De Witte Zwaan was founded as a coffee roastery in 1902 by Pieter-Jan Goemaere’s great-great-grandfather, and in 1928 it moved to the Boelare in Eeklo, where its coffee shop and coffee bar still are. Pieter-Jan, the fifth generation of roasters in the family, leads it, with Nele Vanden Berghe as tea sommelier and Istvan Wallaert roasting alongside him. The roasting has changed with each generation: every roast is now recorded, the style is much lighter than it once was, and the aim is a balance between sweetness and acidity that keeps the character of each origin.

In 2023, having outgrown its roastery in Eeklo, De Witte Zwaan built a new one in a business park in Lievegem, from reclaimed bricks as old as the company. It roasts there weekly on a Probat UG22 and a Probat G75, and the building has a tasting bar and a meeting room. The roastery opens by appointment for tastings, team-building days, tours and live roasting.

In Eeklo, the coffee bar serves its freshly roasted coffee with tea and cake, and there is a city garden. The coffee shop at the same address sells coffee, loose tea and brewing accessories. The range is split into classic coffees, which must score at least 84 points, and specialty coffees, at least 86. The classics include the Houseblend, roasted for five generations, and the R-blend, which is served in its own bar and in many other coffee bars. Workshops cover espresso, latte art, filter brewing and coffee tasting.

Partner cafés

Coffee on the shelf

Photograph: De Witte Zwaan