Suedhang – the specialty coffee roaster based in Tübingen (southwest Germany) – united under one roof a café, a roastery and a vibrant community of activists who want to change the world for good
It was just a couple of years ago when Robin and Martin opened the doors of Suedhang, a specialty coffee roaster in Tübingen, a vibrant city in southwest Germany home to one of Europe’s oldest universities.
Describing Suedhang may not be easy, as it’s a project made of many different parts; at the same time, all those different parts blend seamlessly together creating something unique as only Suedhang can be.
Firstly, Suedhang is as a café. Following the path of the third wave of coffee, Robin and Martin started Suedhang as a welcoming place, whose aim has always been to serve good, exquisite coffee in a warm and relaxed atmosphere, with a focus on vegan consumption.
Secondly, Suedhang is a roastery, where Martin and Robin can express their deep passion for light roast coffee, experimenting day after day and following new exciting challenges. Here, with the help of their head of quality and roaster Mikolaj, they love to discover something new every day: it can be the perfect way to roast (and then brew) an exciting canephora, or it can be an opportunity to develop a new tasty drink, starting from scratch.
Thirdly, they like to write, not just articles for Suedhang’s blog but actual books on various coffee-related topics with the simple purpose of sharing knowledge, teaching customers that “drinking coffee is not an act of autopilot but a conscious consumption. Even if it is a big word. It is about quality of life.”
Last but (definitely) not least, Robin and Martin and the rest of the Suedhang team consider themselves activists. Protesting against the VAT increase on vegan milk alternatives (as is still happening in Germany), trying to develop a regional solution for oat milk in reusable containers, sharing their corporate records online (to get the idea across that it’s possible to manage a company following specific ethical requirements and sustainable environment standards), are just some of the battles that Suedhang fights daily, push by the desire to be something different. Being a specialty coffee roaster that cares.