Who was in the June 2023 box?

Having Fun in Portslade-by-Sea (UK), a personal dropoff from Mechelen (BE), mind-blowing coffee in Szczecin  (PL) and celebrating the birthday of "Kasette Koffie", of course with the Elephant in Berlin (DE)

Portslade-by-Sea - UK

Yuk Fun

YUK FUN is known for its distinct design style and lives and work in Portslade-by-Sea.

Portslade is a suburb of Brighton that is well known for its pebble beach, colorful beach huts, and friendly community.

Interestingly, Portslade-by-Sea was once home to a notorious 18th-century smuggler named Isaac Gulliver, who was famous for his daring smuggling operations along the Sussex coastline.

Today, Brighton is a bustling seaside town with a thriving arts scene,

where YUK FUN continues to create its delightful designs.

Hello

Can briefly introduce yourself?

We are Lucy Cheung and Patrick Gildersleeves.

Together we design and make clothing, art prints, totes and other fun stuff that we sell on our webshop.

We spend a lot of our time screen printing our designs and we also do illustration commissions. 

How do you balance each other's strengths and weaknesses?

We don’t have any weaknesses!

Lol.

What inspires your designs?

We are inspired by cute animals,

nice landscapes and nature as well as things we see and hear walking around town.

We try to make stuff that will make people smile,

or even better, laugh a bit.

What's the most challenging project you've worked on together?

We made three pretty large paintings on MDF for Pictoplasma,

a character design conference in Berlin.

We left it a bit late and didn’t really prepare the surface of the MDF very well so it was way harder than it should have been.

They actually turned out great in the end though!

Can you tell us about a project that you're particularly proud of?

We organized a raffle in 2021 to raise funds for various charities and to spread awareness about the increase in violence and abuse aimed at East and South East Asians during the pandemic.

Lots of our friends donated prizes and we raised £6k for some good causes. 

Do you think coffee and art have a natural connection?

Oh definitely!

The number of ideas that must have been sparked after a coffee or two…

Finally,

what can we expect from your upcoming projects?

Any exclusive hints you can give us?

We’ve been working on a little series of comics about our cat!

"Shout out to our illustrator pals in Belgium

- Jango Jim, Leticia Sere, Xerxes Heirman and Charlotte Dumortier!"

Mechelen - Belgium

Otara Kava

Another one steps into the scene.

Perhaps not entirely new as they have been in the specialty scene for a long time themselves.

Yet under the name that they are now roasting they are!

From Mechelen, they personally dropped off their coffee on our doorstep.

Otara Kava!

Hello

Can you briefly introduce yourself?

Hey, it’s two of us in the Otara team - Roman & Mariana.

Mariana is a certified Q grader and is choosing the coffees for our offer list,

Roman is roasting them to perfection

What inspired you to pursue a career in specialty coffee roasting?

Ages ago, in 2006 - we both took a student job in the same specialty coffee shop and fell in love - both with coffee and with each other.

Since then - specialty coffee has been a very important family member. 

Can you tell us about a time when you had a coffee experience that was particularly memorable or exciting?

Recently we tasted a unique Laurina variety from Colombia - complex,

super flavourful and smooth,

and with a low content of caffeine at the same time. 

How do you see technology impacting the coffee industry,

and how do you stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in coffee technology?

There are quite a few impressive innovative technologies being developed right now -

for example Profile Print -

a gadget that is able to predict the quality profile or sensory parameters of unknown samples of green coffee within seconds based on a combination of AI models. 

Belgium is known for its love of art and design -

how do you incorporate design aesthetics into your coffee packaging and branding?

Well, we did take the design of our brand very seriously.

Our partners - Design Studio Directa - did a great job,

we are very happy with the results!

Check it out!

"Support Ukraine"

Szczecin - Poland

Mamam

Based in Szczecin, a vibrant city located in the northwest of Poland. Szczecin is known for its rich history, beautiful architecture, and stunning parks. Interestingly, Szczecin is home to Europe's largest castle - the Gothic-style Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes.

Aside from its majestic castle,

Szczecin is famous for its vast network of parks and green spaces.

The city boasts over 400 hectares of parks,

making it one of the greenest cities in Poland.

In fact, Szczecin has earned the nickname "the Green City" due to its abundance of greenery.

