Good Beans is run by a chatty American and a steady Norwegian. We were drawn first to a tiny shop in Amsterdam, and we stuck around to develop, deepen and spread a much bigger mission: making ethically-sourced coffee more approachable. Here’s a bit more about us:
Cody Reid-Dodick
Cody runs our coffee programming and keeps our branding fresh. He is determined to spread the resilient energy and progressive vision of the origin partners behind your delicious morning cup. You can find him most days in the shop, holding court with our growing group of neighbourhood regulars and talking passionately about the future of specialty coffee. Reach out to him for brand collaborations or guest roasting opportunities.
Harald Stangeland
The stoic Norwegian, Harald is our operator. He handles all things finances, sales, and logistics. In other words, he keeps us marching, nay, cross-country skiing, towards peak efficiency. He also coaches our very own handball team, in a desperate attempt to relive his days playing professionally (in his own opinion) up North. Reach out to him for wholesale inquiries and potential partnerships.
Interview
Can you please introduce your roastery in a few short sentences?
We are an Amsterdam based roastery on a mission to make ethically-sourced specialty coffee more approachable. We have a cozy shop in central Amsterdam, which is the home of Fucking Strong Coffee: our line of fancy, impactfully-sourced beans for (fucking) everyone. No preaching, no minimalism, no exclusivity, just good, ethical specialty beans.
What is the story behind your name and logo?
When we look around at our buddies in the industry, we see a lot of great sourcers and talented roasters, but few really inclusive, effective storytellers. Our industry does a lot of preaching to coffee nerds, but not a lot of attracting novices who know less about coffee, sourcing, and how we are making a difference. A name like "Fucking Strong Coffee" is about being cheeky, approachable, anti-snob, and conversation-provoking.
What is the hardest part about being a roastery?
Keeping excitement about origin partners and cool projects in line with healthy business growth/strategic planning. It's easy to get carried away when so many people are doing cool things around us.
What is the one thing people still don’t get about coffee?
The pursuit of "specialty" is NOT the pursuit of "exclusivity" or "fanciness" -- ethically-sourced, high-quality, delicious coffee isn't just for the few.
Which one thing do you wish you’d done differently since starting a roasting business?
Been more proactive about meeting other roasters and integrating into the Amsterdam/NL/EU coffee scene, as opposed to just being cheeky outsiders. We're nice guys (we think!), we just like to do things our own way, but that doesn't mean we don't want to make more friends.
Is there a person in the industry people should know about?
Lennart Clerkx, the founder at our ethical importer This Side Up -- he doesn't just do things right, he redefines what "right" is.
What’s been your biggest failure?
We weren't quick enough to recognize the energy our customers would have around sustainability and reusability -- we should have started our can refill program earlier, and launched our reusable cups right off the bat.
What are you most proud of?
Growing our Amsterdam cafe from a couple of random customers a day, to a vibrant, incredibly supportive "clubhouse" of regulars from across the globe.
How will the specialty coffee market look like in 2025?
Hopefully... more approachable, less snobby, and as innovative as it is today. Also: more specialty drinking at origin!
Tell us a little bit about “The Cup” - the best cup of coffee you’ve ever tasted?
We have two. A filter in the little office of our partner cooperative's washing station in Gakenke, Rwanda after our first origin visit. And a ridiculously tasty cup from our buddies at Blommers (from NL) - a Costa Rican. TOO tropical :).
