KALVE began in 2017, when Gatis Zēmanis and Raimonds Selga started roasting coffee in a small garage. The first coffee shop opened in Riga in 2019, the same year KALVE came second at the international Roast Masters competition; in 2025 it went back and won. It became a certified B Corp in 2023 and a publicly listed company in 2024. Members of the team hold the Q Arabica Grader certificate, KALVE buys coffees that score 82 points and above, and every bag is roasted in Latvia.

The house espressos are blends. Chocolate Bar, a Brazil and Uganda blend, has been the signature espresso since 2017, and Marmalade was created for the Roast Masters competition in Milan in 2019. The seasonal single origins, from Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Panama, are roasted light for filter, and some coffees come in tins featuring the work of Latvian artists.

There are six KALVE cafés in Riga. KALVE Stabu, the first, opened in June 2019 as a showroom for partners, and KALVE Bakery baked its first pastel de nata and cardamom pastry behind its counter. KALVE Baznīcas opened in April 2021 between two churches, with a wooden bench by the door that stays out in rain and snow and a wide terrace in summer. The café inside Āgenskalns Market, one of Riga’s oldest markets, opened in May 2022. KALVE Miera, opened in August 2023, hosts conversation evenings with the neighbouring LĪNA Family Psychology Centre every two months, along with dance performances and Breakfast Club mornings. KALVE Living Room opened in 2025 across the street from the National Museum of Art; it is now the home of KALVE Bakery, which bakes there every morning. The sixth is KALVE Old Town. Beyond Latvia, KALVE has two cafés in Tallinn, two in Vilnius, two in Paris and one in Lisbon.

Stabu, Baznīcas, Miera, the market café and the Living Room have no Wi-Fi, but laptops are welcome at any table not marked “No laptops”, and well-behaved dogs are allowed. Miera and the Living Room take no table reservations.

Coffee on the shelf

Photograph: KALVE Coffee Roasters