Impact Roasters was founded in 2015 by Daniel Halalla and his wife, Nidzara Fazlic. Daniel grew up in Ethiopia, where roasting beans with his mother was a daily ritual. Nidzara grew up in Bosnia and later lived in Ethiopia. The company buys coffee directly from small-scale farmers in Ethiopia, without middlemen, and roasts it in small batches in Copenhagen. Its own model, Impact Trade, came from finding that certifications such as Fairtrade did not work for the small Ethiopian farms it buys from: part of the profit goes back into community projects chosen by local people, among them school uniforms and materials for children and water stations at village schools.

The first roastery opened in 2017 in the Langgade station building in Valby, a colourful, relaxed room that is also hired out for events. There are cafés in Valby Station and at Flintholm Station, one with African-inspired décor in Carlsberg Byen, and one in Amager that is part of the Impact Roasters Cooperative and creates opportunities for African women in Denmark through coffee, entrepreneurship and shared ownership.

The coffees come from Yirgacheffe, Sidama, Guji, Jimma, Limu and the Kaffa forest in Ethiopia, with a few from Kenya, and most can be ordered in a dark, medium or light roast. Groups can book an introduction to roasting with a tasting, a barista day or an Ethiopian coffee ceremony, with its three rounds of coffee, Abol, Tona and Baraka.

Coffee on the shelf

Photograph: Impact Roasters