The Story
Public Coffee Roasters was founded in 2013 by Argin Keshishian Namagerdi, who with his brother until age eleven lived in Tehran, Iran . His brother Arameh Keshishian Namagerdi joined the company in 2014, with both brothers forming the face of Public Coffee Roasters . Argin, an Iranian expat with Armenian roots, found his love for coffee inspired by his father, sharing weekend rituals of meaningful conversations over coffee .
The company began with opening their first café on April 14, 2014, starting in what began as a small 20-square-meter space . What started as a modest beginning has evolved into a growing startup with its own roasting plant, three cafés, and broad distribution channels . They position themselves as a young coffee roasting company from Hamburg that sources the best coffee from farms worldwide, processing and selling carefully roasted coffee from their houseboat anchored on the Elbe river .
The company’s growth has been methodical, establishing multiple locations throughout Hamburg. In June 2017, they moved into their Goldbekplatz location in a renovated 1899 metal foundry building . Since January 1, 2016, they’ve operated their floating roastery called Entenwerder, after searching for suitable roasting facilities since mid-2014 .
Sourcing & Relationships
Public Coffee Roasters actively searches for special coffees full of character that can be obtained directly from farms in countries like Ethiopia, Guatemala, and Panama, aiming to develop personal contact with coffee farmers so their entire range comes from farmers they know and trust . They check farm backgrounds and only include coffees that meet their principles, including no child labor, education for children of farm workers, fair and transparent payment for coffee pickers, and ecological and economic balance .
Rather than relying solely on Fair Trade or organic labels and certifications, they prefer direct trade relationships . Their sourcing spans multiple countries including Panama, Colombia, Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Brazil, Ethiopia, Kenya, India, and Indonesia . Their process involves ordering samples, and after green coffee arrives in Hamburg, beans are gently roasted with care in their sample roaster and cupped one day later .
They’ve partnered with Andraschko Kaffeemanufaktur in Berlin, working with owners Willy and Elisabeth Andraschko for common green coffee purchases and excess roasting capacity . This partnership includes state-of-the-art filter systems to reduce CO2 output during roasting, with transparency about which batches are roasted in Berlin versus Hamburg .
Roasting Philosophy
Public Coffee Roasters views coffee preparation as a craft and coffee as a multifaceted quality product, emphasizing knowledge and slow roasting every batch for quality and precision . They believe only with knowledge of coffee origins and processing excellence can they deliver the full taste potential of every bean . They have access to their roaster and can explain their roasting philosophy to the roast master, ensuring their coffees are roasted according to their specific roasting profiles and requirements .
When green coffee bags arrive, they start by roasting on their sample roaster to create roasting profiles—determining the relationship between roasting time and temperature, which has major impact on quality and highlights certain aroma and flavor characteristics . Only once they find the right flavors will coffee be roasted in larger batches and packed before being brewed and served .
They represent the “Third Wave” philosophy, viewing coffee preparation as a craft and coffee as a multifaceted quality product, believing that only those who know everything about origin and processing can exploit a bean’s maximum taste potential . Throughout their process, they work from a converted former customs house on the Elbe river that serves as their roasting plant .
What to Try
Their signature Starlight espresso blend combines three distinct coffee beans into a well-balanced blend, with Brazilian beans making up half the blend for incredible sweetness, and fully washed Bourbon varietal from Guatemala lending chocolatey flavor . The Starlight Espresso Blend features “a shade of dark chocolate hazelnut” according to regular customers.
The Moonlight blend stands out with intense taste of dark chocolate and sweet honey, featuring aromas of dark chocolate, honey, nuts and a full-bodied body . This blend incorporates coffee from Colombia’s Huila region, where small farmers own one to two hectares and cooperate to share milling stations, and is certified organic with Rainforest Alliance Seal .
Their filter coffees are named after farms, farmers, or regions like “Elida” to stay close to the product, while espresso blends carry invented names from “First Love” to “Moonlight” . Their full range includes First Love Espresso Blend, various single origins like Yirgacheffe filter coffee, Huila filter coffee, and specialty options like Orangutan blends . The roastery also offers their popular avocado sandwich and famous cheesecake at their café locations.