Rob Clarijs is an all-round coffee professional. He’s a trained barista and roaster and even won the highly regarded Coffee Masters London 2019. In the historic Van Nelle Factory he opens A Matter of Concrete, a specialty coffee roastery.
Clarijs: “In 2012 I was in Copenhagen for an internship. Coffee was nothing more than a morning fuel to me back then. When I walked into the same cafe for the 2nd time in a week the barista recognised me and remembered my order. That tiny gesture made me realise the value of what a cup of coffee can bring. From that moment on I knew: I also wanted to work in coffee.
Almost a decade later my career has been a wild ride. From starting numerous brands, companies and competing in many coffee competitions. Being on the stage of quite a hand-full, with the crowning achievement of winning Coffee Masters London 2019.
I love the indefinite world of coffee. You can learn something new every day, just never stand still.”
A Matter of Concrete coffee
Now he opens a specialty coffee roastery based in the Van Nelle Factory. This UNESCO World Heritage monument used to be the biggest coffee roastery in the country. The factory was built in the New Objective-style in the twenties being one of the first buildings ever where concrete was the main material. After roasting for 65 years, in 1995 the last bean was roasted and production of the Van Nelle brand moved elsewhere. From this moment on it was thought that no bean would ever be roasted again at this historical venue. Until now.
Clarijs will work a Sovda color sorter and the state-of-the-art Loring S35 Kestrel to create his own coffee brand. He will sell his brand in the webstore next to brewing equipment, books, filters and tools. And probably he will also host workshops at A Matter of Concrete in the near future.
