings slept here on their journeys.
Also, the big wars against Europe and Turkey were here.
Men from this region fight in a lot of wars to protect Europe from invaders.
So we are very proud that we have the blood of the protectors :-)
It's about 80km from Budapest, Hungary's capital.
We are half Hungarians and half Slovakians.
It's a border city with Hungary.

How's the coffee scene here?

In Šahy there is like in Italy in the year 1980 :D There is no demand for specialty coffee.
But we are doing a local coffee fest in July 2023 to show people the beauty of specialty coffee

To finish, we are always looking for new artists and coffee roasters to collaborate with.
Are there any you guys can recommend to us?

Of course, try Luk Kubiny from Illimite Roasters, or Alex Szabo from Ciernaperla, or Ondrej from Sedmitchka roastery.

"Enjoy the coffee, don't try to overanalyze it.
Just drink it and enjoy the moment"

we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists! we're the artists!