The Story
Tim Wendelboe started his coffee journey at Stockfleths coffee shop in Oslo in September 1998, beginning what would become nearly a decade of barista work before founding his own company . After becoming the 2004 World Barista Champion and 2005 World Cup Tasting Champion, alongside multiple Nordic Barista Championship titles , Tim opened his eponymous roastery and espresso bar in 2007 .
His journey represents more than personal achievement—it embodies a decade-long effort to keep Oslo’s coffee culture flame alive through his award-winning operation . Tim has also authored two books: “Coffee with Tim Wendelboe,” covering coffee basics and preparation, and “Finca Tamana,” focused on a Colombian farm . The transformation he’s witnessed is remarkable: when he opened ten years ago, they could barely sell 10 cups of black coffee daily, but now serve 200 cups on busy Saturdays .
Sourcing & Relationships
Tim Wendelboe maintains close relationships with producers, working systematically both short and long term to improve their farms and coffees, ensuring harvesting and processing follows their strict protocols . They’ve worked with some producers since 2009, sourcing from farms in Ethiopia, Honduras, Colombia, El Salvador, and Kenya . They publish annual information about producer payments and compensation reasoning, helping spread awareness about fair farmer compensation .
Their commitment extends to direct ownership: Tim acquired 7 hectares in Huila, Colombia, creating Finca El Suelo (“the soil”), adjacent to longtime partner Finca Tamana . This experimental farm focuses on regenerative biological farming practices, working only with nature and bringing soil back to life through composting to increase beneficial microbe populations, believing healthy soils produce healthy trees and better coffees . The motivation behind farm ownership was enabling necessary experimentation to understand and verify quality improvement methods without economically burdening farmers .
Roasting Philosophy
Tim Wendelboe is renowned for light-roasted coffees and consistent quality, though this wasn’t always the case—they roasted darker initially but evolved into their famous lighter roasts, with the aim of presenting coffees with distinctive character of their origin and variety . Nordic coffees are lightly roasted, giving very little bitterness, loads of sweetness, and bright flavors, allowing the roastery to stand out from supermarket brands that also roast light but with fair quality coffees .
This approach represents the Nordic coffee revolution that began around 2004, challenging centuries of orthodoxy by stopping roasts shortly after first crack to reveal bright, fruit-forward profiles that made traditional espresso roasts seem heavy and muted . Their roasting philosophy emphasizes clarity, brightness, and origin character, preserving the coffee’s inherent qualities rather than masking them . Beans are roasted on a thirty-five pound American Loring roaster, roasting to order every day for direct delivery to customers, restaurants, and cafes worldwide .
What to Try
Their most popular offering is the coffee tasting for two, featuring four coffees served side by side, alongside their famous Cappuccino Al Freddo—a foamy iced cappuccino made with an old milkshake mixer . Tim himself gravitates toward Kenyan coffees for his morning black coffee , representing the bright, acidic profiles that define their house style.
Recent seasonal selections showcase their sourcing diversity: floral, wet-fermented coffees from Ethiopia and Honduras, honey-processed offerings from Los Pirineos in El Salvador, with ongoing biological farming trials aiming to bring coffee cultivation closer to its Ethiopian origins . Their seasonal menu changes according to coffee harvest seasons and local weather, featuring coffees brewed to order alongside a small range of espresso-based drinks . Unique offerings include “Coffee berry fizz” for those seeking exceptional and distinctive taste experiences .