Coffee Circle
Berlin-based specialty coffee roastery, e-commerce retailer, and social enterprise. Primarily a direct-to-consumer (D2C) online brand with high volume — different in profile from the competition-focused micro-roasters on Kaiserblick’s target list, but a meaningful buyer opportunity given scale and direct-trade ethos.
Website: https://www.coffeecircle.com B2B contact: b2b@coffeecircle.com | +49 30 220 139 882 (contact: Marc) Fit: MEDIUM — no El Salvador; large-scale direct-trade buyer with social impact focus; no hard certification barrier
(source: Coffee Circle (website))
Company overview
Founded 2010 in Berlin. Combined office, roastery, and flagship café in Berlin Wedding. B Corp certified since 2016.
Mission: “Specialty Coffee for a better tomorrow” — specialty coffee accessible to everyone, with direct social impact at origin.
Social model: Donates €1 per kg of coffee sold to social projects in coffee-growing regions (clean water, education, training). Over €4.5 million raised since founding. Claims this is “three times more than Fairtrade systems.”
Scale indicator: Large for a specialty roaster; operates a full B2B/wholesale programme, EU-wide shipping, subscription service, and multiple retail touchpoints.
(source: Coffee Circle (website))
Sourcing philosophy
- Direct trade — buys directly from producers; pays “far above market price and above Fairtrade minimums”
- Transparency — publishes sourcing data; long-term farmer relationships
- No rigid certification requirement — unlike Chronic., Coffee Circle does not mandate EU organic or Fairtrade on every product; several coffees are organically grown but not universally required
- Primary focus origins: Ethiopia, Colombia, Kenya (their closest/oldest direct-trade relationships, described as organically grown); also Brazil, Congo, Rwanda, Indonesia, and others
(source: Coffee Circle (website))
Current coffee range
No El Salvador in the current product catalogue (as of May 2026). Origins observed on site:
| Product | Origin | Style |
|---|---|---|
| Yirgacheffe | Ethiopia | Filter / medium roast |
| Limu | Ethiopia | Filter / medium |
| Espresso Sidamo | Ethiopia | Espresso |
| Rungeto | Kenya | Filter / light |
| Muraho | Rwanda | Filter / medium |
| Daterra | Brazil | Filter / medium |
| Espresso Cerrado | Brazil | Espresso |
| Espresso Apas | Brazil | Espresso |
| Lake Kivu | Congo (Kivu) | Filter / medium |
| Java | Indonesia | Filter / light |
| Buna Dimaa | Blend | Dark / espresso |
| Espresso Yirga Santos | Blend | Dark / espresso |
Price range: €10.90–19.90 / 250g (€43.60–79.60/kg) — accessible specialty pricing.
(source: Coffee Circle (website))
B2B / wholesale
Three B2B segments:
- Office / corporate — 1 kg packs at reduced price, subscription available; full equipment range
- HORECA (Gastro) — cafés, restaurants, hotels; full B2B portfolio + barista training + equipment; workshops in Berlin or on-site
- Retailer / wholesale — official European retailer for Chemex, Porlex, and Fellow equipment brands
B2B contact: b2b@coffeecircle.com | Marc (named B2B contact) Shipping: EU-wide; price list provided on registration How to start: Fill out form at coffeecircle.com/de/e/b2b-informationen or email directly
(source: Coffee Circle (website))
Fit analysis for Kaiserblick
Strengths:
- Large-scale buyer — high volume potential
- Direct-trade model aligns with Kaiserblick’s sourcing values
- No hard certification barrier (no mandatory Bio/Fairtrade for all products)
- Germany-based → core target market for Kaiserblick’s EU export
- Social impact story (€1/kg donations) is compatible with Kaiserblick’s regenerative/organic farming narrative
Weaknesses / considerations:
- D2C e-commerce model means they primarily market to end consumers, not roaster-to-roaster trade
- Range leans toward Ethiopian, Colombian, Kenyan origins; no established Central America programme
- Accessible-specialty positioning (€10.90–19.90/250g) may not support premium micro-lot pricing
- Not a competition-circuit or WoC-type buyer — lower prestige signal compared to Barn, Tim Wendelboe, etc.
- Social impact framing matters; Kaiserblick’s regenerative/organic narrative needs to be front and centre
Proposed angle: Position Kaiserblick as a direct-trade, social-impact-aligned El Salvador producer. Emphasise the farm-to-export value chain, Salvadoran producer community, and sustainability credentials. The €1/kg model suggests they value stories as much as cup scores.
WoC Brussels 2026 outreach notes
- Fit level: MEDIUM — viable but not a priority over HIGH-fit competition roasters
- Do not deprioritise entirely — their volume and German market reach make them worth a conversation
- WoC Brussels 2026 attendance not confirmed; may be worth targeting via email outreach before or after the event rather than on the floor
Sources
- Coffee Circle (website) —
raw/International export/coffeecircle-com-crawl.md