From their choice of packaging alone, it’s easy to see that Friedhats is not your typical micro-roastery. 

Founded by Lex Wenneker and Dylan Sedgwick, Friedhats is paving a new road for Amsterdam’s specialty coffee community, focusing on honest-to-goodness efforts to reduce the industry’s environmental footprint.

Meanwhile, they also take great care to roast some really, really good coffee. 

Founded on new beginnings.

Lex Wenneker wasn't always planning to be in the coffee business, but as it often goes, the industry found him. After falling in love with specialty coffee and barista competitions, Wenneker opened Head First café. 

It's at Head First where Wenneker and Dylan Sedgwick reconnected before the café suddenly and unfortunately closed its doors. However, a new set opened when they both decided it was time for a second business venture... a micro-roastery specializing in high end, sustainable coffee. 

Friedhats, which is an anagram of Head First, opened in 2016 to great anticipation. Thanks to Wenneker's excellent reputation as a multiple-time Dutch Barista Champion and Sedgwick's technical know-how in coffee, Friedhats was a success and continues to have a great future ahead of it. 

“Sustainability is a process, not a buzz word.”

These are words taken directly from Friedhat’s website, and they provide a refreshing and honest take in a world where sustainability is often championed but not substantiated. 

Friedhats is incredibly transparent regarding the ways in which they practice sustainability; for example, they buy their coffees either directly from suppliers or through reputable importers “Europe-wide”. 

And while this is reason enough to trust Friedhats, you might be thinking that other specialty coffee roasters are also particular about their sourcing practices, and you’d be right. Well-sourced beans, afterall, are one of the key determining factors in what separates specialty coffee from commodity. 

What really sets Friedhats apart is their choice to bottle their coffee beans, as opposed to packing them in the usual paper bags. And don’t be fooled! These colourfully labeled bottles are a lot more than a marketing gimmick… in fact, they could not be further from it! Friedhat’s tagline, “Less Marketing, More Coffee”, is a testament to that. 

Friedhats’ bottles are meant to be reused, refilled, and recycled, adding another actionable step beyond sourcing to improve coffee’s impact on the environment. And even with the choice to package their beans in bottles, Friedhats doesn’t hold back stylistically. In addition to their logo in bold font, every label features a fun, eye-catching design packed with colourful illustrations.

Variety is the star.

On the topic of Friedhats’ labels, if you were to take a moment to look past the abstract designs and bright colours, you might notice something different. 

A lot of coffee roasters will choose to tell you a complete story of the coffee inside, including tasting notes, processor, region, country, processing method, and variety. Conversely, Friedhats chooses just 2 aspects to highlight on their labels: 

Country and variety. 

I think there’s a good reason for this. For example, when someone gets into specialty coffee, it’s almost always to discover something new and exciting. When we are bombarded with too much information (and there is a lot out there), that process is overwhelming. 

When you start with variety and country, you already establish a good baseline of what to expect before considering other components like processing and roasting methods. 

Things like tasting notes are ultimately subjective, but a coffee’s variety, or the climate it was grown in, has a significant influence on its flavour profile. If you need a comparison, it might help to think of how a Pinot Noir from Burgundy might differ from a Californian Cab Sauv! 

Don’t worry… if you still want to know every detail about your coffee, Friedhats lists everything missing from the label (down to the altitude) on their website. 

Where to find Friedhats Coffee. 

In Canada, you can always find full bottles of Friedhats Coffee at eightouncecoffee.ca. 

Additionally, this month’s Coffee Club “Knapsack Mix” features two Friedhats Coffees: Daterra (low-caf) and Gasharu Rugori. These are both 100g bags, perfect for sampling and exploring the vast world of high-end coffees without spending a fortune. 

The Friedhats Daterra is a omni-roast natural-processed coffee from Brazil, while the Gasharu Rugori is a juicy washed bourbon from Rwanda. These are two completely unique roasts from distinctive regions, so I highly recommend taking advantage of the sample-sized bags and getting both.

Brew them side-by-side to challenge your taste buds, or simply to advance your pour-over routine… you may be surprised to discover which is your favourite! 

Friedhats’ Daterra (low-caf) and Gasharu Rugori coffees are now available in 100g sizes during the rest of September or while supplies last. Meanwhile, check out the Coffee Club Mix’s September collection, featuring more sample-sized coffee from amazing roasters across the world. 

Photos by: Friedhats 

@friedhats