Mamam roastery takes pride in their hometown of Szczecin.

Their roasting techniques bring out the unique flavors and aromas of each bean,

creating a delicious and unforgettable coffee experience.

Can you tell us a bit about the history of your roastery and how it got started in Szczecin?

The idea for a roastery was born in 2022 when Adam shared with Michał the idea of creating a small local coffee roastery in Szczecin.

At the time, Michał was working in one of the coffee roasteries in Berlin and had extensive experience in the field and running a similar business.

From word to word, they came to the conclusion that they could join forces and create something slightly bigger together.

With significant experience and a wealth of knowledge,

we wanted to create a roastery that would stand out in terms of quality and,

at the same time, establish a beautiful minimalist brand with a small twist in the form of clothing tags attached to coffee packages.

How does the unique culture of Szczecin influence the coffee you create?

Szczecin is a city that tries to draw a lot from its close proximity to Berlin.

And that was somewhat the case with us as well - Michał brought a lot of experience and ideas from that city.

The rest of the team - Adam, Ala, and Martyna have been living in Szczecin since birth.

Together in this city, we ran a well-known café called Alternatywnie,

which brought together a huge community in Szczecin.

When creating MAMAM,

we wanted to provide this community with a product that had not yet been seen on the local coffee scene in terms of quality of raw materials, elegance, and a conscientious approach to coffee.

How do you source the beans for your coffee,

and are there any farms or regions in particular that you focus on?

Actually, we don't focus on a specific supplier or origin.

We are interested in high-quality beans from trusted sources,

preferably with an interesting history of the growers.

We are searching for both classic origins like Brazil, Ethiopia, or Colombia,

but we are also open to discovering something unique and less common,

such as Malawi.

What kind of coffee-related events or activities do you participate in around Szczecin?

Actually, our roastery is just beginning its journey,

so we haven't had the opportunity to participate in any events so far.

As for our region, Adam recently judged the Polish Aeropress Championships, which took place in Szczecin.

As a roastery, we still have a lot ahead of us,

and we can't wait to spread our wings!

Can you recommend any amazing local cafes in Szczecin that serve your coffee?

Of course!

There are several great places in Szczecin where you can enjoy our coffee on a daily basis or purchase a bag to take home.

These places include: Kardamon, Dzień Dobry, Alternatywnie, Miejsce, Cabo Cafe.

Many coffee shops have become popular gathering places for artists and creatives.

How do you think coffee and art complement each other,

and what role do you think coffee shops play in supporting the arts?

First and foremost, drinking coffee in a coffee shop fosters the development of new relationships, whether in the private, business, or artistic sphere.

We have often noticed authors of books and poems spending hours in coffee shops, drawing inspiration from the events within the coffee shop or simply from observing the coffee shop's storefront on the urban sidewalk.

Many coffee shops provide wall space where local artists can exhibit their work.

These are wonderful initiatives!

I love the way you guys label the coffee bags.

Very original!

How did you guys come up with this idea?

The first thing people notice when holding a pack of MAMAM coffee is the distinctive clothing tags that contain all the information about our coffee.

Truth be told, it was Michał's idea, he happens to have a personal interest in fashion.

The rest of us loved the idea as well!

Additionally, our goal was to create packaging that would stand out on café shelves with its simplicity and elegance. We simply wanted to create a beautiful and high-quality product :)

"Thank you very much for the opportunity to participate in your subscription!

For us, it's a great chance to showcase ourselves to the world.

After all, we have finally sent our coffees to Belgium for the first time!

We hope that our coffees will be enjoyed by all the participants of the subscription.

Greetings from Szczecin!"

Berlin - Germany

Five Elephant

Five Elephant Roastery is a specialty coffee roastery, artisanal bakery, and small group of Berlin neighborhood cafes located in the heart of Germany’s capital.

We strive for high standards of quality in both our products and service.

Our specialty coffee roastery carefully sources and roasts some of the best coffee in the world,

our artisanal bakery creates high-quality cakes and pastries,

and our cafés serve some of the best coffee and cake in Berlin.

We aim to do everything,

from our specialty roasting to pastry production to our service,

in a way that both minimizes our environmental impact and is thoughtful of the social impact on the communities who produce our coffees.

"Read more about us and our vision here."

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!