Sjöstrand Coffee : For the love of coffee!

Aadel Kersh is just about to open up another restaurant in Stockholm. This one is located in the old Gustavsbergs Porcelain factory, where high-quality porcelain has been produced for centuries. Just like with Aadel himself, this place holds a strong connection to the Swedish fika-culture but with a great mixture of global and local.

Born and raised in a food and restaurant family, Aadel forms a new generation of food entrepreneurs in Stockholm, together with his brothers. For Aadel, the love of coffee has been a main driver in his career and development.

'To me, coffee is an ingredient for all things I love in life. It takes both accuracy and skills to be able produce quality but coffee is also a strong symbol for meeting between people. For me the interaction with other people is the main driver. A rather have too many than too few. So for restaurants, food and meetings - coffee is the common link', says Aadel

Aadel Kersh opened his first roastery in 201. Currently he runs a local roastery, located in Gustavsberg since 2014. And he has focused on special coffee or handcrafted coffee, as Aadels calls it.

'To refine the beans at its best and make a good coffee is the most important. We strive to maintain good relations with our suppliers in order to achieve a good process throughout the complete production chain', says Aadel.

A good coffee is not just about having the correct certifications, for Aadel the it is important to have a holistic view. In order to reach great quality the farmer needs to have a well-defined cultivation process with a high level of skills. That demands a well-functioning organisation with farmers that focus resources on quality matters. Aadel sum it up with

'it is not all organic coffee that is of high quality, but all high quality coffee is probably organic.'

As a small roastery we have the possibility to have a holistic view and work with a number of small farmers in order to find the best coffee. But for me good coffee is also about my business, to create a nice workplace with a good culture but also to be able to make efforts for our city to make it a good place.

'First of all, we're a local business. That is my thing. I love being part of peoples' daily life. So even if I want to grow my business, most important for me is to win the local audience', says Aadel.

Sjöstrand's summer coffee was created from a brief, that the coffee should enhance the fika moments with the strawberry cake or the cinnamon bun as well as being the grand final of a late evening barbecue. Aadels ambition has been to create a blend that first confirm the consumer that this is a good cup of coffee, and secondly adds some new flavours as a small surprise. The Arabica beans are from a small farm i Peru, owned by a friend's mother. It is rather juicy and therefor well-suited for a dark roast. And the berry flavours together with the light body is a tribute to the Swedish summer flavours.

Being a coffee expert, Aadel Kersh wants to raise his voice for the coffee capsules. To make a great espresso at home, you still would need a professional machine and grinder. So for the many, a capsule coffee machine and capsules is the most suitable to be able to enjoy good espresso and to have a great result for every brewing. From a sustainable perspective it is better, since it is less coffee, and less waste of coffee with a capsule espresso. And if the capsules are both organic and compostable. It is a no-brainer.

The Sjöstrand Limited Edition this summer, is the starting point for the collaboration.

'I want to challenge my self and the industry and show that it is possible to combine function, comfort and simplicity with craftmanship and high quality. I'm really looking forward to develop the collaboration with Sjöstrand further, and make a really good capsule coffee, in the holistic sense, finishes Aadel.

Purchase Sjöstrand Summer coffee capsules

Purchase Sjöstrand Summer coffee grind

• Take a glass that can hold 2-2,5 dl
• Flavour the glass using the peel from a slice of orange that you pull along the edge and inside of the glass (it is the peel that will flavour, so be sure to avoid getting any orange juice in the glass)
• Brew an shot of espresso of Sjöstrand's summer coffee into the glass (remove the drip tray and the glass will fit if it is too high)
• Fill the glass with ice
• Enjoy immediately or top the glass with ice-cold milk

This ice latte is lovely to enjoy together with a piece of chocolate.