The Story
Kaffa was founded in 2005 by Robert William Thoresen, the winner of the inaugural World Barista Championship in 2000 and one of the architects of Norway’s specialty coffee identity . Before coffee, Thoresen worked as an architect in San Francisco, where he witnessed the early stirrings of America’s third-wave coffee movement and felt compelled to bring something similar back to his native Norway . His path into the industry began with Java Espressobar, a cafe he opened in Oslo’s St. Hanshaugen neighborhood in 1997, followed by a sister cafe called Mocca in the western Briskeby district in 2001.
It was alongside Mocca that Thoresen started a micro-roastery, the very first of its kind in all of Norway . By 2005, the roasting operation had grown enough to warrant its own identity and space, and Kaffa was born as an independent roastery, eventually relocating to eastern Oslo’s Ryen area . The name “Kaffa” references the Kaffa region of Ethiopia, widely considered the birthplace of coffee, signaling Thoresen’s deep respect for coffee’s origins and his commitment to honoring them through careful roasting.
Kaffa’s influence on Nordic coffee culture is difficult to overstate . As one of Norway’s very first specialty roasters, Kaffa set the tone for the wave of roasters that followed, including Tim Wendelboe and others who would go on to define the Nordic light roast style globally . Today, Kaffa is led by CEO Erik Rosendahl, who previously co-founded Drop Coffee in Stockholm, bringing his own deep expertise to the operation and continuing the tradition of excellence that Thoresen established.
Sourcing & Relationships
Kaffa’s sourcing is anchored by its sister company, Collaborative Coffee Source, an importing operation co-founded by Thoresen that sources green coffee from nine origin countries including Ethiopia, Honduras, Kenya, and Costa Rica . This vertically integrated model gives Kaffa unusual control over its supply chain, allowing the roastery to work directly with producers and maintain long-term partnerships built on mutual benefit . Notable sourcing partners include La Palma y El Tucan in Colombia, Longmiles Coffee Projects in Burundi, and San Vicente in Central America.
Thoresen has always traveled extensively to origin, searching for knowledge directly from the people at coffee’s home regions . This hands-on approach to sourcing carries through to the present day, with Kaffa maintaining close friendships with producers that span years or even decades . The connection to Collaborative Coffee Source also means that Kaffa’s sourcing contributes to broader industry initiatives, including fund distributions to farming communities through partnerships with Norwegian retailers.
Roasting Philosophy
Kaffa roasts in the Nordic style that it helped pioneer, using light profiles designed to enhance the flavors of origin and variety rather than imposing the roaster’s preferences on the bean . The goal is transparency in the cup, allowing drinkers to taste where and how a coffee was grown, processed, and prepared . This approach demands exceptional green coffee, which the vertically integrated sourcing through Collaborative Coffee Source helps guarantee.
The roasting operation serves a diverse range of clients beyond Kaffa’s own cafes, including restaurants, bakeries, coffee bars, and hotels across Norway . One of their most significant partnerships is with Rema 1000, a major Norwegian grocery chain, for whom Kaffa produces specialty-grade coffee under the Kolonihagen brand . This unusual collaboration brings genuinely high-quality, direct-trade coffee to a mass-market retail audience, reflecting Kaffa’s belief that specialty coffee should reach beyond the niche of dedicated enthusiasts.
What to Try
The Kaffa filter blend is the house standard, a carefully composed coffee designed to showcase the Nordic light roast at its most approachable and balanced . Seasonal single origins rotate throughout the year and represent the best of what Collaborative Coffee Source has sourced, often featuring washed Ethiopians with floral and citrus complexity or Kenyan lots with vibrant berry acidity . Both Java and Mocca cafes in Oslo serve Kaffa as their house roast, offering an excellent introduction to the brand in two of the city’s most established specialty coffee spaces.
For those outside Oslo, Kaffa ships throughout Norway and has an international presence through specialty distributors and subscription boxes . The Kolonihagen line available in Rema 1000 stores offers a more accessible entry point, allowing everyday shoppers to experience direct-trade specialty coffee without the premium price tag of micro-lot offerings . Whether through a carefully prepared pour over at Java or a bag of Kolonihagen picked up during a grocery run, Kaffa’s mission remains the same: making the best possible coffee available to as many people as possible.