AKC Master Roasters

Today i was very lucky to visit AKC Coffee & Tea.
AKC is a specialized coffee roasting company at Kruibeke, nearby Antwerp.

It was a while ago i met co-owner Michel Hoorens. What struck me was his passionate approach on coffee in all its aspects. And then i didn't meet his brother Serge yet.... until today.

First of all, let's state things clear : AKC is a premium player in the specialized coffee business, not only in Belgium or Europe, but even worldwide.

The company roasts and packs coffee, ground or not, for coffee company's, mostly those who run a chain of espresso, food or bakery shops, from Moscow till New York.

And what they offer is very wide. A whole lotta single origins from all continents in small or large packages, regular espresso blends, Starbucks styled dark roasts, Turkish ground, Fair trade, Organic blends and others.

De coffee is packed followed the newest techniques - don't ask me how exactly - and labeled or not, but never with an AKC print and never retail.

The AKC lab is the beating heart of the company. Here they cup, pull espresso shots, measure moisture level in the bean, judge new packages, roast samples, stock their green bean samples, and so on, and so on.

The world may be proud at AKC and all their devoted employees for so much quality and craftsmanship. An industrial coffee roasting company with a nice small town feel, from Flanders.

Hope to meet up soon, Michel and Serge.