Say hello to one of our clients from France: Julien and Nolwenn Blaudeau! You can find the Giesen W6A roaster in their store called ‘Le café qui fume’ in Bretagne. Let’s get to know them.
Name: | Julien and Nolwenn |
Surname: | Blaudeau |
Company name: | Le café qui fume |
Giesen Coffee roaster type: | W6A |
Country: | Bretagne, France |
Client spotlight: Le café qui fume
Why did you decide to start your own business? About ten years ago, we decided to leave our Parisian jobs and go abroad. After several stays (England, United States, Canada) we discovered a new way of life. We discovered that the taste of coffee was different from one coffee shop to another. Following this, we chose to come back to Brittany, Nolwenn’s native land, and set up our roasting business. We created a family structure on a human scale and based on a relationship of trust with our customers and producers.
Highlights you experienced in your work: We love the trips to the plantations that encourage us to always have respect for our product; from the tree to the cup. Besides that, one of the highlights is to let our different partners, including the growers, taste our results in the cup. We like to work hand in hand so that all the actors of the coffee chain are valued.
With the knowledge of today, would you have done things differently? Can you name some beginners’ mistakes? Our main mistake was to underestimate the financial and human investment. It is essential to be more than passionate. Besides that, you should not be afraid of days longer than 10 hours (at least 6 days out of 7). It is necessary to be invested, meticulous, and versatile.
How do you become a successful roaster: We make a coffee that looks like us and that we like. Today we have a loyal loyal customer base who appreciate our way of roasting. They like our more aromatic and well-developed coffee.
How many hours of roasting and studying does it take to become a roasting expert? From my point of view, you don’t become an expert in roasting in a few hours but after about ten tons of roasted coffee, through practice and exchanges.
What qualities does a successful roaster have? It is essential to be curious about what is being done elsewhere. You also need to have a scientific mind to carry out different tests and to develop one’s palate. That way, you will be able to see the impact of your choices and the result in the cup.
Beginner’s mistakes in coffee roasting: In my opinion, the main risk consists in wanting to standardize the process. It is important to carry out daily tests in order to adapt to the different origins of coffee, different harvests. It is necessary to comply with climatic requirements (temperature, humidity, storage conditions).
The best thing about coffee roasting: Roasting has something magical in the way how you can transform the material. Going from a small, hard, green seed into a coffee bean full of aromatic flavors.
How do customers react when they see your coffee roaster? Our roaster catches the eye of our customers when they enter our store. Some find it looks like a locomotive and others are impressed by its modernity and computer tracking.