THE HERMANOS STORY
Hermanos Colombian Coffee Roasters is the story of two brothers, Victor and Santiago Gamboa, and our shared passion for specialty coffee. It’s also our celebration of Colombian culture and the amazing things achieved by the people who live there.
As we grow, we look for ways to contribute to healthy and sustainable relationships in the coffee sector that benefit not just the coffee drinker, but also the farmer, who we put at the centre of what we do. In line with what many call the third wave of coffee, our focus is on the quality of the coffee, experimenting with new preparation methods, communicating the story behind the beans, and sharing all this with our customers in a transparent and genuine way.
All our coffee is Colombian Arabica specialty grade and we carefully select what we think are the best coffee beans, directly from producers in-country, before hand roasting each batch (medium – light roasts) to ensure that you get the perfect cup.
ORIGINS
An existing passion for specialty coffee and a few deeply inspirational trips to farms in our home country, Colombia, sowed the seed for what was to become an all-consuming venture for us.
Through a process of reconnecting with the Colombian culture and people after living in the UK for several years — and whilst training in the art of coffee roasting and brewing — we decided that building a sustainable coffee business that brings the very best single origin Colombian coffee beans to the UK was to be our calling.
It took a few years to properly find our feet as we explored different ways to make this dream work, but we were always spurred on by the feedback we received from customers and the genuine desire for sustainably sourced Arabica from Colombian coffee farms.
Eventually, Hermanos Colombian Coffee Roasters was officially launched in 2018 and saw success as a pop-up based in Walthamstow. Since then, we’ve set up several shops in East London (Shoreditch, Broadway Market and Columbia Road Market) and have expanded to other parts of the city where, as we’ve been delighted to realise, interest in our beans is equally high.
EXPLORING SPECIALTY COLOMBIAN COFFEE
We try to visit Colombia as often as we can. Discussions with farmers and other professionals in the industry always reminds us that there’s so much more to learn and do.
The country is far more rich and diverse in its offerings than many people realise (with thousands of different microclimates contributing to growing conditions), and part of what we want to do is show people how varied coffee beans from Colombia can really be.
We’ve come across beans that have simply made us speechless, and many too that have stood out for their strange and unique notes. It’s all part of the experience.
As we continue to meet new growers and discover farms in sometimes remote and hard-to-reach locations, we’re appreciative of how much truly great coffee has been grown in Colombia where the coffee tradition goes to the core of many communities.
OUR COMMITMENTS
Great things can be achieved through coffee. As veterans of the UK food and hospitality sector, the quality of the drinks we offer and the service we provide to customers is always important to us, but specialty coffee is about so much more than this.
A few of our major commitments are to:
Promote greater traceability of coffee and origin transparency by focusing on telling the story behind the beans
Showcase the beauty of medium-light roasts so we can unleash the subtle notes of coffee beans and celebrate the hard work of farmers
Respect how complex coffee is as an agricultural product and the dedication it takes to cultivate specialty coffee beans
Be mindful of the relationship between the coffee industry, the environment and the communities that rely on the coffee trade for their livelihood
WHY WE ROAST
Great things can be achieved through coffee. As veterans of the UK food and hospitality sector, the quality of the drinks we offer and the service we provide to customers is always important to us, but specialty coffee is about so much more than this.
A few of our major commitments are to:
Promote greater traceability of coffee and origin transparency by focusing on telling the story behind the beans
Showcase the beauty of medium-light roasts so we can unleash the subtle notes of coffee beans and celebrate the hard work of farmers
Respect how complex coffee is as an agricultural product and the dedication it takes to cultivate specialty coffee beans
Be mindful of the relationship between the coffee industry, the environment and the communities that rely on the coffee trade for their livelihood
WHY WE ROAST
Roasting beans is a process that has helped define us in many ways. From the time we bought our first small batch roaster ‘La Hermosa’ (still displayed in our shops) to now where we have a whole team who help us roast beans daily, we see it as a vital step in unleashing the very best coffee beans have to offer.
After we’ve received a new batch and when we finally apply the level of heat needed to trigger the various chemical reactions that beans need to flourish, it’s only then that all the beautiful notes are made available to us.
An important step in the coffee bean’s story from farm to cup. You can find us roasting coffee on most days if you visit our London roastery. And if you’re a fledgling enthusiast who wants to learn more about the world of specialty coffee, we welcome you to come and see it all happen in person.
APPRECIATING THE COFFEE JOURNEY
There are few industries like coffee that bring together such creative, insightful, passionate, scientific and genuinely caring individuals and craftspeople.
From the farmers who grow and harvest the beans to those who roast and serve coffee in our shops, we find ourselves at the centre of something very important.
We understand that our journey at Hermanos Colombian Coffee Roasters is also the collective journey of so many, who each in their own way contribute to and benefit from the world of coffee.