Man Versus Machine was founded in Munich in 2014 and has stayed independent, with no investors. It buys only specialty-grade arabica scoring above 80 points and has never roasted robusta. Its coffee goes to independent cafés and bars in the UK, the EU and the UAE and to Michelin-starred restaurants, and the brand has worked with Artek, Nudie Jeans, Menu CPH and Peak Performance and served as coffee partner for TEDx Munich. Its crocodile illustration is by the New York designer Jon Contino.

The roastery is in Maxvorstadt, where a 35 kg Loring Kestrel roasts for the cafés and for wholesale partners. It is a micro-roaster by choice and cups every coffee in-house before it ships. The team tastes green samples and develops a profile for each lot, then keeps adjusting once it is in production. The roast is light to medium: “some say Nordic and light. We say balanced and sweet.” The aim is a roast that supports the floral and citrus side of a washed Ethiopian or the fruit of a natural, and the chocolate and caramel of an espresso coffee, without becoming the dominant flavour. The bars run La Marzocco and Slayer machines, and the roastery hosts barista, latte art and home brewing classes.

The first café, in Glockenbach, is where the roasting began, and it serves Franzbrötchen. The Maxvorstadt café sits among the universities and museums; its shop manager, Tomo, brewed Man Versus Machine coffee at the Nordic Approach booth at the SCAJ festival in Tokyo in 2026. The Schwabing café is a neighbourhood stop for espresso and matcha. On Marienplatz, in the old town, Hôtel de Ville by Man Versus Machine pairs the roaster’s coffee with ceremonial-grade Japanese matcha.

Coffee on the shelf

Photograph: Man Versus Machine