Andy Roasters was started by the best friends Kjell and Dave. After five years running their own independent coffee bars, they began roasting at the Blikfabriek in Hoboken, opening the roastery in the middle of the pandemic. At first they roasted for their own bars and for wholesale customers around Antwerp; two years later they opened the flagship store in the south of the city. The motto is “Digging. Playing. Understanding coffee.”

Andy buys from a select group of specialised traders across Europe, cupping widely to find coffees that are easily overlooked, and roasts light, several times a week. The coffees are sorted into three styles: Not So Fruity for nutty, chocolaty cups, Fruity Washed for elegant, almost tea-like coffees, and Fruity Unwashed for honey, natural and maceration lots. The Pink Series is its most exclusive range.

The flagship rests on three things, by Andy’s account: “Great coffee, amazing people and always the right tunes.” Every Saturday, Andy’s Morning Show, curated by Nowadays Magazine, brings two DJs to the flagship for back-to-back sets, broadcast live on We Are Various online radio, and Andy’s Runners Club holds interval sessions for runners of every level. Café Betty, the second café, opened in Berchem in the space of the former Café Het Been, with a bar and furniture by the Antwerp designer Nick Bal and a selection from Keith Bakery alongside Andy’s coffee. Andy has also opened its own sourdough bakery in Borgerhout to supply its venues.

Coffee on the shelf

Photograph: Andy Roasters