The Story
April Coffee was founded in 2016 by Patrik Rolf, originally from Sweden and a finalist in the prestigious 2022 World Barista Championship . At just 26 years old when he started April, Patrik had already built an impressive resume as an alumnus of prestigious European roasters da Matteo (Helsingborg) and Five Elephant (Berlin) . Patrik’s coffee journey began at da Matteo in Gothenburg after a previous career in consulting, where he was a Coffee Masters finalist in 2015 and 2016 .
After six years in the specialty coffee industry and being part of several great companies, Patrik felt the time had come to start his own . He moved from Berlin to Copenhagen in summer 2016, where he opened April . The name “April” is inspired by seasonality and the diverse range of high quality that comes with the changing seasons — a month that has always been important to Patrik for change, creativity, and inspiration .
April is the result of seven years of experience in the specialty coffee industry, with every impression and experience collected during those years being summed up into this final project . Patrik’s breakthrough came at the 2019 World Brewers Cup in Boston, where he won a silver medal using his roasts and his own revolutionary brewer .
Sourcing & Relationships
April is focused on “Reclaiming Coffee Flavour through direct partnerships with farmers” , operating with a radical approach to sourcing that prioritizes farmer empowerment. Their partner farmers decide the price of their coffee, with the ambition to grow together with partner farmers, creating a future that is sustainable for all parties . They want to work with farmers who share their passion for quality — they are not looking for cheaper coffee but searching for better quality coffee .
Their SP (Sustainable Profile) project creates more value for partner farmers by purchasing a larger range of their coffees while allowing farmers to define their own price based on their valuation of the green coffee . They closely work with key partner farms including Fazenda Esperança, Volcan Azul, Pillcocaja, and El Socorro . This project started after spending a weekend with Alejo Castro from Volcán Azul, where they discussed what value April generates to farmers, concluding that buying only small micro-lots doesn’t make much difference .
Together with farmers, they focus on clean, traditional processing methods where the variety is in focus, with the aim to give customers coffee where they can taste the terroir . As Patrik explains, they don’t tell farmers how to farm or process coffee — they choose farmers with specific integrity in their taste and approach because their coffee is amazing .
Roasting Philosophy
April roasts all their products in their roastery space just outside Copenhagen in Solrød Strand, focusing on how they can source better green coffee and produce roasts of the highest quality . At April, they focus on roasting — that is what they do, their profession, passion, and ambition . They roast their coffee every Tuesday on a Loring roaster, only roasting the amount that has been ordered in advance .
Patrik makes three clear distinctions in roast approaches: filter, espresso, and milk approach, believing that no attempt to roast the same profile for both espresso and filter has ever actually worked very well . For their SP project coffees, they roast with a medium roast profile, consistently producing a balanced and sweet profile with impressively high flavor intensity . April is known for its meticulous approach to Nordic-style light roasting, emphasizing clarity, sweetness, and complexity in their coffees .
At April, team members regularly compete in National Coffee Competitions , demonstrating their commitment to excellence and continuous improvement in their craft.
What to Try
El Socorro from Guatemala, produced by Diego de la Cerda, stands out as a signature offering, featuring Washed Processed Maracaturra with peach and nougat notes, and their limited Washed Geisha with nectarine, honey, and jasmine . Volcan Azul from Costa Rica, produced by Alejo Castro, appears in multiple expressions including a Red Honey decaffeinated Caturra and a Natural processed SL28 with red fruits, brown spice, and cooked apple notes .
Their Sustainable Profile series showcases their partnership approach, with the Costa Rican Volcan Azul lot featuring Caturra & Catuai varieties with milk chocolate, brown sugar, and red cherry notes . Other highlights include a fresh Yellow Bourbon from El Socorro with macadamia, honeydew melon, and stone fruit notes, and Costa Rican Caturra + Catuai from their longest-running partner farm with brown sugar, milk chocolate, and red cherry aromas .
April is known for premium pricing — some rare beans can cost over 1000 DKK per 250g bag, however they definitely deliver on quality . They also offer Ethiopian lots from producers like Tadesse Hanka featuring washed processed Krume 74158 with citrus, floral, and stone fruit notes . Their innovation extends to brewing equipment with the April Brewer, which Patrik spent over three years perfecting to optimize extraction and highlight natural flavors of light-roasted coffee .